First Reading - Acts 3:1-10
Gospel - Luke 24:13-35
The first reading gives us an account of the first miraculous sign performed by Peter in the name of Jesus after the resurrection. According to the customary practice, Peter and John go to the temple. This practice of Peter shows that till then there was no major rift between Jews and Christians. The exchange of gestures between the lame and Peter strikes out from the miraculous sign; the lame expected to receive material favour but Peter offers him healing in the name of Jesus. The statement used by Peter: "I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have; in the name of Jesus of Nazarene, walk!", has profound implications. Peter was devoid of material possessions but filled with Jesus Christ, therefore he could perform such a great sign to the surprise of everyone.
The gospel passage presents the Emmaus story. The Emmaus story is a journey of the two disciples who were still confused with the identity of Jesus, for Jesus is addressed as one of the great prophets. They still expected Jesus to have been a political Messiah ("Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free."). Jesus walks with them, explains to them the Scriptures in order to clarify his identity and ultimately reveals himself at the breaking of the bread. The climax of the scene unveils the spiritual blindness of the disciples to see the truth and revives them in their spiritual fervour. Consequently, they immediately, return to the apostles to bear the testimony of the resurrection. That was the experience of being filled with the experience of Jesus for the disciples that it was impossible for them to hold it back even for a moment.
Dear friends, being filled with Jesus is the invitation of the Easter. A person filled with Jesus, needs nothing else but he alone suffices. Peter, in the first reading, was filled with Jesus, therefore he did not need anything and he readily shared with the lame the power of Jesus and healed him. The disciples, on their way to Emmaus, were initially bereft of Jesus and filled with their own preoccupations and expectations, therefore they failed to recognize Jesus who walked along with them. Jesus filled them with his experiences by disclosing the scriptures and ultimately revealing himself at the breaking of the bread. Let's be filled with the experiences of Jesus in our lives. Jesus walks, explains and reveals himself to us through our everyday life, our daily events, our studies, and our experiences etc. let's look at them with the eyes of faith. Let's ask Jesus to open our spiritual eyes to see him active in our lives.
Every celebration of the Eucharist is our Emmaus experience; the Word of God is proclaimed and is broken to us so that we can understand the meaning and its implications for our lives; thereafter, we are led to the breaking of bread where Jesus manifests and gives himself to us so that our souls are joined to him, thus are filled with him. Let's never miss the chance to fill ourselves with the Emmaus experience during the celebration of the Eucharist.
May we be filled with the experiences of Jesus.
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