Third Sunday of Easter
08 May 2011
First reading Acts 2:14,22-33 3
On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, as David says of him:
I saw the Lord before me always,
for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me.
So my heart was glad
and my tongue cried out with joy;
my body, too, will rest in the hope
that you will not abandon my soul to Hades
nor allow your holy one to experience corruption.
You have made known the way of life to me,
you will fill me with gladness through your presence.
‘Brothers, no one can deny that the patriarch David himself is dead and buried: his tomb is still with us. But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn him an oath to make one of his descendants succeed him on the throne, what he foresaw and spoke about was the resurrection of the Christ: he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not experience corruption. God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that. Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit.
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 15:1-2,5,7-11
Second reading 1 Peter 1:17-21
If you are acknowledging as your Father one who has no favourites and judges everyone according to what he has done, you must be scrupulously careful as long as you are living away from your home. Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God.
Gospel Luke 24:13-35
Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.
Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’
Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.
When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’
They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.
Reflection
By Herminia Jamandri-Flores
I am back to my daily routine… a morning jeepney ride. It was one of the ordinary morning rushes when everybody wanted a ride even in a sardine packed vehicle. Like scanning the front pages of the newspaper, I studied the varied expressions of the people inside hoping to find something interesting. At the end of the line opposite mine, tucked between two big men, was a young mother in her early twenties and her baby. I was familiar with baby carriers but hers was different. It was cloth wrapped around her body and the baby, and under the baby were her things which double up as cushion for the baby.
I remember how mothers from indigenous tribes in the Philippines carry their babies. This is also the way dessert peasants from the Middle East carry their babies. Joseph brought Mary and the Baby Jesus to Egypt to escape the slaughter of babies. Mama Mary must have carried the Baby Jesus the same way, keeping Baby Jesus very close to her body.
The baby made a small sound, perhaps due to discomfort. The mother slowly changed the baby’s position, putting the baby’s head on her breasts. The mother planted little kisses on the baby’s head while he went back to sleep comfortably. I was moved by the scene as I remember how I planted little kisses on all my children while they sleep when they were babies and I still do until now with my eldest who is already a college graduate and my youngest, a second year high school student. They never knew that. Mothers never tell. I know Mama Mary also did that to the Baby Jesus.
The road to Emmaus is Jesus’ manifestation as a risen Lord. Even as a stranger walking with them, Jesus’ presence makes every heart burn with love. Jesus' love is also manifested in the little kisses mothers plant on every child. It is the part of Jesus living in us. It is our salvation.
This Sunday also coincided with Mothers’ Day, the day we mothers are remembered in special ways. The risen Lord manifests Himself to the world through a mother’s love… always alive, ever present, always sacrificing for the beloved, and is always happy preparing meals for the people she loves. It is our celebration of the breaking of the bread, our oneness with a community where Christ is center, our own family.
To all the mothers today… happy planting!
Almighty and Ever Living God, You called people to be disciples of your Beloved Son, Jesus. You entrusted Him to St. Joseph, a model of discipleship. In obedience to Your divine plan, he took care of Jesus and Mary with sincerity of heart and faith in Your Word. He walked every step of the way with Jesus in a lifelong discipleship practiced in everyday life. Through his intercession, help us to live our daily Christian lives in loving service and obedience to Jesus’ teachings, to mature in faith through community life and to look forward to the breaking of the bread as spiritual nourishment. Make us see Jesus in the people we meet everyday so that we may be able to offer our work for Your greater glory through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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