Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 03-30-05, Wednesday in the Octave of Easter, (Solemnity)

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Easter Reflections -- 50 Days of the Easter Season

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From: Acts 3:1-10

Cure of a Man Lame from Birth

[1] Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of
prayer, the ninth hour. [2] And a man lame from birth was being
carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called
Beautiful to ask alms of those who entered the temple. [3] Seeing
Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. [4] And
Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, "Look at us." [5]
And he fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something
from them. [6] But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but I give
you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." [7]
And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately
his feet and ankles were made strong. [8] And leaping up he stood and
walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and
praising God. [9] And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
[10] and recognized him as the one who sat for alms at the Beautiful
Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder at what had
happened to him.

Commentary:

1. This was the hour of the evening sacrifice, which began around three
o'clock and was attended by a large number of devout Jews. The ritual,
which went on until dusk, was the second sacrifice of the day. The
earlier one, on similar lines, began at dawn and lasted until nine in
the morning.

2. None of the documents that have come down to us which describe the
Temple mentions a gate of this name. It was probably the Gate of
Nicanor (or Corinthian Gate), which linked the court of the Gentiles
with the court of the women which led on to the court of the
Israelites. It was architecturally a very fine structure and because
of its location it was a very busy place, which would have made it a
very good place for begging.

3-8. The cure of this cripple was the first miracle worked by the
Apostles. "This cure", says St. John Chrysostom, "testifies to the
resurrection of Christ, of which it is an image. [...] Observe that
they do not go up to the temple with the intention of performing the
miracle, so clear were they of ambition, so closely did they imitate
their Master" ("Hom. on Acts", 8).

However, the Apostles decide that the time has come to use the
supernatural power given them by God. What Christ did in the Gospel
using His own divine power, the Apostles now do in His name, using His
power. "The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up" (Luke 7:22). Our
Lord now keeps His promise to empower His disciples to work
miracles--visible signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God. These
miracles are not extraordinary actions done casually or suddenly,
without His disciples' involvement: they occur because our Lord is
moved to perform them by the Apostles' faith (faith is an essential
pre-condition). The disciples are conscious of having received a gift
and they act on foot of it.

These miracles in the New Testament obviously occur in situations where
grace is intensely concentrated. However, that is not to say that
miracles do not continue to occur in the Christian economy of
salvation--miracles of different kinds, performed because God is
attracted to men and women of faith. "The same is true of us. If we
struggle daily to become saints, each of us in his own situation in the
world and through his own job or profession, in our ordinary lives,
then I assure you that God will make us into instruments that can work
miracles and, if necessary, miracles of the most extraordinary kind.
We will give sight to the blind. Who could not relate thousands of
cases of people, blind almost from the day they were born, recovering
their sight and receiving all the splendor of Christ's light? And
others who were deaf, or dumb, who could not hear or pronounce words
fitting to God's children.... Their senses have been purified and now
they hear and speak as men, not animals. "In nomine Iesu!" In the
name of Jesus His Apostles enable the cripple to move and walk, when
previously he had been incapable of doing anything useful; and that
other lazy character, who knew his duties but didn't fulfill them.
[...] In the Lord's name, "surge et ambula!", rise up and walk.

"Another man was dead, rotting, smelling like a corpse: he hears God's
voice, as in the miracle of the son of the widow at Naim: `Young man, I
say to you, rise up'. We will work miracles like Christ did, like the
first Apostles did" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 262).

Miracles call for cooperation--faith--on the part of those who wish to
be cured. The lame man does his bit, even if it is only the simple
gesture of obeying Peter and looking at the Apostles.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Luke 24:13-35

The Road To Emmaus

[13] That very day two of them (disciples) were going to a village
named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, [14] and talking with
each other about all these things that had happened. [15] While they
were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went
with them. [16] But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. [17]
And He said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding
with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. [18]
Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are You the only
visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened
there in these days?" [19] And He said to them, "What things?" And
they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet
mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, [20] and how our
chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and
crucified Him. [21] But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem
Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this
happened. [22] Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They
were at the tomb early in the morning [23] and did not find His body;
and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels,
who said that He was alive. [24] Some of those who were with us went
to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did
not see." [25] And He said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart
to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not
necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His
glory?" [27] And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He
interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning
Himself.

