April 4, 2013

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Thursday in the Octave of Easter 
Lectionary: 264

Reading 1ACTS 3:11-26

As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John,
all the people hurried in amazement toward them
in the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,
“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,
and why do you look so intently at us
as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?

Yesterday, if you remember, St. Peter healed the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, by a word.  Notice that, when the people saw the crippled man walking, theyran to them in amazement and he did not take the credit.  He used the pronoun, we, in reference to St. John and himself.  And he gave credit to God for this miraculous sign.  And then he began to preach in the name of Christ.

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence,
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.

He reminded them that they had put the Messiah to death and released a murderer that the Christ should die in his place.  This is tremendous imagery folks.  Lets meditate upon this a moment.

The murderer's name is Jesus Barsabbas.
Barabbas means, "son of the father."  Do you remember "Simon Barjona" (Matthew 16:17 NIV) or Simon, Son of John (?  And do you remember "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15)?
Jesus was punished and died for this murderer's sins.

How powerful is this?  The murderer represents all humanity.    We are all sons of God, the Father.  But Jesus is the Divine Son of the Father.  Jesus died for our sins.

And by faith in his name,
this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong,
and the faith that comes through it
has given him this perfect health,
in the presence of all of you.

St. Peter continues to explain that it is in the name of Jesus Christ that this man is healed.

Now I know, brothers and sisters,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.

And so, St. Peter calls them to repentance for when they agreed to have Jesus put to death, they acted out of ignorance.  That is why Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34)"

For Moses said:
A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for youfrom among your own kin;to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.Everyone who does not listen to that prophetwill be cut off from the people. 

Then he reminds them of the prophecy of Moses.  That God would send a prophet like him to the people.  This Prophet is Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

“Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,
from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.
You are the children of the prophets
and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors
when he said to Abraham,
In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you
by turning each of you from your evil ways.”

And he reminded them that all the prophets had given the same message.  Even from Abraham, that all of the world would be blessed through Abraham's descendant.  Jesus Christ. 

Responsorial PsalmPS 8:2AB AND 5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!or:
R. Alleluia.O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!or:
R. Alleluia.You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!or:
R. Alleluia.All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!or:
R. Alleluia.

The entire world is God's.  Yet He cares with a special love for mankind.  It is a baffling question.  The angels are more intelligent and more powerful.  Many earthly creatures are more powerful.  But God has made all things subject to man?

There are things which are above us to understand.  Therefore, be grateful and thank God by doing all which He commands.  Thus proving your love for God. 

GospelLK 24:35-48

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.

Simon and Cleopas described what had happened to them along the way to Emmaus.   How Jesus had appeared to them but they did not recognize Him until He "broke the bread".  That is euphemism for the Eucharist, the bread which is the Body of Christ.

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.

While they were still talking, Jesus appeared to them, saying, "Peace be with you."

But they were terrified, thinking they were seeing a phantom.  This, however, reminds me of what Jesus had said to them earlier:

Matt 18:20
King James Version
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 

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.

Then Jesus comforted them by showing them that it indeed was He.  He showed them his wounds on his hands and feet and then ate some food in front of them in order to prove that He is indeed real.

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 then He gave them understanding of the prophecies written in the Old Testament 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.”

And then reminded them that they must preach that all must repent in order to be forgiven of their sins.  That is why He died, in order that all nations of men on this earth, might be saved in His name.