The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, April 30, 2006
Third Sunday of Easter

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Acts 3:13-15
Psalm 4:2, 4, 7-9
1 John 2:1-5
Luke 24:35-48

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

If you’re feeling the post-Easter doldrums, just check out today’s readings. The scene is Solomon’s Portico just after Peter has cured the lame man. As the man leaps for joy, a very large crowd gathers (later reports put the number at three thousand). Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares that it is God who has worked this miracle, and that what they have seen is another proof that the man, Jesus, whom they crucified, was truly God’s Son. We can imagine how those words must have pierced many hearts with terrifying guilt. They were the ones who had cried “Crucify Him!” just a short time ago. Memories of God’s terrible punishments in years past must have crowded their minds. What were they to do?

Peter’s words reassure them. Since they acted out of ignorance, God offers them salvation if they repent and believe. They must be baptized in His Name, and in the Father and the Holy Spirit. And they must spread the Word. This is the mission of every follower of Jesus!

The Gospel for this Sunday is even more exciting. This is Luke’s account of the commissioning of the apostles. "Scene One" takes place in the upper room, where the two disciples to whom Jesus appeared on their way to Emmaus, have just returned, breathless and bursting with the news that Jesus is alive. Even as they speak, Jesus suddenly appears to the whole assembly, throwing them into consternation and fear. With powerful persuasion, Jesus convinces them that he is not a ghost, but a human person, very alive. He asks them for something to eat. They give Him a piece of baked fish which He eats in their presence! From the upper room, Jesus leads them out to Bethany where the crowd had acclaimed Him as King. According to Luke, Jesus ascends from here and disappears into the heavens.

But the miracle is that Jesus’ is still with us — in the Eucharist, in the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, and in our loving encounters with one another. He is here in our sorrows, supporting and strengthening us, keeping us on the journey that will inevitably lead to fullness of life, if only we are faithful.

Let us be Easter people, and may ‘Alleluia’ be our song!

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at frontiernet dot net)