Gospel – Luke 24: 35-48
The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way,
and how Jesus was made known to them
in the breaking of bread.
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.”
Reflection on the Gospel
Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.
Each Sunday of Lent, the parish that I attended mass at sang, “this is the time of fulfillment, the kingdom of God is at hand” during the gospel acclamation. The words seemed almost prophetic at the time, because the Triduum and Easter were on the horizon. Come Easter Sunday, the decorated church, joyful songs, and change in liturgical color wiped the prophecy out of my mind completely. I often times lose sight of the prophecy being fulfilled after the Easter season – Easter follows Lent and then moves back into ordinary time so quickly. This Sunday, Jesus is calling us back to Him as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Unlike the disciples, (many of which did not fully comprehend Jesus’ passion predictions) it does not take seeing and touching the Risen Lord for us to believe in his resurrection. On the other hand, as Lasallians, we experience the living Christ on a regular basis – in our students, those we serve, and in those we live with (most of the time). How can we let the peace of Christ stop us during the day and remember that He fulfilled the Pascal Mystery, and we are to be disciples of it? How can we bring peace to our communities, considering the Risen Lord is present in those we do and do not love? In answering these questions, I think we can truly recognize that this is the time of fulfillment and the Kingdom of God is at hand.
St. Raymond High School for Boys
Saint John Baptist de La Salle – Pray for us.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts – Forever.