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From: Luke 24:39-48

Jesus Appears To The Eleven And Their Companions

[39] See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me, and
see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” [40]
And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
[41] And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, He said to
them, “Have you anything here to eat?” [42] They gave Him a piece
of broiled fish, [43] and He took it and ate before them.

Jesus’ Last Instructions And Leave-Taking

[44] Then He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you,
while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the law
of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” [45] Then
He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [46] and He said to
them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the
third day rise from the dead, [47] and that repentance and forgiveness
of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from
Jerusalem. [48] You are witnesses of these things.”

Commentary:

36-43. This appearance of the risen Jesus is reported by St. Luke
and St. John (cf. John 20:19-23). St. John reports the institution of
the sacrament of Penance, whereas St. Luke puts the stress on the
disciples’ difficulty in accepting the miracle of the Resurrection,
despite the angels’ testimony to the women (cf. Matthew 28:5-7; Mark
16:5-7; Luke 24:4-11) and despite the witness of those who had already
seen the risen Lord (cf. Matthew 28:9-10; Mark 16:9-13; Luke 24:13ff;
John 20:11-18).

Jesus appears all of a sudden, when the doors are closed (cf. John
20:19), which explains their surprised reaction. St. Ambrose comments
that “He penetrated their closed retreat not because His nature was
incorporeal, but because He had the quality of a resurrected body”
(”Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc”.). “Subtility”, which is one
of the qualities of a glorified body, means that “the body is totally
subject to the soul and ever ready to obey its wishes” (”St. Pius V
Catechism”, I, 12, 13), with the result that it can pass through
material obstacles without any difficulty.

This scene showing Christ’s condescension to confirm for them the truth
of His resurrection has a charm all of its own.

41-43. Although His risen body is incapable of suffering, and therefore
has no need of food to nourish it, our Lord confirms His disciples’
faith in His resurrection by giving them these two proofs—inviting

them to touch Him and eating in their presence. “For myself, I know
and believe that our Lord was in the flesh even after the Resurrection.
And when He came to Peter and his companions, He said to them,
`Here, feel Me and see that I am not a bodiless ghost.’ They touched
Him and believed, and were convinced that He was flesh and spirit [...].
Moreover, after the Resurrection, He ate and drank with them like a
man of flesh and blood, though spiritually one with the Father” (St.
Ignatius of Antioch, “Letter to the Christians at Smyrna”, III, 1-3).

44-49. St. Matthew stresses that the Old Testament prophecies are
fulfilled in Christ, because His immediate audience were Jews, who
would accept this as proof that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah.
St. Luke does not usually argue along these lines because He is writing
for Gentiles; however, in this epilogue he does report, in a summarized
way, Christ’s statement to the effect that everything foretold about
Him had come true. By doing so He shows the unity of Old and New
Testaments and that Jesus is truly the Messiah.

46. From St. Luke’s account we have seen how slow the Apostles were
to grasp Jesus’ prophecy of His death and resurrection (cf. 9:45; 18:34).
Now that the prophecy is fulfilled Jesus reminds them that it was
necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead (cf. Acts
2:1-4).

The Cross is a mystery, in our own life as well as in Christ’s: “Jesus
suffers to carry out the will of the Father. And you, who also want to
carry out the most holy Will of God, following the steps of the Master,
can you complain if you meet suffering on your way?” (St J. Escriva,
“The Way”, 213).

Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”.
Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate.
Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University
of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin,
Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from from Four Courts Press and Scepter
Publishers, the U.S. publishers.

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

October 24, 2007

St. Anthony Claret

(1807-1870)

The "spiritual father of Cuba" was a missionary, religious founder, social reformer, queen’s chaplain, writer and publisher, archbishop and refugee. He was a Spaniard whose work took him to the Canary Islands, Cuba, Madrid, Paris and to the First Vatican Council.

In his spare time as weaver and designer in the textile mills of Barcelona, he learned Latin and printing: the future priest and publisher was preparing. Ordained at 28, he was prevented by ill health from entering religious life as a Carthusian or as a Jesuit, but went on to become one of Spain’s most popular preachers.

He spent 10 years giving popular missions and retreats, always placing great emphasis on the Eucharist and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her rosary, it was said, was never out of his hand. At 42, beginning with five young priests, he founded a religious institute of missionaries, known today as the Claretians.

He was appointed to head the much-neglected archdiocese of Santiago in Cuba. He began its reform by almost ceaseless preaching and hearing of confessions, and suffered bitter opposition mainly for stamping out concubinage and giving instruction to black slaves. A hired assassin (whose release from prison Anthony had obtained) slashed open his face and wrist. Anthony succeeded in getting the would-be assassin’s death sentence commuted to a prison term. His solution for the misery of Cubans was family-owned farms producing a variety of foods for the family’s own needs and for the market. This invited the enmity of the vested interests who wanted everyone to work on a single cash crop—sugar. Besides all his religious writings are two books he wrote in Cuba: Reflections on Agriculture and Country Delights.

He was called back to Spain for a job he did not relish—being chaplain for the queen. He went on three conditions: He would reside away from the palace, he would come only to hear the queen’s confession and instruct the children and he would be exempt from court functions. In the revolution of 1868, he fled with the queen’s party to Paris, where he preached to the Spanish colony.

All his life Anthony was interested in the Catholic press. He founded the Religious Publishing House, a major Catholic publishing venture in Spain, and wrote or published 200 books and pamphlets.

At Vatican I, where he was a staunch defender of the doctrine of infallibility, he won the admiration of his fellow bishops. Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore remarked of him, "There goes a true saint." He died in exile near the border of Spain at the age of 63.

Comment:

Jesus foretold that those who are truly his representatives would suffer the same persecution as he did. Besides 14 attempts on his life, Anthony had to undergo such a barrage of the ugliest slander that the very name Claret became a byword for humiliation and misfortune. The powers of evil do not easily give up their prey. No one needs to go looking for persecution. All we need to do is be sure we suffer because of our genuine faith in Christ, not for our own whims and imprudences.

Quote:

Queen Isabella II once said to Anthony, "No one tells me things as clearly and frankly as you do." Later she told her chaplain, "Everybody is always asking me for favors, but you never do. Isn't there something you would like for yourself?" He replied, "Yes, that you let me resign." The queen made no more offers.