At that time, 35the disciples told what had happened on the way and how they had recognized Jesus when he broke the bread. 36They were still talking when Jesus

 

At that time, 35the disciples told what had happened on the way and how they had recognized Jesus when he broke the bread. 36They were still talking when Jesus himself appeared among them and said to them, “Peace be with you!” 37They were frightened and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. 38But Jesus said, “Why are you worried and why do you have doubts in your hearts? 39See my hands and my feet: it is I! Touch me and see! A ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I do.” 40And when he had said this, Jesus showed them his hands and feet. 41But they still could not believe it, because they were so happy and surprised. Then Jesus said, “Do you have anything to eat here?” 42They gave him a piece of roasted fish. 43He took it and ate it before them. 44Then he said to them, “These are the things I told you when I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then Jesus opened the intelligence of the disciples to understand the Scriptures 46and said to them: “Thus it is written: The Christ will suffer and will rise from the dead on the third day, 47and in his name conversion and forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations, starting with Jerusalem. 48You will be witnesses of all this.” – Word of salvation.

Reflection Within the Octave of Easter, the Church invites us to meditate on the various appearances that the resurrected Christ made to his disciples and friends — more than five hundred, according to Paul's testimony (cf. 1Cor 15, 4-8; CIC 642). Therefore, today's Gospel continues the episode of Emmaus, where the Lord made himself known to Cleophas and his walking companion. Now, it is before the Eleven, gathered in Jerusalem, that Jesus presents himself. Situated by Saint Luke shortly before the Ascension of the Lord into heaven, this passage offers us a good opportunity to consider more closely that which in the vocation of the Apostles is proper and non-transmissible (cf. CIC 860), namely: that they were witnesses eyepieces of the Resurrection. This aspect is, in fact, so essential and indispensable that it was on this basis that the blessed Peter wanted to fill the place that Judas, the traitor, had once occupied: "It is fitting, therefore, that of these men who have been in our company All the time that the Lord Jesus lived among us, starting from the baptism of John until the day in which he was taken from us, one of them became a witness with us to his Resurrection" (Acts 1, 21s). Real witnesses that Christ truly rose from the dead, the Apostles, through their preaching and the signs that confirmed it (cf., for example, Acts 2:43), are the "foundation stones of his Church" (CIC 642 ); They are, also for this reason, the very firm and faithful guarantee that the faith we received from them is not in vain (cf. 1Cor 15, 14) and, even today, two thousand years after the Easter events, we profess with a firm and confident voice: " It is true!", exclaims the Church joyfully throughout the centuries, "the Lord rose from the dead and appeared to Simon" (Luke 24:34). We are, therefore, certain that the Resurrection of Our Lord is, indeed, a historical and transcendent fact, of both a physical and supernatural nature. It is not, therefore, a beautiful story, full of arbitrary and watered-down symbolism. In fact, if the Lord had not risen from the dead, the ardent faith of the first believers, willing to make the greatest and most extreme sacrifices, would be completely incomprehensible; If, on the other hand, He remained alive in our hearts only with His "example" and His "ideal", how could we explain all the blood shed for the conviction that the Lord had risen? Let us therefore renew our faith in the Christ who conquered death, whose glorious body the Apostles had the pleasure of touching and seeing that He is not a spirit (cf. Lk 24:39), but the one and same Lord Jesus "who was martyred and crucified, for he still bears the marks of his Passion" (CIC 645). They ate and ate with Him, they heard and learned from Him, they bore witness to Him to all who had ears to hear. Let us also be concrete witnesses that Christ lives in glory for centuries without end. Let us ask Him for the grace to be living signs of the renewal that He Himself came to accomplish. May the Virgin Mary also increase our faith in her resurrected Son and give us the courage to confess Him with love and strength before men.

At that time, 35the disciples told what had happened on the way and how they had recognized Jesus when he broke the bread. 36They were still talking when Jesus himself appeared among them and said to them, “Peace be with you!” 37They were frightened and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. 38But Jesus said, “Why are you worried and why do you have doubts in your hearts? 39See my hands and my feet: it is I! Touch me and see! A ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I do.” 40And when he had said this, Jesus showed them his hands and feet. 41But they still could not believe it, because they were so happy and surprised. Then Jesus said, “Do you have anything to eat here?” 42They gave him a piece of roasted fish. 43He took it and ate it before them. 44Then he said to them, “These are the things I told you when I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then Jesus opened the intelligence of the disciples to understand the Scriptures 46and said to them: “Thus it is written: The Christ will suffer and will rise from the dead on the third day, 47and in his name conversion and forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations, starting with Jerusalem. 48You will be witnesses of all this.” – Word of salvation. Reflection Within the Octave of Easter, the Church invites us to meditate on the various appearances that the resurrected Christ made to his disciples and friends — more than five hundred, according to Paul's testimony (cf. 1Cor 15, 4-8; CIC 642). Therefore, today's Gospel continues the episode of Emmaus, where the Lord made himself known to Cleophas and his walking companion. Now, it is before the Eleven, gathered in Jerusalem, that Jesus presents himself. Situated by Saint Luke shortly before the Ascension of the Lord into heaven, this passage offers us a good opportunity to consider more closely that which in the vocation of the Apostles is proper and non-transmissible (cf. CIC 860), namely: that they were witnesses eyepieces of the Resurrection. This aspect is, in fact, so essential and indispensable that it was on this basis that the blessed Peter wanted to fill the place that Judas, the traitor, had once occupied: "It is fitting, therefore, that of these men who have been in our company All the time that the Lord Jesus lived among us, starting from the baptism of John until the day in which he was taken from us, one of them became a witness with us to his Resurrection" (Acts 1, 21s). Real witnesses that Christ truly rose from the dead, the Apostles, through their preaching and the signs that confirmed it (cf., for example, Acts 2:43), are the "foundation stones of his Church" (CIC 642 ); They are, also for this reason, the very firm and faithful guarantee that the faith we received from them is not in vain (cf. 1Cor 15, 14) and, even today, two thousand years after the Easter events, we profess with a firm and confident voice: " It is true!", exclaims the Church joyfully throughout the centuries, "the Lord rose from the dead and appeared to Simon" (Luke 24:34). We are, therefore, certain that the Resurrection of Our Lord is, indeed, a historical and transcendent fact, of both a physical and supernatural nature. It is not, therefore, a beautiful story, full of arbitrary and watered-down symbolism. In fact, if the Lord had not risen from the dead, the ardent faith of the first believers, willing to make the greatest and most extreme sacrifices, would be completely incomprehensible; If, on the other hand, He remained alive in our hearts only with His "example" and His "ideal", how could we explain all the blood shed for the conviction that the Lord had risen? Let us therefore renew our faith in the Christ who conquered death, whose glorious body the Apostles had the pleasure of touching and seeing that He is not a spirit (cf. Lk 24:39), but the one and same Lord Jesus "who was martyred and crucified, for he still bears the marks of his Passion" (CIC 645). They ate and ate with Him, they heard and learned from Him, they bore witness to Him to all who had ears to hear. Let us also be concrete witnesses that Christ lives in glory for centuries without end. Let us ask Him for the grace to be living signs of the renewal that He Himself came to accomplish. May the Virgin Mary also increase our faith in her resurrected Son and give us the courage to confess Him with love and strength before men.