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Marsella (Francie), Sr. Henriette Soutonnoma Kabore, April 14th, 2024.- The joy of faith in the Easter community.
On this Third Sunday of Easter, the Church immerses us in the stories of Christ's resurrection once again. Although these three texts are interrelated to help us discover the profound meaning of the presence of the Risen Christ, we have chosen to meditate on the Gospel.
GOSPEL
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."
BACKGROUND
St. Luke was writing for Greek readers, which led him to insist on the tangible aspect of the apparitions. In this Sunday's Gospel, he places the apparition after that of the disciples of Emmaus, who recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Today, he shows us the apparition to all the apostles. It insists on the humanity of Jesus, on his incarnation. Jesus opens the Apostles' minds. Taking into account the reality of his readers, the evangelist wants to prevent them from seeing the resurrection as the apparition of a ghost. In a very marked literary sense, he shows a "Jesus" who is far from being a ghost but a resurrected Christ who can be touched and he also eats. Christ appears with this physical Body received from the Virgin Mary, which assumes all the logic of the incarnation in the passion, death, and resurrection.
MEDITATION
Jesus had just spent three years with his disciples; they were witnesses to his teachings, signs and miracles; he was preparing them for their future mission; and yet today's Gospel shows us that the training is not complete and must continue after his resurrection from the dead.
"Peace be with you! They were afraid and trembled. They thought they saw a spirit. (But He opened their minds so that they understood the Scriptures.)
Christ knows that these Apostles are still locked up, fearing the Jews and needing to comfort. After joining the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he returned to the center of the group. His first words were a desire for peace. He reassures them, knowing that they are all still reliving the difficult moment when they fled to leave him alone. There is guilt in their actions. But Christ is not there to remind them of what they already know; he wants to lead them to a deeper understanding of the profound meaning of the human adventure. It is for this reason that he was made flesh, in order to show them that, in spite of their weaknesses, they are still the objects of God's love. Moreover, he taught them (cf. Lk 6:36-38) not to judge, not to condemn, but always to forgive. He shows them the fullness of his mercy so that they, in turn, may experience it with others. The desire for peace brings them back to a relationship of life and forgiveness. This allows Jesus to open them to an understanding of the Scriptures. Indeed, beyond human violence, hatred of God and internal injustice among people, there is a great desire for salvation and shared love. He asks them to be witnesses of this.
"It is up to you to be a witness"
To be a witness is to live an event, a fact, and to have the joy of sharing it with others. Christ is the witness of the Father's love. He showed it to everyone he met. The apparition highlighted by St. Luke in today's Gospel shows us how Christ reached inside each person, where their faith was, and spoke to their intelligence. In the end, he opened their hearts and gave them the freedom to go and announce what they had seen and what they had heard. Their response is an openness to faith in the risen Jesus who will be with them in this mission until the end of time.
For us today, the Eucharist is the powerful moment when we can touch Jesus, cling to him and experience his presence. It is also the foretaste and the seed of our own resurrection, which begins now.
PRAYER
O Risen Christ, strengthen us in the same faith as your apostles of yesterday, so that we may bear witness to your presence in our world today. Thank you for making us your witnesses.
CONTEMPLATION
As witnesses, we are called to participate in God's plan and, in turn, to proclaim God's loving plan for humanity as expressed in Christ's resurrection.