[28] So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He
appeared to be going further, [29] but they constrained Him, saying,
"Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent."
So He went in to stay with them. [30] When He was at table with them,
He took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. [31]
And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished out
of their sight. [32] They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn
within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the
Scriptures?" [33] And they rose that same hour and returned to
Jerusalem; and they found the Eleven gathered together and those who
were with them, [34] who said, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has
appeared to Simon!" [35] Then they told what had happened on the road,
and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Commentary:

13-35. In the course of their conversation with Jesus, the disciples'
mood changes from sadness to joy; they begin to hope again, and feel
the need to share their joy with others, thus becoming heralds and
witnesses of the risen Christ.

This is an episode exclusive to St. Luke, who describes it in a
masterly way. It shows our Lord's zeal for souls. "As He is walking
along, Christ meets two men who have nearly lost all hope. They are
beginning to feel that life has no meaning for them. Christ
understands their sorrow; He sees into their heart and communicates to
them some of the life He carries within Himself."

"When they draw near the village, He makes as if to go on, but the two
disciples stop Him and practically force Him to stay with them. They
recognize Him later when He breaks the bread. The Lord, they
exclaimed, has been with us! `And they said to each other: "Did not
our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He
opened to us the Scriptures?"' (Luke 24:32). Every Christian should
make Christ present among men. He ought to act in such a way that
those who know Him sense `the aroma of Christ' (cf. 2 Corinthians
2:15). Men should be able to recognize the Master in His disciples"
([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 105).

13-27. Jesus' conversation with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus
gives us a very good idea of the disillusionment felt by His disciples
after His apparent total failure. Cleopas' words summarize Christ's
life and mission (verse 19), His passion and death (verse 20), the
despair felt by His disciples (verse 21), and the events of that Sunday
morning (verse 22).

Earlier, Jesus had said to the Jews: "You search the Scriptures,
because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they
that bear witness to Me" (John 5:39). In saying this He indicated the
best way for us to get to know Him. Pope Paul VI points out that today
also frequent reading of and devotion to Holy Scripture is a clear
inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "The progress made in biblical studies,
the increasing dissemination of the Sacred Scriptures, and above all
the example of tradition and the interior action of the Holy Spirit are
tending to cause the modern Christian to use the Bible ever
increasingly as the basic prayerbook and to draw from it genuine
inspiration and unsurpassable examples" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Marialis
Cultus", 30).

Because the disciples are so downhearted, Jesus patiently opens for
them the meaning of all the Scriptural passages concerning the
Messiah. "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these
things and enter into His glory?": with these words He disabuses them
of the notion of an earthly and political Messiah and shows them that
Christ's mission is a supernatural one--to save all mankind.

Sacred Scripture contained the prophecy that God would bring about
salvation through the redemptive passion and death of the Messiah. The
Cross does not mean failure: it is the route chosen by God for Christ
to achieve definitive victory over sin and death (cf. 1 Corinthians
1:23-24). Many of our Lord's contemporaries failed to understand His
supernatural mission because they misinterpreted the Old Testament
texts. No one knew the meaning of Sacred Scripture like Jesus. And,
after Him, only the Church has the mission and responsibility of

conserving Scripture and interpreting it correctly: "All that has been
said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject
to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred
commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of
God" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 12).

28-35. The Master's presence and words restore the disciples' spirits
and give them new and lasting hope. "There were two disciples on their
way to Emmaus. They were walking along at a normal pace, like so many
other travelers on that road. And there, without any fuss, Jesus
appears to them, and walks with them, His conversation helping to
alleviate their tiredness. I can well imagine the scene, just as dusk
is falling. A gentle breeze is blowing. All around are fields ripe
with wheat, and venerable olive trees, their branches shimmering in the
soft glowing light.

"Jesus joins them as they go along their way. Lord, how great you are,
in everything! But You move me even more when You come down to our
level, to follow us and to seek us in the hustle and bustle of each
day. Lord, grant us a childlike spirit, pure eyes and a clear mind so
that we may recognize You when You come without any outward sign of
Your glory.

"The journey ends when they reach the village. The two disciples who,
without realizing it, have been deeply stirred by the words and love
shown by God made man, are sorry to see Him leaving. For Jesus
`appeared to be going further' (Luke 24:28). This Lord of ours never
forces Himself on us. He wants us to turn to Him freely, when we begin
to grasp the purity of His Love which He has placed in our souls. We
have to hold Him back (`they constrained Him') and beg Him: `Stay with
us, for it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent' (Luke
24:29).

"That's just like us--always short on daring, perhaps because we are
insincere, or because we feel embarrassed. Deep down, what we are
really thinking is: `Stay with us, because our souls are shrouded in
darkness and You alone are the light. You alone can satisfy this
longing that consumes us.' For `we know full well which among all
things fair and honorable is the best--to possess God for ever' (St.
Gregory Nazianzen, "Epistulae", 212).

"And Jesus stays. Our eyes are opened, as were those of Cleopas and
his companion, when Christ breaks the bread; and, though He vanishes
once more from sight, we too will find strength to start out once
more--though night is falling--to tell the others about Him, because so
much joy cannot be kept in one heart alone.

"The road to Emmaus--our God has filled this name with sweetness. Now
the entire world has become an Emmaus, for the Lord has opened up all
the divine paths of the earth" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 313f).

32. If you were an apostle, these words of the disciples of Emmaus
should rise spontaneously to the lips of your professional companions
when they meet you along the way of their lives" ("The Way", 917).

33-35. The disciples now feel the need to return to Jerusalem
immediately; there they find the Apostles and some other disciples
gathered together with Peter, to whom Jesus has appeared.

In sacred history, Jerusalem was the place where God chose to be
praised in a very special way and where the prophets carried out their
main ministry. God willed that Christ should suffer, die and rise
again in Jerusalem, and from there the Kingdom of God begins to spread
(cf. Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). In the New Testament the Church of Christ
is described as "the Jerusalem above" (Galatians 4:26), "the Heavenly
Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22) and the "new Jerusalem" (Revelation 21:2).

The Church began in the Holy City. Later on, St. Peter, not without a
special intervention of Providence, moved to Rome, thereby making that
city the center of the Church. Just as Peter strengthened these first
disciples in the faith, so too Christians of all generations have
recourse to the See of Peter to strengthen their faith and thereby
build up the unity of the Church: "Take away the Pope and the Catholic
Church would no longer be catholic. Moreover, without the supreme,
effective and authoritative pastoral office of Peter the unity of
Christ's Church would collapse. It would be vain to look for other
principles of unity in place of the true one established by Christ
Himself [...]. We would add that this cardinal principle of holy
Church is not a supremacy of spiritual pride and a desire to dominate
mankind, but a primacy of service, ministration and love. It is no
vapid rhetoric which confers on Christ's vicar the title: `Servant of
the servants of God'" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Ecclesiam Suam", 83).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From SpiritDaily:

Emergency Preparation of a Spiritual Nature

When an emergency situation arises, we have to be prepared in many ways. Often we forget the spiritual side of the preparation. I would like to share with you what I feel spiritual preparation for our times consists of:

Whenever a situation occurs that is beyond our control and is of a serious nature, we as a people tend to panic. Because of this general reaction of the population at large, we must first pray for peace with an individual or group, whatever the case may be. This can be a short prayer of invocation to the Queen of Peace.
Once a person is calm and is able to focus, we must then offer the blessing to each one as an individual. This blessing is not to be given to a group as a whole. Each one blessed can and should pass it on to the next person. This blessing is very powerful and may be given at any time, not just in an emergency situation. This blessing is as follows:

“I bless you with the blessing of the Blessed Mother and

May the power of the Holy Spirit come upon you.”

