Luke 24:35-48

Acts 3:11-26

Psalm 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9

Luke 24:35-48

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,

and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.

While they were still speaking about this,

he stood in their midst and said to them,

“Peace be with you.”

But they were startled and terrified

and thought that they were seeing a ghost.

Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?

And why do questions arise in your hearts?

Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.

Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones

as you can see I have.”

And as he said this,

he showed them his hands and his feet.

While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,

he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

They gave him a piece of baked fish;

he took it and ate it in front of them.

He said to them,

“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,

that everything written about me in the law of Moses

and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

And he said to them,

“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer

and rise from the dead on the third day

and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,

would be preached in his name

to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, open my mind today to understand your life-giving Word. Conform my life to that of your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to follow the way of the Cross, suffer with Christ, and be raised to heavenly glory with you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Risen Christ Opened Their Minds: In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem. He eats a piece of fish in their presence to prove that he is not a ghost. Just as he opened the minds of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, so now he opens the minds of the disciples to understand how he fulfills the Scriptures: the five books of the Law of Moses, the former and latter Prophets, and the Writings of the Old Testament. These Scriptures look forward to the day when the Servant of the Lord would suffer for their sins and be glorified by God, having learned obedience. Through his passion, Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, wipes away the sins of the people and, through his witnesses, spreads his message of forgiveness to the ends of the earth.

2. Witnesses to Jesus: The First Reading tells us that, after receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles were empowered to be witnesses to Jesus. Yesterday, we heard about their prayer life and their ministry to the sick. Today, Peter explains the healing of the crippled man. Peter emphasizes that he is only an instrument of God, for God is the one who truly heals (Exodus 15:26). The same God, who revealed himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, continues to act in them through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “The healing is a sign that God has glorified his servant Jesus” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 72). The man was healed by the power of the name of Jesus. Faith in this name restored the man to perfect health. “This statement underscores the importance of faith in Jesus for healing” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 73). The name of the Lord God is praised in today’s psalm. God is praised as he cares for man and crowns him with glory and honor.

3. Rejecting and Accepting Jesus: Peter recognizes that the people were ignorant when they crucified Jesus, but that they can no longer claim ignorance: “There is a greater culpability for those who continue to reject Jesus after hearing the apostolic testimony that he has been raised from the dead” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 73). Jesus’ death on the Cross was not proof that he was cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:23), but rather that it was part of God’s plan that Jesus suffer and willingly take upon himself the curse that man inherited from Adam. “There can be no doubt that Jesus is the Messiah foretold by the prophets (cf. Acts 3:20), for the apostles have witnessed His Resurrection and the Ascension, just as the men of Israel have now witnessed the healing of the lame man” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, p. 57). Peter concludes his speech with a call to conversion and the promise that their sins would be wiped away. Jesus is the prophet-like-Moses, the people cannot reject him (Deuteronomy 18:15-20) and must obey him. Those who accept Jesus become part of the new people of God (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 75) and become the beneficiaries of God’s covenant promises to Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I welcome you as my savior. You continue to work through your Spirit and your disciples to draw all peoples into the family of God. Inspire me today to know how I can share in that work and help to bring those I meet today into communion with you.

Living the Word of God: How can I be a better witness to Jesus and the power of his resurrection? Do I need to spend more quality time with God’s word and in prayer? Do I need to eradicate any sinful habits so that I can be a better example to others?