Homily: Third Sunday of Easter. Year B - Sunday, 14 April 2024 - (EPISODE:473)

GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND
Homily: Third Sunday of Easter.Year B - Sunday, 14 April 2024 -  (EPISODE:473)

Third Sunday of Easter. Year B - (EPISODE:473)

Readings for Third Sunday of Easter. Year B
FIRST READING: Acts 3: 13-15, 17-19
Ps 4: 2, 4, 7-8, 9. "Lord, let your face shine on us"
SECOND READING: 1 John 2: 1-5a
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Luke 24: 32). Alleluia, alleluia! Lord Jesus, make your word plain to us. Make our hearts burn with love when you speak.
GOSPEL: Luke 24: 35-48

{Image Credit: Shutterstock licensed stock vector ID: 254006194 . Jesus after his resurrection in triangles style By mashabr}
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for the Third Sunday of Easter. Year B -, by clicking this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-third-sunday-of-easter-year-b-episode-473  (EPISODE: 473)
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There's a story told after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, that some people who would still not believe the evidence of their own eyes, seeing Lazarus walking around alive and well again, stubbornly continued to try and score some points against our Lord. So they said to him, why do you have to call out Lazarus' name to make him rise again? Surely if you truly are the Son of God, your authority should be absolute. Surely he could just say, come out, and he would have.

But our Lord replied very wisely, if I didn't specifically name Lazarus, then everyone in the cemetery would have risen up at the command!

That's a wonderful story and it really expresses something fundamental and powerful and promising to each and every one of us. Our Lord's resurrection was a foretaste of the resurrection that he promises to everyone who trusts in his word.

Jesus' command to rise up and come out of the tomb is absolutely authoritative and will be utterly irresistible. This is the command we will all hear at the resurrection on the last day. This is what all who have gone before us will hear.

While Jesus was not initially recognised by his followers when they first met him, they quickly knew that it was him when he did the things that he had always done. His actions quickly reminded them of all that he was and still is. His actions represented all he valued and acted on in his life and they recognised his presence with certainty then.

Jesus in his earthly ministry was constantly at work bringing peace, healing, inclusion, forgiveness, and joy into people's lives and hearts. When the disciples met the risen Jesus, they experienced these things again and when the Holy Spirit fell on them at Pentecost and sent them out into the world, they continued Jesus' actions in their own lives and ministries too. When they did what Jesus did and spread the message of good news, as their master had done, people experienced Jesus really working through them.

When they carried the joy of friendship with God in their hearts, it radiates out to everyone else and people feel it too. Sometimes we meet people who just radiate the joy and peace of the good news and it's good for us to think, who are the people we know who always make us feel joy and happiness, or who can convey a sense of joy and peace whenever we meet them? We have many such people quietly and lovingly working away in our community, in our families, our schools, our parishes, our workplaces, and so many other places. Jesus commissions us all to be carriers of his light and joy into the world.

The true source of that joy and energy and peace is of course Jesus, who had that amazing ability to radiate his message, not only in words, but in actions and attitudes, and in deeply impressive, life-changing encounters with people. In the scripture passages of Easter, we hear that Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to many different disciples in different incidences. We're told a few times in the scriptures that they did not always recognise him initially, something about him looked or seemed different, or as the scriptures put mysteriously, their eyes were kept from recognising him.

Plus it's understandable that if someone was not expecting to meet a person in this life again, because that person was known to have died, that person would literally be the last person we would expect to see again in this earth. But they did recognise Jesus instantly when he again spoke and acted as he had always done in the past, actions so associated with who he really is that it immediately caused realisation and recognition. Other times, such as this weekend's gospel, they know immediately it's Jesus, they recognise him as soon as he enters the room with them, but they find it really difficult to comprehend that Jesus was not merely a ghost or a spiritual vision, but alive in the flesh.

There's this charming moment today when Jesus tries to show them that he is indeed fully alive in his flesh and blood by asking for a delicious morsel of broiled fish and eating it in front of them. So, for Jesus, it was of course doing what he had done throughout his ministry, sharing a meal with his apostles and with all who will sit down with him, with an ever-increasing group of people who are now part of God's family. He broke bread with them, he opened up the scriptures to his people, he gave people peace, inclusion, joy, hope, healing, mercy.

It was the same Jesus, they knew it, they experienced it, he had risen, and he was not a ghost, he was real, just like before, and they could experience his presence and action amongst them again, they could touch him. What a profound gift that Jesus gives us, a gift Jesus continues to give us all these centuries later. In the breaking of the bread, at his word broken, open for us.

In Jesus' body and blood, broken and poured out for us. In the Eucharist, when we do this, we still encounter the risen Lord. The thing Jesus came to remind his followers in this encounter today in the Gospel is, yes, says Jesus, I am indeed the Messiah, but I never said the Messiah was going to come and make you all earthly princes, and make you rulers on earth and rich and powerful.

Look through the scriptures, he says, the Messiah is not the powerful rich king, he is a suffering servant. Do you not see, he teaches his listeners, that it was always necessary that I suffer, and it was by this foolishness of human weakness and apparent defeat that I need to show the world what really matters, what real power is, and that power, that real power is love, non-violence, inclusion, mercy, and justice, and practical sharing. Jesus says he has come to give life to us, and he asks us to give life to others in return.

There are so many ways we can give life to others, not the least of which is feeding those in need, who are hungry, physically, but also spiritually giving people things to bring life, nourishment, hope, and strength to them. All that Jesus asks us, in all the ways he appears to us in our daily lives, in and through the people and events of our life, is that we at least give him something, even a small morsel, like that morsel of fish, some practical action, some concrete response, something akin to a small loaf of bread offered, or a piece of fish. And with this, Christ has shown that when we entrust ourselves to him and give him something that we have to offer, he will take our humble actions and transform the world, and our lives, and the lives of others too, especially those most struggling.

He will transform us in his love and inclusion. He will lovingly reach out to anyone by making use of us as willing instruments of his grace, compassion, and justice. And everything he does will always be for the better.
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References:

HOMILY – Fr Paul Kelly

Abbot's Homily. Monastery of Christ in the Desert.

{Image Credit: Shutterstock licensed stock vector ID: 254006194 - Jesus after his resurrection; in triangles style  M By mashabr}

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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection"  - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants  — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989,  and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009,  The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful -   " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'.   E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" -  By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria,  Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly.  Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer.  Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

 "Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

Sound Engineering and editing -  P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: -      Shure MV5 Digital Condenser (USB) and also Rode Nt-1 + AI-1 sound mixer.

Editing equipment:    NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44

Sound Processing:  iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor

[Production -  KER -  2024]
May God bless and keep you.
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