20210407 RECOVERING OUR LOST HOPE
07 April, 2021, Easter Wednesday
First reading | Acts 3:1-10 © |
I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus, walk!
Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour, it happened that there was a man being carried past. He was a cripple from birth; and they used to put him down every day near the Temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going in. When this man saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them. Both Peter and John looked straight at him and said, ‘Look at us.’ He turned to them expectantly, hoping to get something from them, but Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!’ Peter then took him by the hand and helped him to stand up. Instantly his feet and ankles became firm, he jumped up, stood, and began to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God. Everyone could see him walking and praising God, and they recognised him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. They were all astonished and unable to explain what had happened to him.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-9 © |
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
O sing to him, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
He remembers his covenant for ever,
his promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps117:24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord:
we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 24:13-35 © |
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.
RECOVERING OUR LOST HOPE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 3:1-10; PS 105:1-4,6-9; LUKE 24:13-35]
Two disciples of our Lord who had lost hope in Jesus “were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened.” They had gone through a shocking and scandalizing weekend. How could “Jesus of Nazareth who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people” end up being handed over by their chief priests and leaders to the Romans who sentenced Him to death, and had Him crucified, they asked. Indeed, it was deeply disappointing and a great disillusion. They would have asked, “Where is God in all these?”
We too have gone through our own disillusionment in life. We spend years looking after our children, putting them first in our lives and sacrificing all we have for them. But now that they are grown up, are working and doing well in life, they have become ungrateful, uncaring and intolerant of us. We feel that all our sacrifices have gone to waste. Perhaps it could be that you have given your best, gone beyond your duty of service, and the organization you worked for all these years has betrayed you. We feel so disillusioned that the organization has repaid our dedication and hard work with evil.
So, like the disciples, we are downcast, and like the man in today’s first reading, we are crippled by life’s events. We feel that there is no more hope left. This was why the disciples were going from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They had given up hope in Jesus and their dream of being freed from the Romans. As they said, “Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free.” We no longer have much to look forward to in life except just to exist each day, like the crippled man who had been in that condition for so long that he did not expect anything more than some money so that he could survive each day. “When this man saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them. Both Peter and John looked straight at him and said, ‘Look at us’. He turned to them expectantly, hoping to get something from them.” Indeed, when we have lost hope beyond mere existence, we are truly crippled.
Why did they lose hope in God and unable to recognize the Risen Lord in their lives? Firstly, because their sufferings made them look inwards towards themselves. They were downcast, wallowing in self-pity, licking their wounds. Instead of looking up and outwards, they were looking down and inwards. When we do that, we are not able to see where we are going and certainly unable to see far, beyond our disappointments, fears and challenges. Too much self-introspection leads to depression, which cannot help us to move out.
Secondly, they had false expectations. They had their own image of what our Lord was supposed to do. They were hoping for a political liberation. But what Jesus wanted was to give them the true liberation, which was freedom from sin and slavery to oneself. When Jesus did not live up to their expectations, their hopes were dashed. We too have our false expectations of how God should help us. We make our demands on God, as if God is there to fulfill our will and petty ignorant requests. We make God in our own image and when He fails to do what we want, we give up on Him. Instead of allowing God to be God and the Lord of our lives, we want to control God!
Thirdly, they lived in confusion and doubt. They had heard some astonishing reports that some women from their group “went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, came back to say, ‘they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive.'” Some of their friends went to the tomb “and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.” We, too, are skeptical of testimonies of people encountering God. We do not believe in miracles. We dismiss all those who have spoken of their encounter with God or those who claimed healing of their emotional and physical illnesses; and those times when the Lord came to their help by making the way possible for them through others. When we are skeptical like the apostles, we will not be able to see the Risen Lord.
Fourthly, they were forgetful. In their sorrow and grief, they forgot what the Lord had told them earlier and forewarned them of His passion and resurrection. How true when tragedy strikes! This is why many so-called good and devout Catholics give up on God when they meet misfortunes in their life. Some might have even gone for theological studies or attend many scripture classes, but when trials come their way, they forget all that they had learnt or studied. The truth is that just mere academic knowledge about Jesus cannot save us when things are not in our favour. We need to encounter Him personally so that in times of trial, we can recall those events where we had met Him radically. Without a personal encounter with Him, we cannot remember His love and mercy for us.
How, then, can we recover our lost hope in life and in God? Firstly, we need to talk about our pains to our friends. This is the first step. Keeping our pains to ourselves will only cause us to be more depressed because we are imprisoned by our grief. We must articulate them first, so that we feel that we are understood even if there is no real help. Knowing that we are understood and that others are in solidarity with us in our pains and struggles gives us courage to take the next step, which is to find someone who can give us a different perspective of life, of God and of our sufferings.
The second step therefore involves seeking direction from a wise and holy man, and of course from our Lord Himself. We must have the receptivity to invite such people into our lives. If we are closed and push everyone out of our lives, no healing can take place. The disciples welcomed Jesus who “came up and walked by their side.” They did not reject sincere friendship and most of all, challenging questions that He asked, “What matters are you discussing as you walk along?” They were ready to share. Indeed, Jesus did give them a new perspective of looking at His passion and death. “Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?”
Thirdly, we must go back to the scriptures to remind us of God’s plan for humanity. Our Lord, “starting with Moses and going through all the prophets… explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.” We must always go back to the scriptures to find out God’s plan for us. The scriptures would have to be fulfilled. Reading, studying and praying the scriptures will help us to understand our sufferings and challenges in the context of God’s redemption for humanity. We must pray the scriptures until, as the disciples said, “our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us”.
Fourthly, there is no better place to encounter the Lord than in the Eucharist, for there He is present to us sacramentally in the breaking of the bread and in our fellow brothers and sisters. This is the privileged place to encounter the Risen Lord, so that we will find strength from Him and support from our brothers and sisters. Indeed, it was at the breaking of bread that the eyes of the disciples were opened. “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.”
Finally, when our vision and hope are restored, we must go back to our vision and share with everyone, this time with passion, enthusiasm and faith. “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.” We too must go and share with our fellow Catholics and non-Catholics how we have encountered the Risen Lord in the scriptures, in the Eucharist and in our brothers and sisters.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment