Luke 24:35-48

Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

Psalm 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9

1 John 2:1-5a

Luke 24:35-48

The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way,

and how Jesus was made known to them

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, you inspired the prophets of Israel who foretold the day when you would send your only-begotten Son as your Servant. You gave him the mission of establishing justice and peace on earth and, through his suffering, expiating the sins and iniquities of your people. Open my mind and heart today to contemplate your Son as the Suffering Servant.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Breaking of the Bread and the New Exodus: In the Gospel of Luke, the two disciples who encountered the risen Jesus on the way to Emmaus and in the breaking of the bread, return to Jerusalem and recount to the other disciples what happened. The phrase “breaking of bread” refers to the four actions occurring at the feeding of the five thousand, at the Last Supper, and at Emmaus. In the Acts of the Apostles, this phrase refers to the celebration of the Eucharist in the community (Acts 2:42; 20:7, 11). In our day, Jesus continues to make himself known to us in the Eucharist (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, p. 396). Just as he opened the minds of the disciples on the way to Emmaus, he opens the minds of his disciples in Jerusalem to understand the Scriptures. The risen Jesus also commissions his disciples. He calls them “to proclaim the good news of His new exodus to the whole world, proclaiming the ‘release’ of sins. ‘Release’ (aphesis) is the jubilee term that Jesus had made a central part of His ministry. Now it is to be at the center of the Church’s mission. The disciples are to proclaim to the scattered children of Israel and Adam that there is a way out of their exile, for in Jesus one can find release from the bondage to sin and death” (Gray, Mission of the Messiah, p. 147).

2. Peter’s Second Sermon in Acts: The Second Reading records part of Peter’s second sermon in the Acts of the Apostles. In his first sermon (Acts 2:14-36), on the day of Pentecost, Peter explained the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a fulfillment of the prophecy from Joel (Joel 3:1-5) and the death and resurrection of Jesus as a fulfillment of Psalm 16. He concluded that Jesus is Lord and has ascended into heaven, been glorified at God the Father’s right hand, and today pours out the Holy Spirit upon his followers. In Peter’s second major sermon (Acts 3:11-16), after the healing of a lame man, Peter first identifies Jesus as the suffering Servant of the Lord. The man was healed, not because of Peter’s own power or piety, but by faith in the name and person of Jesus. “The restoration of the lame man to ‘perfect health’ (Acts 3:16) is a sign that the messianic promises of the prophets are being fulfilled. Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant, in which God revealed ‘that his Christ should suffer’ (Acts 3:18), has already been fulfilled in the Passion and death of Jesus. Hence, it is urgent that the men of Israel repent so that they may receive the promised blessing by ‘the faith which is through Jesus’ (Acts 3:16), who will reign from heaven until the remainder of the messianic promises come to pass (Acts 3:21)” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, p. 57). Peter highlights how the leaders of Jerusalem have turned away from God by crucifying and killing the Author of life. Therefore, the men of Israel need to turn from sin and enter into the messianic Israel governed by the apostles. The healing of the lame man bears witness to Jesus as the royal Messiah who inaugurated, restored, and established the kingdom of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Jesus is the Expiation for Our Sins: The First Letter of John proclaims that Jesus is the expiation for our sins. “Expiation” is a technical term that refers to the sacrifice offered in atonement for one’s sins. Jesus is the Lamb of God who expiates our sins by removing them and cleansing us from sin. He also reconciles us with the Father. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. This means that he cleanses us from sin and establishes us in a right relationship with God (see Anderson and Keating, James, First, Second, and Third John, p. 152). 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I encounter you in the Word of God and in the Eucharist. And just as you sent out your disciples, you send me out on a mission to proclaim to the world that you are the way to salvation. Help me to bear witness to you today just as your disciples bore witness to the mystery of your Resurrection.

Living the Word of God: How am I concretely bearing witness to Jesus? Peter was fearless in his witness. Will I let the Holy Spirit empower me to testify to all that God has done for us?