Be Amazed!"
Today's Mass Readings
Alleluia, Christ is risen! Today is the fifth day in the octave of Easter, a solemnity that continues our celebration of the risen Lord. Both our first reading and our gospel reading for today are continuations of yesterday’s readings. In the first, the early church’s adventure continues; after healing a man at Solomon’s Portico, Peter (and John) have the opportunity to share the gospel again. In the gospel reading, Jesus again appears to the disciples in his resurrected body. Two themes arise from these readings. The first of these themes is that Jesus the Christ is seen as a fulfillment of the Old Testament. Peter makes this connection at several points. When Peter says, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus…” (Acts 3:13), we are reminded that this is the same God that has been worshiped by the Hebrew people for years and years. Later, Peter says, “but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer” (Acts 3:18). Peter also mentions other names that are familiar to us, like Samuel and Moses. Jesus makes this same connection, which we hear in the gospel passage: “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled” (Lk. 24:44). Then, as in yesterday’s gospel passage from Luke, Jesus opens the Scriptures to them. This theme draws attention to the covenant between God and his people – a covenant often broken by the people, but ultimately fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
The second theme flows from this idea of covenant fulfillment. Through Jesus the Messiah’s death and resurrection, all nations and all peoples can come to be blessed and have their sins forgiven. What a tremendous and incredible gift! The fulfillment of the Scriptures, it turns out, is not just for the Hebrew people, but for all of us! The reaction of the disciples at Jesus’ appearing in their midst gives some indication of how wonderful this is; they are described as amazed and joyful. The bystanders in the first reading are also described as amazed. So in our readings for today, we see that our God and the works done in his name bring amazement! It is in this vein that we call out with the psalm response, “O Lord, Our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!” (Ps. 8:2ab).
As we continue to celebrate this octave of Easter, let the amazement and joy resonate throughout the day. Through his fulfillment of the Scriptures, Jesus has saved us all, bringing us new life! Alleluia! Praise the Lord for his great mercy!
- Maria Morrow