DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
WEDNESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it. Ps 118:24
Acts 3:1-10
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Luke 24:13-25
Acts 3:1-10
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
The lives of the Apostles were transformed after the Resurrection and Ascension. They were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and that power could not be contained. It possessed them completely and enabled them to have confidence that indeed with You, all things are possible.
Here we are told about Peter and John, the two Apostles the older who loved You more than the rest, and the youngest whom You loved more than the rest. They were entering the temple to pray and we see them looking at the man crippled from birth and exercising the power that has been given to them.
The cripple was carried there by others and left at the gate to beg for alms. Peter and John were about to enter the temple - God had arranged the circumstances for the miracle to occur - with God nothing is an accident or coincidence. Both the Apostles and the cripple look at each other expectantly, they encounter each other, the cripple is looking for money, something temporal, something to alleviate his physical needs. The Apostles want to give him something more lasting, something of greater value than silver or gold neither of which they possessed. But they gave him what they did have, the Name that is above every other. It is important to note the steps leading up to the miracle. First, the Name is spoken with authority, "In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk." Second, Peter takes him by the right hand and raises him up. It is not enough to speak the Name we must lend our hand, our support, we must give them our strength to lean on, steady them, and then the miracle occurs. The man stands up, his ankles are strong and can bear the weight of his body, he is a new creation and he is filled with the joy of the Lord. He walks, leaps, and jumps with joy all the while praising God. Not Peter and John for they are merely the instruments that make the miracle possible. And most important of all he accompanies them to the temple. All those who recognize the man before and after the miracle are filled with amazement and astonishment at what God has done for him.
So it must be with the people who are converted to You through us who labor in Your vineyard. We preach the Good News, we help them until they are able to stand on their own, they experience the joy of conversion, which leads them into the Church to receive the fullness of life within the community and they, in turn, become witnesses drawing others to You. Let it be so for me too Beloved as it was for Peter and John.
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Luke 24:13-25
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
Much has been written about this encounter of the disciples with You on the road to Emmaus. Much has been preached about it and yet there will always be fresh insights into this little vignette in the Gospel narrated by the Evangelist Luke.
All of us have had experiences that have left us disappointed, brokenhearted, sad, let-down, discouraged, heavy-hearted. Our expectations have come to naught. We can relate to the feelings of these two disciples completely. We cannot look beyond our feelings that tend to crowd out everything else. It often takes someone else to give us a better, truer perspective. So it is with these two disciples who are trudging on the road to Emmaus their sad hearts can talk of nothing else but their disappointed hopes and aspirations. Then You appear but they do not recognize You. Commenting on their wobegone faces You inquire what they were conversing about and why they are sad. The words come tumbling out - they are surprised at Your lack of knowledge of the things that had just occurred three days ago. They bring You up to speed. You listen intently as they re-tell the story of Your agony, Your Passion, Your Crucifixion, Your death. They commended You as a great prophet mighty in word and deed. The spoke about how the chief priests and rulers collaborated in arresting You, sentencing You to death and carrying out the dastardly act of crucifixion. They even tell You about the women who saw the empty tomb and came back with the news that You were not in it. They reported the vision of angels that the women had seen and who told them that You were alive. They confirm that they were astounded at all that the women said but they did not give credence to any of it. You listen to them patiently until they run out of words and then You remark,"Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" How often You had spoken of Your suffering and of Your rising again on the third day but they were too lost in their own emotions to recall any of it. So You began to tell them the story they already knew. "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures."
When they came to the village and You made as if to go on they invited You to spend the night with them as it was late. They couldn't bear to let You go. You agreed and sat at table to share the evening meal with them. Their eyes were fixed on You as they watched You take the bread, say the blessing, break it, and give it to them. Scripture tells us that it was then that their eyes were opened and they recognized You.
At every Eucharist Beloved, may I always recognize You at the Breaking of the Bread. May my heart burn just as theirs did when I read Your Word. Grant me Your Holy Spirit to enable me to recognize You. And just as they returned to Jerusalem to share the good news with the rest of the disciples may I too carry the good news to everyone I encounter, after I have received You.
WEDNESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it. Ps 118:24
Acts 3:1-10
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Luke 24:13-25
Acts 3:1-10
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
The lives of the Apostles were transformed after the Resurrection and Ascension. They were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and that power could not be contained. It possessed them completely and enabled them to have confidence that indeed with You, all things are possible.
Here we are told about Peter and John, the two Apostles the older who loved You more than the rest, and the youngest whom You loved more than the rest. They were entering the temple to pray and we see them looking at the man crippled from birth and exercising the power that has been given to them.
The cripple was carried there by others and left at the gate to beg for alms. Peter and John were about to enter the temple - God had arranged the circumstances for the miracle to occur - with God nothing is an accident or coincidence. Both the Apostles and the cripple look at each other expectantly, they encounter each other, the cripple is looking for money, something temporal, something to alleviate his physical needs. The Apostles want to give him something more lasting, something of greater value than silver or gold neither of which they possessed. But they gave him what they did have, the Name that is above every other. It is important to note the steps leading up to the miracle. First, the Name is spoken with authority, "In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk." Second, Peter takes him by the right hand and raises him up. It is not enough to speak the Name we must lend our hand, our support, we must give them our strength to lean on, steady them, and then the miracle occurs. The man stands up, his ankles are strong and can bear the weight of his body, he is a new creation and he is filled with the joy of the Lord. He walks, leaps, and jumps with joy all the while praising God. Not Peter and John for they are merely the instruments that make the miracle possible. And most important of all he accompanies them to the temple. All those who recognize the man before and after the miracle are filled with amazement and astonishment at what God has done for him.
So it must be with the people who are converted to You through us who labor in Your vineyard. We preach the Good News, we help them until they are able to stand on their own, they experience the joy of conversion, which leads them into the Church to receive the fullness of life within the community and they, in turn, become witnesses drawing others to You. Let it be so for me too Beloved as it was for Peter and John.
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Luke 24:13-25
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
Much has been written about this encounter of the disciples with You on the road to Emmaus. Much has been preached about it and yet there will always be fresh insights into this little vignette in the Gospel narrated by the Evangelist Luke.
All of us have had experiences that have left us disappointed, brokenhearted, sad, let-down, discouraged, heavy-hearted. Our expectations have come to naught. We can relate to the feelings of these two disciples completely. We cannot look beyond our feelings that tend to crowd out everything else. It often takes someone else to give us a better, truer perspective. So it is with these two disciples who are trudging on the road to Emmaus their sad hearts can talk of nothing else but their disappointed hopes and aspirations. Then You appear but they do not recognize You. Commenting on their wobegone faces You inquire what they were conversing about and why they are sad. The words come tumbling out - they are surprised at Your lack of knowledge of the things that had just occurred three days ago. They bring You up to speed. You listen intently as they re-tell the story of Your agony, Your Passion, Your Crucifixion, Your death. They commended You as a great prophet mighty in word and deed. The spoke about how the chief priests and rulers collaborated in arresting You, sentencing You to death and carrying out the dastardly act of crucifixion. They even tell You about the women who saw the empty tomb and came back with the news that You were not in it. They reported the vision of angels that the women had seen and who told them that You were alive. They confirm that they were astounded at all that the women said but they did not give credence to any of it. You listen to them patiently until they run out of words and then You remark,"Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" How often You had spoken of Your suffering and of Your rising again on the third day but they were too lost in their own emotions to recall any of it. So You began to tell them the story they already knew. "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures."
When they came to the village and You made as if to go on they invited You to spend the night with them as it was late. They couldn't bear to let You go. You agreed and sat at table to share the evening meal with them. Their eyes were fixed on You as they watched You take the bread, say the blessing, break it, and give it to them. Scripture tells us that it was then that their eyes were opened and they recognized You.
At every Eucharist Beloved, may I always recognize You at the Breaking of the Bread. May my heart burn just as theirs did when I read Your Word. Grant me Your Holy Spirit to enable me to recognize You. And just as they returned to Jerusalem to share the good news with the rest of the disciples may I too carry the good news to everyone I encounter, after I have received You.
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