April 20
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – David Bean / Family
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
Acts 3:1-10
Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer. And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
R. (3b) Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations--
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Psalms 118:24
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “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?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
“Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord. ”
Reflection
The transformation of Peter continues as he and John are living their post-resurrection lives in the love and joy of Jesus. They continue to spend their time in the temple praying and working miracles in the name of Jesus. Today their healing of a crippled man at the Beautiful Gate draws the attention of the people as they see this man jumping and walking around praising God for his deliverance from the former way of life he lived, which consisted of begging for money. His healing is a testimony to the healing of God through Jesus. This episode prefigures today’s healings that occur at places like Lourdes and Medjugorje which form the basis for the conversion of many people who are witnesses to the great power of God in Christ Jesus.
The gospel text is the familiar story of Christ’s appearance to two of his followers on the road to Emmaus. This occurrence is a very significant one as in it, we realize that Jesus journeys with us in the same way he did with the two disciples. It is also important that they only recognize him at the breaking of bread after traveling side by side with him for many miles. Theologians believe that this lack of recognition happened because they had not believed all that he had told them while he was still alive. This could be true, but there is also support for the idea that Jesus’ glorified body played a part in their confusion as to who he is. When they finally do recognize him in the breaking of the bread it is a reminder to them—and to us—of the importance Christ placed on his institution of the Eucharist and of the necessity of eating his body and drinking his blood in his memory. What they did realize when they saw that it was the Lord, was that their hearts had burned with joy. What we need to consider is that our hearts can burn with joy in the presence of Christ in the Blessed Eucharist just as the disciples’ hearts did. We are called to that joy that comes with the knowledge that we are destined for heaven through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.
Joyfully,
Deacon Dare
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