Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year B

 

First Reading: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 4:2, 4, 7-9

Second Reading: 1 Jn 2:1-5a

Gospel: Lk 24:35-48

 

St Monica Catholic Church - San Antonio, TX

 

            My fellow Christians, the readings proclaimed at Holy Mass today all point to the Christian life of discipleship. They reveal to us how to more fully conform ourselves to the example Jesus Christ set for us. They tell us how to fulfill our call to mission.

 Our first reading from the Book of Acts occurs right after the healing of the lame beggar by Peter and John. A large crowd had gathered in amazement. Peter reminds them it is not by their own power that the man was healed, but by the power of Jesus Christ – the man they had put to death. Imagine the shockwaves that sent through the crowd! Peter boldly names their sins – they chose to release a murderer instead of the innocent Jesus and so he was executed. The crowd is moved to sorrow. Peter does not hate these people, nor does he condemn the crowd for what they did. Rather, he proclaims the kerygma – the witness of Jesus and his Resurrection of and invites them to conversion. “Repent and be converted that your sins may be wiped away.” He invites them to follow Christ so they can experience the same forgiveness and mercy he has himself received. The life of Christian discipleship means we do not shy away from confronting evil where it is found but rather, motivated by love of the other person, to call it out and invite them to conversion with compassion and mercy.

The Psalm today has nothing to say to those who choose to live a worldly life. The Psalter is the prayer book of the repentant, not the unconverted. However, it is filled with meaning for the one who strives for holiness in life and places oneself into the service of God. There are certain things the godly person does not do. There are certain places the godly one is never found. There are certain things the godly one does not watch. To be holy is to be separated from what is sinful. The Psalm pleads with our Heavenly Father to shine his face upon us, from the time of our rising until the time we lie down to sleep. It is a prayer for strength in the battle the Christian soul fights every day. The battle against the evil in the world that seeks to corrupt the hearts and minds of the faithful and turn them aside from the path of holiness. The battle against discouragement when suffering must be endured. My Christians, I exhort you to find strength in the glory of God for this battle. Pray daily, pray faithfully, pray mightily. Our enemy is fierce, but he has already been defeated by the Blood of the Lamb. The life of Christian discipleship means to prepare for our daily spiritual battle, realizing that it is God who fights for us and without Him we can do nothing. Let His face shine upon you and fill you with gladness. Let His peace be with you.

The second reading from 1 John reminds us that the faith of a Christian must be manifested in the life of the Christian. Faith is not an interior secret to be kept hidden away. John tells us rather bluntly that to truly know God is to keep his commandments: “whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.” Now, I am sure that nobody here right now is able to keep all the commandments all of the time. He are human. We fall. We sin. We are imperfect creatures. God knows this and yet he calls us to perfection anyway. Our merciful Creator knows our weakness and he knows that conversion is not a ‘one and done’ thing. The process of conversion takes time. It takes a lifetime. Conversion is a process of growing in faith and growing in knowledge so that one’s life can show Jesus Christ to the world. It is not enough to simply believe in Jesus. In the life of Christian discipleship, it is necessary to combine that faith with works – to keep the commandments. For those who ‘say they know Him but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not within them.’ To make one’s exterior life match one’s interior life is to live in truth.

In the Gospel reading, we heard more about what is required in the life of Christian discipleship. At the very beginning, the two disciples are telling everyone gathered about how Jesus appeared to them in the road to Emmaus and opened up the Scriptures to them so they could finally understand. They excitedly recounted their encounter with the Risen Lord and how they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. Like those two disciples, we are called to share our faith experiences with others as well. Like them, you are witnesses to Jesus Christ. And right now, as Pope St. Paul VI wrote, ‘the Church needs witnesses even more than it needs teachers.’ Sharing our faith with one another strengthens us and encourages those whose faith or commitment may be wavering. It is not prideful or arrogant to joyfully share with another how God has worked in one’s life. Rather, it is a Christian act of faith to be a humble witness of the Risen Christ, of the infinite love and mercy of the Father, and the working of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in the hearts of all believers. It is through our proclamation of the kerygma that others are invited to embrace the Gospel. It is through our invitation that the Church grows. It is through our Christian witness that the world is converted.

When Jesus then appeared to the gathered disciples, he taught them how to understand the Sacred Scriptures. Jesus revealed that all of the writings of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms (the Old Testament) was written about him and points to him. It is only in the context of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that the Old Testament finds it full meaning. Jesus reminded them that Scripture foretold that the Christ would suffer (Isaiah 52 & 53), that he would rise from the dead on the third day (Hosea 6:2), and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached throughout the whole world (Isaiah 49:6). This is a key lesson for us today. St. Jerome said that “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Do you have a Bible? Do you read it? If you say no, then please seriously and prayerfully consider starting a habit of daily Bible reading. I recommend the Great Adventure Bible by Ascension Press or Bible in a Year by Augustine Institute if you need a program to help you get started. PSA over. It is through the study of Scripture, through the study of Catholic doctrine, through reading the writings of the saints that one will learn God’s eternal truth. In the Christian life of discipleship, one must be willing to place one’s properly formed religious beliefs above the passing whims of the world. One must be willing to take a moral stand against the pernicious falsehoods that masquerade today as ‘enlightened thought.’

In all four of the Gospel accounts, following His Resurrection, Jesus gives to his disciples the Great Commission – he send them forth to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them, to teach them His commandments, and to preach the Gospel. The early Christians understood that to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ requires three things: that we share with others what we ourselves have received, that we live out our lives in the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, and that we show the world what a life conformed to Christ looks like. By doing these three things, the early disciples inspired and invited others to become disciples as well. That Great Commission is still in effect and is our mission today. Those three things required of a Christian disciple then are still required of us now. If most Christians would do these three things: witness to what God has done for us, witness to the Paschal mystery over the falsehoods of contemporary society, and witness to the Christian life by our lived example, the world will change. Little by little, but it will change. Do you want to be a witness of Christ Jesus? Don’t wait. Begin today!

St. Joseph, Most Courageous, Pray For Us!