Homily: Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Thursday in the Octave of Easter (Lk. 24:35-48) “Jesus, Is That You?”
When Jesus meets his followers after he rises from the dead, they usually don’t recognize him at first. Only after they eat with Jesus do they realize who he is. Before or after that Jesus will explain the scriptures to those he meets. We could say that this reflects the Mass that we celebrate every Sunday. We always have the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
What does the Easter readings mean when they say, “Jesus opened their minds so that they might understand the scriptures?” We could think that Jesus looked back at the Old Testament prophesies and explained how specific events were predicted and came to fulfillment in the life of Christ.
The Gospels seem to imply this type of prediction-fulfillment dynamic in as the writers tell the story of Jesus. Scripture scholars and Theologians would be suspicious of this. The prophets had little idea of who Jesus would be or what his life would be like.
We could compare it to how prayer is answered. We don’t usually have prayer answered in the exact way we want. We give God room to maneuver. Prayer is very often answered in ways that are a surprise.
When it comes to the fulfillment of Scripture the realization of God’s plan usually unfolds over generations. Only by looking at the long arc of salvation history do we see how scripture is fulfilled. It requires people to trust in the future, a future that they may not see.
When Jesus spoke of scripture becoming a reality, he was saying that his coming had been anticipated by many faithful people over hundreds of years. He was an answer to a lot of prayers as people prayed for a new beginning.
We could compare this to our praying for the coming of the Kingdom every time we say the Our Father. The Kingdom is realized today. The Kingdom will be realized in times to come. The Kingdom is actualized when we die and enjoy our heavenly reward.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I see signs of the Kingdom around me? What are they?
- Can I be faithful even if I don’t see the Gospel realized today? Have I known someone who has that type of faith? Who?
Dear Parishioners,
Wedding season is coming. People often contact me by email asking if they can get married at Sacred Heart. People like the look of our church and this leads to their interest. The pandemic has slowed down the number of weddings that we have. One thing that should be said is that you do not have to be a member to be married here.
We have a lot of people these days who do not see a wedding as a sacred event. Because of that they get married in secular settings. If that is not what you prefer than I will do whatever I can to be of assistance. I feel that having a sacramental wedding is an important thing. The grace that flows from this can only be of help.
If you are interested in having a Catholic wedding let me know. I would be glad to be of assistance.
May our Lady of Peace pray for us.
Fr. Mark