WEDNESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER - Gospel (Luke 24:13-35) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Lk 24;26)

FIRST READING - Acts 3:1-10

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Peter and John were going up to the temple area

for the three o’clock hour of prayer.

And a man crippled from birth was carried

and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day

to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.

When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,

he asked for alms.

But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,

and said, “Look at us.”

He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.

Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold,

but what I do have I give you:

in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”

Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,

and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.

He leaped up, stood, and walked around,

and went into the temple with them,

walking and jumping and praising God.

When all the people saw him walking and praising God,

they recognized him as the one

who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,

and they were filled with amazement and astonishment

at what had happened to him.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 24:13-35

From the Gospel according to Luke

That very day, the first day of the week,

two of Jesus’ disciples were going

to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,

and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.

And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,

Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,

but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

He asked them,

“What are you discussing as you walk along?”

They stopped, looking downcast.

One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,

“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem

who does not know of the things

that have taken place there in these days?”

And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”

They said to him,

“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,

who was a prophet mighty in deed and word

before God and all the people,

how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over

to a sentence of death and crucified him.

But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;

and besides all this,

it is now the third day since this took place.

Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:

they were at the tomb early in the morning

and did not find his Body;

they came back and reported

that they had indeed seen a vision of angels

who announced that he was alive.

Then some of those with us went to the tomb

and found things just as the women had described,

but him they did not see.”

And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!

How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things

and enter into his glory?”

Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,

he interpreted to them what referred to him

in all the Scriptures.

As they approached the village to which they were going,

he gave the impression that he was going on farther.

But they urged him, “Stay with us,

for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

So he went in to stay with them.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table,

he took bread, said the blessing,

broke it, and gave it to them.

With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,

but he vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other,

“Were not our hearts burning within us

while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem

where they found gathered together

the Eleven and those with them who were saying,

“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”

Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way

and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

WEDNESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER - Gospel (Luke 24:13-35)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

 Dear People of God,

In today’s Word of God, Jesus said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” Jesus’ words are always fulfilled in the Bible and will become a reality in the daily lives of the disciples and each person.

The Lord said to His disciples, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly .....be killed, and on the third day be raised.” The resurrection was confirmed by the “empty tomb” event that Mary Magdalene witnessed. Angels told her, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?” On another occasion, when she visited the Lord’s tomb, He appeared to her and called her by name: “Mary!” This testimony shows that Jesus had indeed resurrected, according to the Scriptures. Jesus told her to go and tell the apostles, and they believed: “The Lord is risen.” To further strengthen the apostles’ belief in the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, the Lord gave them another proof: He accompanied two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

For the apostles and disciples of Jesus, they always believed that Jesus would bring salvation and liberation to the people of Israel. He was the One with authority and power, so He could do everything on this earth.

But after witnessing Jesus being crucified and dying on the cross, the disciples were very disappointed, sad, anxious, and scattered. Each one went to a different place. Their eyes were still covered, so they could not realize the truth: that behind the humiliating death of Jesus Christ, glory and new life for humanity would emerge.

Because of His love for His apostles and disciples, He appeared to them. In particular, He appeared to accompany, listen to, and talk to two disciples on the road to Emmaus as they returned home. Jesus saw that His disciples were losing faith in God, so He enlightened their minds and hearts, explaining to them the words He had taught them when He was still living with them. He explained all the Scriptures that spoke about Him from the time of Moses to the prophets. Finally, He shared a meal with the two disciples, took bread, said the blessing, gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to them. Through these gestures, words, and actions of Jesus, their eyes were opened, they recognized that it was Him, and their hearts were ignited with faith. Through the event of Jesus Christ appearing and accompanying the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, along with the testimony of Mary Magdalene, the apostles and disciples believed: "The Lord has truly risen!"

Today, there are still some of His disciples who are worried and disappointed when the work of the Holy Spirit in the new era faces difficulties, obstacles, persecutions, and condemnations, and does not progress according to the disciples' perspective. Because of a lack of faith in God, a lack of simplicity, and arrogance, they think in human terms and believe that the work of the new era at the House of God the Father is failing. But God wants to strengthen the faith of His children, reminding them: "We must go through suffering to reach glory; we must die to have life."

We must believe and trust in God, who always accompanies His children, just as He accompanied, listened to, and kindly shared with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Thanks be to God. Amen.