3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER-B
I
Reading: Acts 3:13-15.17-19: You killed the prince of life. God however raised
him from the dead.
II
Reading: 1John 2:1-5: He is the sacrifice that makes our sins away, and not
only ours, but the whole word’s.
Gospel:
Luke 24:35-48: So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on
the third day rise from the dead.
Jesus’ Appearance to the Disciples:
The Great statements of the
Christian Faith, Lk 24:36-49
Peter
continues to dominate the early chapters of Acts. He pointed out and preached
about a monstrous crime to have put the Holy One to death and a national
repentance of the Jews would lead to a spiritual revival of Israel. Peter’s
hope was disappointed by their subsequent attitude to the new faith, because
they continued to persecute the Church.
While
John recognises that God’s love can come to perfection in us by the sacrifice
of His Son who takes away our sins, to him who is our “Advocate” with the
Father “one summoned to our side”, to our own unworthiness to plead.
The
Risen Christ appeared to his disciples to restore their faith and to make
available to them that Resurrection power that would embolden their actions and
colour their preaching.
The
three readings of today are meant to help us to reflect on the gift of
forgiveness of sin by repentance. We recite in the Credo, “I believe in the
forgiveness of sins.” God has been showing His love, mercy, compassion and
forgiveness to His people from the very beginning until now. Jesus bought it at
the cost of his blood; we should not refuse it; we should hasten to repent
whenever we fall into sin and believe in the Good News of Jesus.
In
the readings we find:
1.
The exhortation of Peter to the Jews
2.
The apparition of Jesus to his Apostles as narrated by Luke
3.
The recommendations of John to his Christians
4.
The better we know God, the less the risk we run of committing sin
5.
The way to know God is to keep his commandments
This
was the first appearance of Jesus to all the disciples at once. He shared the
two great statements (explanations) of the Christian faith.
1. Statement 1: Jesus is risen (v.36-43)
a.
Jesus’
first words: Peace
b.
Jesus’
impact
1)
The
disciples startled and frightened
2)
The
disciples were troubled and questioning
c.
Jesus’
proof
1)
He
is flesh an bones
2)
He
shows them his wounds
3)
He
talks
2. Statement 2: All Scripture must be
fulfilled (44-49)
a.
The
forewarning
b.
The
utter necessity
c.
The
spiritual insight needed
d.
The
particular prophecies
1)
Christ
must suffer and arise
2)
Repentance
and forgiveness must be preached
3)
The
Holy Spirit and power must be sent
Thought: The
greatest of all tragedies is that some still do not accept and believe the
Lord’s death and resurrection despite the irrefutable evidence.
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