Now that people are empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must send them out to pass the blessing on to others.

If there is a situation of a serious nature that affects elements of our lives, we must stand on the Word of God. For example, if our food supplies are cut off, we can go to the scripture on the loaves and fishes and ask God to multiply our food so we can share it with others. We must expect that He will act. He has done so many times in the past.

Lastly, we must pray the Holy Rosary around the clock for an end to the situation. We can get volunteers to take time slots. This can be done at the individual homes or at a meeting place depending on the circumstances. This is the sure way for the emergency situation to come to a close.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:

Acts 3:1-10
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Luke 24:13-35

Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a Master who pays well; who rewards even a cup of cold water given for love of Him.

-- St Dominic Savio

Catholic Culture

Collect:
God our Father, on this solemn feast you give us the joy of recalling the rising of Christ to new life. May the joy of our annual celebration bring us to the joy of eternal life. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Recipes:

» Easter Soup with Leftover Lamb

Activities:

» Liturgy of Easter Sunday and the Octave of Easter

Prayers:

March 30, 2005

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

Today the Gospel relates the story of the disciples and Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Through the holy Eucharist we are drawn deeper and deeper into the saving death and glorious resurrection of the immortal Christ. Like Cleophas and Luke of Emmaus we are Table-guests of Christ, we know Him, our crucified and risen Lord, in the breaking of the Bread; our cold hearts begin to burn, our blind eyes are opened, and our souls are filled with that paschal peace and joy with which these two disciples hastened from Emmaus back to Jerusalem on that first blessed Easter evening. — Vine and Branches, Martin Hellriegel, 1948.

The Octave of Easter, throughout which formerly servile work was forbidden, was one continual feast in the Church's eyes. Each day the newly baptized attended Mass at a Stational Church, at which they recieved Holy Commmunion. In the evening they went to St. John Lateran for the office of Vespers.

At Rome, the Station is in the basilica of St. Lawrence, outside the Walls. It is looked upon as the most important of the many churches built by Rome in honor of her favorite martyr, whose body lies under the high altar. The newly baptized were led here today that they might learn, from the example of so brave and generous a soldier of Christ, how courageous they should be in confessing their faith, and how faithful in living up to their baptismal vows.

Meditation
St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, tells us of a mystery of the waters of Baptism. He teaches us that we were hidden beneath this water, as was Christ in his tomb; and that we then died, and were buried, together with him. It was the death of our life of sin: that we might live to God, we had to die to sin. When we think of the holy font where we were regenerated, let us call it the tomb, wherein we buried the Old Man, who was to have no resurrection. Baptism by immersion—which was the ancient mode of administering the Sacrament, and is still used in some countries—was expressive of this spiritual burial: the neophyte was made to disappear beneath the water: he was dead to his former life, as our buried Jesus was to his mortal life. But, as our Redeemer did not remain in the tomb, but rose again to a new life, so likewise, says the Apostle, they who are baptized, rise again with him when they come from the font; they bear on them the pledges of immortality and glory, and are the true and living members of that Head, who dies now no more. Here again is our Pasch, our passage from death to life. — The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	He’ll Help You Remember
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Acts 3:1-10 / Lk 24:13-35

There’s something thrilling about attending a wedding, a baptism, or a graduation. All of life’s possibilities seem stretched out before us, and most of their costs are still hidden from view. It’s so much like the beginning of a summer day: soft breezes, sweet smells, lush lawns and flowers. And then before you know it, it’s fall and time to prepare for the siege of winter.

If we’re working hard to be faithful to God and to one another, to do our best and to share our gifts, we get tired. And sometimes after a while, things that used to be easy and even a joy become a burden instead. Somewhere along the line, we lose the joy and we find ourselves echoing those two apostles in today’s gospel, “We used to hope,” but not anymore.

