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Jesus is buried three times in His life. The first was in the womb of His mother. The second was in the tomb after His death. The third is His being buried in the “Breaking of the Bread” after His Resurrection. All three burials were meant for His coming to His three ways of being a “Real Presence” within our human lives. The “womb”, the “Tomb”, and our “bodies” are blest by His presence. May we, who are blest by the PRESENCE of JESUS in us, become a BLESSING to OTHERS! GOD BLESS! MAKE YOUR MOM HAPPY, NOT JUST TODAY :-)

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14, 22-33

Psalm 16:1-2a+5, 7-8, 9-10, 11; 1 Pet 1:17-21

Luke 24:13-35 13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emma'us, 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 Cle'opas, 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 has 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.

Meditation by Larry Gillick, S.J.

The Deglman Center for Ignation Spirituality

Our First Reading today begins immediately after the experience of the descent of the Holy Spirit during the Jewish agricultural celebration of Pentecost. Some of those who were listening to the disciples speaking in various tongues explained it all by saying that they all had been drinking too much of the new wine from the celebration. Peter stands up and what we hear is his explanation for the unusual behavior of the brethren.

Peter does two important things in this address. He summarizes the basic Christian beliefs about Jesus. He is from God. God handed Him over into the hands of the Jews. Some of the Jews, contrary to the Law, had Jesus crucified. Jesus, through the power of God, did great and mighty deeds. God raised Him up from the powers of death by raising Him to life.

The second section of his presentation is a reliance on what David, the Patriarch of Israel had spoken and which Peter applies to Jesus. Psalm 16, 11David is dead and his tomb is present, but what David had spoken was an oath from God that he would have a descendant Who would not taste death and this is the Christ. He has received the Holy Spirit and has poured this liquor upon those who believe.

The Gospel is just a wonderful story of the Resurrection. Two good human beings have suffered through the Passion and death of Jesus. They had their faith-dream crash into pieces. They follow their natural inclinations to go backward to the familiar. They do this with downcast faces and spirits. Here is the tension for them. They trusted the teachings of Jesus, His friendship and invitations and then went out as a loser. Perhaps they too had left everything to follow Jesus and now they were returning to patch it all back together by themselves.

Jesus comes along side them, but as is the usual practice during the Resurrection narratives, they fail to realize His real presence to them. Jesus plays it simple; He asks surprising questions of the two. The resulting conversation becomes a little scripture review. As Peter in the First Reading uses a scriptural quotation to advance his presentation, Jesus begins with Moses and moves through the Jewish scriptural traditions to advance the acceptance by these two men that the Christ had to suffer and die.

Jesus stays with them for a meal which He turns into an intimate sharing of bread which Jesus blest, broke and shared with them resulting in their eyes being opened and His disappearing. Was this a Eucharistic meal? Yes, in this sense, because it was a uniting, a calling to believe beyond seeing, and most importantly, because it culminated in a return to community and mission. 

Jesus is buried three times in His life. The first was in the womb of His mother. The second was in the tomb after His death. The third is His being buried in the “Breaking of the Bread” after His Resurrection. All three burials were meant for His coming to His three ways of being a “Real Presence” within our human lives. The “womb”, the “Tomb”, and our “bodies” are blest by His presence. All three are delivery places. He was born, lived, died, was buried and rose that His body might give life and vision to this world. The womb and tomb could not hold Him. We who do hold Him, do not hold Him back, but hold Him forth, hold Him sacredly toward His sisters and brothers. We hold Him and yet He too holds us together and with a sense of having to do something good. We hold Him so that others may behold Him in how we live as His Body.

These two get back on the Jerusalem shuttle and, having regained their sight, return to their mission. Their hearts were burning with a renewed awareness of just who they were. Others had regained their self-sense as well and the fragmented and shattered were being collected and reformed in Jerusalem .  

It is true that we cannot give what we do not have. These two Emmauseans were into a relocation process. They had been given back their sight and sense of themselves. They said “yes”, “amen” to Jesus’ truth that He had risen and to their own truths that the adventure of faith in following Jesus was really a journey of Jesus following them. They were pregnant, as had Mary been and the tomb as well, but now they were alive to give Him life, full, that they might give sight and life through and within the community of believers.

“The disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Alleluia.” Lk. 24, 35 # # #

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU. – Bobot Apit

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