Commentary
Sunday, 4/26/2020, Third Sunday of Easter
To Believe or Not to Believe
First Reading Commentary: Acts 2:14, 22-33
We do not always think about this but every time that we sin, we play a part in the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross. We have to accept part of the responsibility and sometimes, we should feel some guilt. No one gives us a piece of their mind for our part in the crucifixion. Frankly, it is not their place because we are all sinners and judgment is not ours to render.
In making a proclamation to the Jews in Jerusalem, Peter sounds like he is giving them a piece of his mind for having been responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. But in reality, Peter’s proclamation is a testimony to the truth. He does not hold back or mince words. True to his character, Peter says it like it is.
Peter begins, “You who are Israelites, hear these words.” He was reminding the people that they were descendants of the very people that God rescued from Egypt. He was reminding the Jews that they are the very people with whom God had made a covenant. And, Peter was telling the Jews to get out of the fog, pay attention and remember who they were.
Sometimes, we have to get out of the fog and pay attention and remember who we are. When we mistreat other people, or fight with other people, we are forgetting that we are all God’s children and therefore, there is no reason for us to engage in such behavior. When we do anything, which is in violation of any of the Commandments, we forget the promise of heaven. The point is that we are no different than the Jews who persecuted Jesus. We do it all of the time—one sin at a time.
Peter went on to proclaim that Jesus was commended to the Jews by God. We all know that Jesus came for the salvation of all mankind and that the Father had made a covenant with Abraham and with David; that the Son would be among their descendants. To keep this promise, Jesus had to be a Jew and Peter is reminding the people that God kept His promise.
We are constantly reminded that we must exercise our faith if we want to be with God in heaven. In last Sunday’s gospel, John 20:19-31, Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Jesus said this because Thomas’s doubt was centered around something that he had not seen.
But when Peter reminded the Jews that they were witness to Jesus performing mighty deeds, wonders and signs, he could have said, “What’s your excuse? You did see and instead of believing in Him, you crucified Him.” Sometimes, we have to question what our excuse is because as I said before, when we sin, we play a part in the crucifixion of Jesus.
Then Peter spoke of the Resurrection. Referring to Psalm 16:8-11, Peter told the people that it was as David had prophesized. David envisioned that Christ would come, die, be resurrected from the dead and teach us how to reach the Kingdom. Peter says that Christ “poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.”
In this reading, Peter’s message is that by Christ teaching us how to reach the Kingdom, we are not abandoned to the netherworld. Jesus wants to lead all of us to the Kingdom but in order to get there, we must follow Him.
Jesus made sure that He left us with everything that we need to follow Him by sending the Holy Spirit with all of His gifts. But as I have said in other commentaries, we all have a free will. Therefore, we must choose to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Think of it this way; food is no good to you if you don't eat it. We make the choice to use the protection of the Holy Spirit by praying, staying close to the Church and by partaking in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, where we are fed, by Christ and Confession where we receive God’s mercy.
In Atonement for Everyone: Not Just for Some
Second Reading Commentary: 1 Peter 1:17-21
In the first paragraph of his first letter, Peter uses few words to say many things. He begins by telling us that the Father shows no partiality in judging us according to our works.
God plays no favorites. We are all God’s children and He treats us all the same. We all have the same opportunity of experiencing eternal life in heaven and none of us will feel God’s wrath more than another for the same offense. Each of us possess the same free will and are created in the same image of God. All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are there for each one of us.
Indeed, no matter what part of the world we come from, the only thing that separates us and makes us different is what we choose. Some of us accept everyone, regardless of background, as children of God but some of us are prejudiced or worse yet, racist. Some of us accept all of God’s Word and try our best to follow God’s Word. But some of us pick and choose what we want to believe or follow or obey. The list is endless and God passes judgment on us as individuals.
Notice that Peter says that the Father judges. We know that the Father has given all authority of judging to the Son. So, Peter is making a subtle reference to the Trinity. When the Son judges: so, do the Father and the Holy Spirit. They all judge in unison because they are one God.
Peter continues, “…conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning…” The word sojourn means: for a period of time. We are in this life but for a period of time. This life is nothing more than a temporary journey but Peter is telling us to treat and live our lives with reverence.
Then Peter talks about our salvation reminding us that we were ransomed from sin by the precious blood of Christ. Christ allowed Himself to be the spotless and unblemished lamb who was sacrificed in atonement for our sins. Jesus was both spotless and unblemished because He never engaged in any act of sin which defiled the body in any way and in fact, Jesus did not engage in any other kind of sin. He who was without sin, suffered for our sins.
We can say those words with such ease but I do not believe that human emotions can truly grasp the full magnitude of what those words say. Imagine, the Creator, who is all good, willingly allowed Himself to suffer because we sinned. Human emotions cannot feel love at the level and intensity of God’s love for us. That’s because God is love and we are simply human. But we can be grateful and we should be.
In saying that Christ was known before the foundation of the world, Peter is referring to when Christ proclaimed, “I am the Alpha and Omega.” Peter is also referring to Genesis 1:26 where God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Notice that God refers to Himself in the plural indicating that He is of more than one person.
Finally, Peter tells us that Christ was risen from the dead so that our faith and hope are in God. The Kingdom of Heaven is the place that we should all be trying to reach at the end of our journey in life. Faith will put us on the right path and with hope, we should look forward to reaching the Kingdom.
Having No Faith Is Being Blind
Gospel Commentary: Luke 24:13-35
In today’s gospel, two disciples encounter Jesus while they were walking to Emmaus and talking about the events of the past few days. But they did not recognize Jesus who asked them what they were discussing. They shared with Jesus but they could not believe that anyone was unaware of what had happened. Then Jesus said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!” They invited Jesus to have dinner with them and when Jesus broke the bread and said the blessing, they finally realized who He was. So, they ran off to tell the Eleven what had happened and that the Lord had truly risen.
How foolish are we? How slow of heart are we to believe? How long will it take for the world to recognize who Christ is? What does God have to do for everyone in the world to believe in Him?
These are all questions which keep coming to my mind when I read or listen to Gospels like this one. The only thing that I can say is that those of us who do believe must keep the faith not allowing the devil’s work to distract us. Then we have to pray that those who possess a closed heart will open their hearts to allow the Holy Spirit to work within them so that they too can believe.
But let’s focus our thoughts on the last words of this gospel, “…he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.” Jesus was talking to us without using words but in order to hear any of what Jesus was saying, we have to stop concentrating on the physical. We can only concentrate on Jesus as God the Son if we are to hear Him.
The disciples who were on their way to Emmaus were focused on recent physical events. So much so that they completely forgot or dismissed the Scriptures. They knew what had happened. They knew that these events fulfilled the Scriptures and yet, they were not convinced. That is why they did not recognize Jesus. They knew who He was but they were too shocked and amazed to realize that Jesus was with them.
Keep the faith, use your faith or however you want to say it—believe. Not because Jesus comes to us in a physical way as the priest at the altar to relive the Eucharist with us. He can because Jesus is the Great High Priest, but that may never happen. We should believe because we believe that Jesus is the Eucharist and therefore, He is with us.
With the final words of this Gospel which make up the conclusion of the testimony of the two disciples to the Eleven, Jesus tells us and proves to us that through the Eucharist, He keeps His promise to be with us always. Peter said, "...he was made known to them in the breaking of bread."
Jesus does more than make Himself known to us through the Eucharist. He strengthens His presence within us as we are nourished by His Body and Blood.