How does that happen? Is it simply a matter of working too hard and getting tired? Not really. The real problem is losing our vision, our sense of purpose, which can come only from a trust-connection with the Lord.

If you find yourself burning out and finding life burdensome, spend some time renewing your vision and remembering where you’re going. And the only place to do that is in his presence. He’ll help you remember, and he’ll give you back your joy.

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"Why did Jesus die?"

For when we were yet without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly.
ROMANS 5:6

The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ was a horrible affair. He had been tortured, mocked and spat upon through the night and hours proceeding His grueling trek to Calvary where nails were driven through His hands and feet, where the opened, bloody flesh of His back was placed against a wooden cross, where the people mocked Him and told Him to come down if He were the Son of God.

All of this was done for you and me. The cross is not an example of victimization, it is demonstration of a love that nobody on this earth can comprehend. The cross is not an example of powerlessness, it is the love offering of the strongest, most powerful, most courageous human being that ever walked the face of the earth. The cross is not an example of a martyr dying for a cause, it is God come in the flesh, becoming a bloody sacrifice for His creatures. But the story did not end there...

After the Lord Jesus Christ died, He was wrapped in linen and laid in a grave. Three days later, He gloriously rose from the dead just like He said He would. Everybody knew that He had said He would rise. They even had soldiers to guard the tomb to make sure His body wouldn't leave it. In their insanity, they did not understand that no man can stop God. Before He went back up to glory where He came from, Jesus was seen by over 500 people. He now sits on the right hand of the throne of God where He ever liveth to make intercession for His children.

Thank you!

A Voice in the Desert

March 30, 2005 Wednesday Within the Octave of Easter

Reading (Acts 3:1-10) Gospel (St. Luke 24:13-35)

In the Gospel reading today, Our Lord chastises these two disciples as they are on their way to Emmaus because they are so slow of heart, because they do not understand and they do not believe. If you put yourself into this situation, one could understand how here are two people who have some business to do in Emmaus, the Lord had died and it was now a couple of days later, and they were planning on walking to Emmaus. But now you put in there the things that they themselves said – Some women had gone to the tomb, they saw a vision of angels who said that the Lord had risen from the dead, but the Lord they did not see; some of the apostles went there and they saw it exactly as the women said – and then they left Jerusalem anyway. That is the part that does not make any sense.

If this is what is going on, you then have to ask the question, “What’s wrong with these people?” But they are not any different from us. How many times have we heard the same truths over and over again, and how slow of heart we are to believe. Here they are walking along, telling the Lord Himself what they had heard, that they had hoped He was the one who would redeem Israel. He had told them three times that He was going to have to suffer and be put to death and that He would rise on the third day. Certainly, they did not understand what it meant to rise from the dead, but the fact is that the angels had appeared to tell them that this had happened and still they did not have a clue. So we see the difficulty that all of us are going to have to face.

If what we try to do is to understand things merely on the natural level, we will never understand at all. We can have lots of head knowledge, but that does not matter. The Lord even went through the Scriptures with them and He spoke to them about every single passage that referred to Him. They are so obvious to anyone with two eyes, and still they did not get it. He went through and showed them how the Messiah had to suffer; He showed them that the Messiah would rise from the dead; He showed them all the different things that the Old Testament prophets and Moses himself had said regarding the Lord. They had all the head knowledge that they needed, but they still did not believe. They did not recognize Him. They did not see the truth. They had the truth in their head, but they did not put it into the heart.

It was not until the Lord took the bread at dinner, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them in the Eucharist. Then they recognized Him. That was not about the head – that was about the heart. It was not until they were able to recognize Him in the depths of their being, that they were able to recognize Him now in a relational way, not just in a way of knowledge, but in a way of love. Immediately, these men who were going to retire for the night got up and went back all the way to Jerusalem.

