Sunday Homily for 3rd Sunday of Easter - 23 April 2023

My dear friends on this Third Sunday of Easter, the readings highlight the connection between the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and make us reflect on the presence of the risen Lord in our life.

The first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles is the latter part of Peter’s sermon following the powerful experience of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The first part of Peter’s sermon which is not covered in today’s reading is about the fulfilment of prophet Joel’s promise of God’s Spirit being poured out on all people. The second part focuses on the death and resurrection of Jesus being part of God’s plan as revealed in the prophetic Psalms. Jesus is both Lord and Messiah as it is in fact the risen and exalted Jesus who has poured out the gift of the Spirit. Thus Peter establishes that Jesus’s life and the giving of the spirit both fulfil the Old Testament prophecies. Also, we see that the resurrection of Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit are integrally related.

Verses 25-31 in the reading interpret Jesus’ resurrection as the fulfilment of Psalm 16.

“For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption” (Acts 2: 27)

For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.  (Psalm 16:10).

Hades which is the Greek word or Sheol which is Hebrew is thought to be a place where the unrighteous suffer punishment. Though this psalm is attributed to David it could not apply to him as it is certain that David died and that his body experienced the normal subsequent decay, thus indicating that the psalm refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

An important aspect of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus is that it is as per the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. In other words, God handed Jesus over to the people of Israel knowing full well what would happen. It was God’s plan that it would happen. Jesus’ crucifixion was no accident in history. And this is what makes the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus all the more significant. His sacrifice on the cross in atonement for our sins was a conscious and loving choice. He does not shy away from giving his own life to save ours. Humans killed him, expecting that to be the last word. God, however,  raised him up so that the last word would not be death but resurrection.

In the second reading taken from the first letter of Peter, he addresses believers who call God their Father. While calling God Father is a gift for us it also bears a responsibility – it is a call to live a holy life. We are called to live in ‘reverent fear’ – this is not a fear that is paranoia or apprehension but one which means respect, reverence, and awe. This type of fear is an appreciation of God that leads to obedience. Peter reminds these Christians that the God whom they address as Father is also an impartial judge. He reiterates the message from the first reading about the redemptive atoning sacrifice of Jesus being part of God’s plan of salvation. God’s plan, enabled Gentiles who did not have a faith heritage like the Jews to become believers in God. Just as God vindicated Jesus in the end, so also God will vindicate the faith of these believers in the end. If their present lives are difficult, they can look forward to the time of their vindication.

In the gospel taken from Luke, we witness the two disciples who were fleeing away from Jerusalem and going to Emmaus being met by Jesus. An interesting and also common feature of the post-resurrection narratives is the inability of the disciple to recognise Jesus. We see this with Mary Magdalene who thinks Jesus is the gardener, the apostles who were fishing cannot recognise Jesus at the beach and the two disciples today have a long walking discussion with Jesus but still don’t recognise him. And it is always a symbolic gesture by Jesus which opens their eyes and enables them to recognise Jesus. In the case of Mary Magdalene, Jesus calls her by name; the apostles fishing get a tremendous catch and in today’s reading the disciples recognise Jesus when he breaks the bread.

The main point here is that the issue is never a matter of the presence of Jesus, but rather of our awareness of His presence. And while we might complain and say why doesn’t Jesus just appear to us directly? Why go through all this trouble of appearing as a gardener or a stranger on a journey? I feel in a way it helps us appreciate our fellow human beings more. The Lord comes to us in different ways and uses different people and events to teach us and reach us. He might work through a traveler or a simple gardener, but always, He is ever at work and always near and ready to come to our aid. During an Ignatian retreat, a retreatant is asked to meditate on God’s presence in their life. And I have often heard wonderful testimonies of retreatants associating their parents, siblings, friends and sometimes even strangers with the activity of God in their life. In my life, many years ago when I was in the novitiate I was on the verge of leaving the Jesuits as things were not making any sense. I felt I had to come back home instead of continuing my formation. It was at that moment, during my walk to my Emmaus, that out of the blue, I received a call from my aunt who was able to open my eyes and bring clarity to my life. At different stages, I have experienced family, friends, and spiritual directors playing the role of Jesus. When God works in our lives through other people aren’t we also then called to make a difference in the lives of others and make them experience the presence of God in their life? The gospel is an invitation to us to recall and thank our companions in our journey of life and at the same time ask ourselves if we are companions to others.

A second perspective of looking at the gospel narrative is that Emmaus signifies our place of escape. A place of escape from the troubles of life. Don’t we all have our own Emmaus?  For some, this would mean an escape by doing something pleasurable like watching a movie or going out for a meal perhaps. But for some people, the escape takes a more dangerous form- addictions to pornography, alcohol or drugs. Whatever the escape be, without Jesus our lives would make no sense. Imagine what would happen if the 2 disciples didn’t meet Jesus? They would have gone back to their homes and continued to live a life of disappointment and fear. All our escape routes give us only temporary relief, but it is only the presence of Jesus that helps us experience joy from within. Jesus changed the lives of the two disciples and can also change ours.

Let us spend some time this week and reflect on our Emmaus moment and recognise and thank the various people who have helped us to experience the presence of Jesus in our life. Also do feel free to write about your Emmaus experience in the comments. God bless!