20200426 LIFE IS A STORY TO BE COMPLETED
26 April, 2020, Sunday, 3rd Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading
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Acts 2:14,22-33 ©
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God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to this
On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, as David says of him:
I saw the Lord before me always,
for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me.
So my heart was glad
and my tongue cried out with joy;
my body, too, will rest in the hope
that you will not abandon my soul to Hades
nor allow your holy one to experience corruption.
You have made known the way of life to me,
you will fill me with gladness through your presence.
‘Brothers, no one can deny that the patriarch David himself is dead and buried: his tomb is still with us. But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn him an oath to make one of his descendants succeed him on the throne, what he foresaw and spoke about was the resurrection of the Christ: he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not experience corruption. God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that. Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit.’
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-11 ©
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Show us, Lord, the path of life.
or
Alleluia!
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.’
Show us, Lord, the path of life.
or
Alleluia!
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
Show us, Lord, the path of life.
or
Alleluia!
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.
Show us, Lord, the path of life.
or
Alleluia!
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.
Show us, Lord, the path of life.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading
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1 Peter 1:17-21 ©
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Your ransom was paid in the precious blood of Christ
If you are acknowledging as your Father one who has no favourites and judges everyone according to what he has done, you must be scrupulously careful as long as you are living away from your home. Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God.
Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Lk24:32
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Lord Jesus, explain the Scriptures to us.
Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Luke 24:13-35 ©
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They recognised him at the breaking of bread
Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.
Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’
Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.
When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’
They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.
LIFE IS A STORY TO BE COMPLETED
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 2:14, 22-33; Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35]
Life is a story. It is the story of our past, our present and what will happen to us in the future. Every day we live out this story. But this story is not just mine or yours; it is also a collective story. It is a story of our forefathers, our present generation and the generations to come. But this story is yet to be completed. It is still being written. In Christian lingo, it is the story of our salvation in the plan of God. God’s plan for creation is being unfolded throughout human history. Because life is a story, we need to live the story, tell our stories, connect our stories and celebrate our stories.
Each one is called to live out our story. This means living each day of our life according to the situation we are in. Why we assume the character in a particular story or place in the circumstances of that story is a mystery. Not all are born rich or brilliant. Not all are successful entrepreneurs or great political leaders in life. Not all are called to priestly and religious life. Not all are called to the episcopal office. So where and what we are, is not always within our control. We can only respond to the situation as much as we can and not miss the opportunities available to us.
So too for the apostles and disciples of Jesus; they too were called to live out their story. They were fishermen. One was a tax-collector and some were revolutionaries. They were living their own lives until they met the Lord and were chosen to be His disciples. They met Jesus and lived with Him. Their lives changed radically from being fishermen to fishers of men. They saw what He did and heard what He taught. As Peter said, “Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know.” In the gospel, the disciples of Emmaus said, “he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free.”
But we also have a desire to tell our stories. We feel the need to share our stories with others. Parents like to share the stories of their life with their children. They tell them what they went through and how they lived their joys and sorrows, their struggles and achievements. We all need to share our stories with someone because we want others to share our pains, our sufferings, our joys and successes. So telling stories is part of the process of being human. In telling our stories, we feel understood, appreciated, empathized and strengthened. This is more so when we are hurt and wounded. Telling our stories to our good friends, counsellors or religious people is a necessary part of the healing process. Articulating our worries, fears and anxieties help us to crystalize the rationale and extent of our concerns.
Again, this was the case of the disciples of Jesus. They too had their story to tell. They had gone through a hard time. Jesus, whom they called their master, was a man they loved deeply. They saw His compassion for the poor and the suffering, His mercy for sinners, His passionate love for His Father and His obedience in doing His will. He preached with authority, unlike the scribes and the Pharisees. He performed miracles of healing, exorcism and even demonstrated His power over nature. He multiplied five loaves for 5000 men, excluding women and children. For all that He did, He aroused the jealousy of the religious leaders. In cahoots with each other, they instigated the crowd to go against Jesus and finally put Him to a cruel and unjust death on the cross. They were stunned and confused by the sad ending. This was what Peter said, “This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him.” The disciples of Emmaus echoed the same sentiments. “Our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified.” What a disaster!
And they continued their story with an even greater surprise and astonishment. “And this is not all; some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported but of him they saw nothing.” The story of the women got them excited, and yet they were afraid that it was too good to be true. How could it be possible for a dead man to rise? Indeed, this was what was troubling them, between the tragic death of Jesus and the astounding news of His resurrection.
Hence, we come to the third part of this storytelling. Telling the story will not inspire people unless they can connect the story with the events of their lives. Without the connection, life would seem to be lived under a capricious God who uses us as pawns in a game of life. Such a life has no purpose, no meaning and no finality. Sufferings, success and joys do not last. It will all end up in nothingness. If the life of Jesus had ended in such a tragedy, we can imagine why the disciples were feeling so disillusioned about life and perhaps with God too, for allowing such events to happen. Meaningless suffering does not empower us.
Jesus came to connect the events of His life for them. He said to them, “You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.” St Peter also connected the events for his listeners by pointing them to the scriptures as Jesus did. Citing from Psalm 16, he applied this as a prophecy to Jesus’ resurrection. “So my heart was glad and my tongue cried out with joy; my body, too, will rest in the hope that you will not abandon my soul to Hades nor allow your holy one to experience corruption.” His conclusion was, “God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that. Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised.” Understanding our suffering is the first step towards integration.
We must connect the events of our own life so that we find meaning and integration. Most of the time, because of negative experiences in life, we never take time to connect the events. Therefore, we do not find healing because we cannot integrate the past events of our lives into the present situation we are in. We do not learn from past experiences and we have not been able to see the connection with the present. As a result, we will only continue to repeat our mistakes and go through life instead of growing through life. But we grow not only through unpleasant events. Even positive events must be remembered and find connection so that we can live grateful lives and express it in service and love. The reason why some people who are successful yet remain selfish, self-centered and oblivious to the poor suffering in their midst, is due to the fact that they have never connected their success with the help they received from others and from God. Like those with negative experiences, they go through the events but did not see the connection and therefore learnt nothing from their past.
How can we best connect the events in such a way that we can celebrate our story? Precisely, it is in the Eucharist that the events surrounding our Lord will enlighten the events of our life. The Eucharist is the celebration of His passion, death and resurrection. In the paschal mystery, death gives way to life, hatred to love, sorrow to joy. So we can appreciate why for us, Catholics, the Eucharist is the summit of worship because at every Eucharistic celebration, we tell our stories and we hear the stories of the Chosen People of God and especially of our Lord. As we share our stories, our struggles, sorrows and joys, the Word of God enlightens us and gives meaning to our struggles and success by connecting our stories with the Great Story of our Lord Jesus Christ. The preacher’s task is to connect our stories with God’s story. Once we find the connection like the disciples, we can then celebrate the presence of Jesus in our midst with our hearts burning within us as we receive Him in communion. When our story is inserted within the larger story of the community and our Lord, we find great joy, solidarity, liberation and meaning. The Eucharist is truly a memorial!
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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