If we sit back and look at it and say, “Why did they leave in the first place?” it is because it had not gotten into the heart. And so we need to look at our own selves and wonder, “How much am I like these two men? How much head knowledge do I have, but how much have I really allowed to sink into the heart? How much do I really recognize the Lord? And how much do I just simply try to figure everything out?” Head knowledge is important, it is essential, but the knowledge of the heart is what is most critical. We need to be able to recognize Him truly present in the Eucharist, not just to “know” that He is there because that is what the Church teaches and the Lord Himself made it so clear, but to know in the depths of our being that it is He, that He is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, that we know that in the heart, in a relational way, in a way of love. Then we will understand why our hearts burn when we hear about Him in the Scriptures. Then we will understand why our hearts burn when we think about Him, when we ponder the truths that the Church teaches. But it does not make sense entirely until the one piece that brings it all together is in place, and that is Jesus Christ truly present among us in the Eucharist.

* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Meditation
Acts 3:1-10

For ages, it has been customary for beggars to sit in public places to ask for alms. Places of worship were—and still are—the most popular of such sites because the passersby tended to be more prayerful and more disposed to give generously. Such was the scene at the beginning of today’s reading as Peter and John were going to the Temple to pray.

Entering what was called the Beautiful Gate—given this name because it was probably adorned with hammered gold and bronze—the two apostles encountered a beggar who was born unable to walk. While most of the people passing through that gate gave the man no more than a quick look of pity and a few drachmas, the apostles looked at him quite differently. They saw beyond his external condition of deformity and poverty and perceived a different kind of beauty. With the eyes of Jesus, they saw a child of God, one created and deeply loved by the Father in heaven. And this vision moved them to do something that would allow his beauty to become more manifest: They healed him and brought him to deeper faith.

This story from Acts shows us how God wants to open our eyes, just as he did for Peter and John. These two men were not so taken with the beauty of the gate through which they were passing that they failed to see the beauty of the man sitting right before them. With their eyes fixed on Jesus, they were able to see what was hidden from those whose eyes are fixed only on this world. And what they saw moved them to compassion and to take action—an action that radically changed the man’s life and brought him to faith in Christ.

God wants to give all of us the ability to see the beauty of all the people around us: rich and poor, friend and enemy. He wants to teach us to honor and embrace this beauty so that we can become instruments of his healing and transforming love.

“Thank you, Lord, for revealing your ways to us. Give us spiritual eyes like Jesus so that we can see beyond externals whenever we look at the people around us. Lord, make us into your instruments of healing and restoration in this world!”

One Bread, One Body

<< Wednesday, March 30, 2005 >>

Easter Week

Acts 3:1-10

Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9

Luke 24:13-35

View Readings

HEAT RISES

“Immediately the beggar’s feet and ankles became strong; he jumped up, stood for a moment, then began to walk around. He went into the temple with them — walking, jumping about, and praising God.” —Acts 3:7-8

Jesus wants to give us risen life to the full (Jn 10:10). Not only will our bodies and spirits rise, but our marriages, families, and relationships are to rise to new heights. Even our prayers should rise from the tomb of expectant doubt to expectant faith. So often we live like the lame man at the temple’s gate. We’ve been spiritually crippled from birth and haven’t walked a step in Jesus’ name, but we don’t ask for a miraculous healing, just for a few cents to get a cup of coffee (Acts 3:3).

We’re often like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. We don’t ask Jesus to rise from the dead, but rather ask that we can get over our disappointment. Even when the women tell us the story of Jesus’ resurrection, our prayer still does not come out of the tomb (Lk 24:23). Are we praying merely to feel more comfortable in mediocrity or are we calling for a move of God worthy of risen glory? Let’s roll away the stone. Let our prayers rise like incense (Ps 141:2).

Prayer: Father, during this Easter season, may my prayers rise to a height never before attained.

Promise: “When He had seated himself with them to eat, He took bread, pronounced the blessing, then broke the bread and began to distribute it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.” —Lk 24:30-31

Praise: Praise the risen Jesus, Who brings healing and life (Jn 10:10).

Luke 24: 13-35
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
13	And behold, two of them went, the same day, to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus.	et ecce duo ex illis ibant ipsa die in castellum quod erat in spatio stadiorum sexaginta ab Hierusalem nomine Emmaus
14	And they talked together of all these things which had happened.	et ipsi loquebantur ad invicem de his omnibus quae acciderant
15	And it came to pass that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus himself also, drawing near, went with them.	et factum est dum fabularentur et secum quaererent et ipse Iesus adpropinquans ibat cum illis
16	But their eyes were held, that they should not know him.	oculi autem illorum tenebantur ne eum agnoscerent
17	And he said to them: What are these discourses that you hold one with another as you walk and are sad?	et ait ad illos qui sunt hii sermones quos confertis ad invicem ambulantes et estis tristes
18	And the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to him: Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days?	et respondens unus cui nomen Cleopas dixit ei tu solus peregrinus es in Hierusalem et non cognovisti quae facta sunt in illa his diebus
19	To whom he said: What things? And they said: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people.	quibus ille dixit quae et dixerunt de Iesu Nazareno qui fuit vir propheta potens in opere et sermone coram Deo et omni populo
20	And how our chief priests and princes delivered him to be condemned to death and crucified him.	et quomodo eum tradiderunt summi sacerdotum et principes nostri in damnationem mortis et crucifixerunt eum
21	But we hoped that it was he that should have redeemed Israel. And now besides all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done.	nos autem sperabamus quia ipse esset redempturus Israhel et nunc super haec omnia tertia dies hodie quod haec facta sunt
22	Yea and certain women also of our company affrighted us who, before it was light, were at the sepulchre,	sed et mulieres quaedam ex nostris terruerunt nos quae ante lucem fuerunt ad monumentum
23	And not finding his body, came, saying that they had all seen a vision of angels, who say that he is alive.	et non invento corpore eius venerunt dicentes se etiam visionem angelorum vidisse qui dicunt eum vivere
24	And some of our people went to the sepulchre and found it so as the women had said: but him they found not.	et abierunt quidam ex nostris ad monumentum et ita invenerunt sicut mulieres dixerunt ipsum vero non viderunt
25	Then he said to them: O foolish and slow of heart to believe in all things, Which the prophets have spoken.	et ipse dixit ad eos o stulti et tardi corde ad credendum in omnibus quae locuti sunt prophetae
26	Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and so, to enter into his glory?	nonne haec oportuit pati Christum et ita intrare in gloriam suam
27	And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things that were concerning him.	et incipiens a Mose et omnibus prophetis interpretabatur illis in omnibus scripturis quae de ipso erant
28	And they drew nigh to the town whither they were going: and he made as though he would go farther.	et adpropinquaverunt castello quo ibant et ipse se finxit longius ire
29	But they constrained him, saying: Stay with us, because it is towards evening and the day is now far spent. And he went in with them.	et coegerunt illum dicentes mane nobiscum quoniam advesperascit et inclinata est iam dies et intravit cum illis
30	And it came to pass, whilst he was at table with them, he took bread and blessed and brake and gave to them.	et factum est dum recumberet cum illis accepit panem et benedixit ac fregit et porrigebat illis
31	And their eyes were opened: and they knew him. And he vanished out of their sight.	et aperti sunt oculi eorum et cognoverunt eum et ipse evanuit ex oculis eorum
32	And they said one to the other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke in the way and opened to us the scriptures?	et dixerunt ad invicem nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis dum loqueretur in via et aperiret nobis scripturas
33	And rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the eleven gathered together, and those that were with them,	et surgentes eadem hora regressi sunt in Hierusalem et invenerunt congregatos undecim et eos qui cum ipsis erant
34	Saying: The Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon.	dicentes quod surrexit Dominus vere et apparuit Simoni
35	And they told what things were done in the way: and how they knew him in the breaking of bread.	et ipsi narrabant quae gesta erant in via et quomodo cognoverunt eum in fractione panis

"Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord" bump.

"The Lord has truly been raised!" ping.

"Commentary" bump. Always good spiritual food.