20240404 PEDAGOGY IN PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL
04 April 2024, Easter Thursday
First reading | Acts 3:11-26 © |
You killed the prince of life: God, however, raised him from the dead
Everyone came running towards Peter and John in great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is called, where the man was still clinging to Peter and John. When Peter saw the people he addressed them, ‘Why are you so surprised at this? Why are you staring at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or holiness? You are Israelites, and it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant Jesus, the same Jesus you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after Pilate had decided to release him. It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses; and it is the name of Jesus which, through our faith in it, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in that name that has restored this man to health, as you can all see.
‘Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer. Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort. Then he will send you the Christ he has predestined, that is Jesus, whom heaven must keep till the universal restoration comes which God proclaimed, speaking through his holy prophets. Moses, for example, said: The Lord God will raise up a prophet like myself for you, from among your own brothers; you must listen to whatever he tells you. The man who does not listen to that prophet is to be cut off from the people. In fact, all the prophets that have ever spoken, from Samuel onwards, have predicted these days.
‘You are the heirs of the prophets, the heirs of the covenant God made with our ancestors when he told Abraham: in your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed. It was for you in the first place that God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 8:2,5-9 © |
How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
How great is your name, O Lord our God,
through all the earth!
What is man that you should keep him in mind,
mortal man that you care for him?
How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Yet you have made him little less than a god;
with glory and honour you crowned him,
gave him power over the works of your hand,
put all things under his feet.
How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
All of them, sheep and cattle,
yes, even the savage beasts,
birds of the air, and fish
that make their way through the waters.
How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Sequence |
Victimae Paschali Laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
combat strangely ended!
Life’s own Champion, slain,
yet lives to reign.
Tell us, Mary:
say what thou didst see
upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
he goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen
from the dead we know.
Victorious king, thy mercy show!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps117:24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord:
we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 24:35-48 © |
It is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead
The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread.
They were still talking about all this when Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’ In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.
Then he told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms has to be fulfilled.’ He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.’
PEDAGOGY IN PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 3:11-26; PS 8:2,5-9; LK 24:35-48]
How do we proclaim the gospel effectively? Very often, when the gospel is announced, people are disinterested. The reason is simple – what we are saying does not resonate with the experiences of our listeners. It is difficult to get the attention of our listeners if we are not connecting with their life struggles, aspirations, questions and experiences. We must begin from where they are, and lead them to where they are called to be. Indeed, this was the way the Good News was announced in the early Church.
In the gospel, we have the disciples who returned to Jerusalem. “The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread.” We can imagine their excitement and joy after seeing Jesus and hearing Him explain the significance of the events that had happened in the last few days. Everything made sense to them because Jesus started from where they were – downcast, not just because their master died but also because the events made no sense to them. This accounts for their docility to the Lord when they were on the road to Emmaus. They needed to articulate their pains but they needed someone to enlighten them.
Then, whilst they were reporting to the disciples who were listening attentively to the marvellous good news, the Lord took the occasion to stand among them, saying, “Peace be with you!” As they were “in a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost”, Jesus knew that they needed assurance. He said to them, “Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.” “Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.” Jesus not only appeared to them but also demonstrated the reality of His resurrection by allowing them to touch His flesh and bones and, most of all, by eating a piece of grilled fish before their eyes.
Beginning with their existential needs and questions is the most effective way of opening their hearts and minds. This was also the pedagogy of the apostles in the early Church. Peter and John took the opportunity to heal the crippled man. As a consequence, “everyone came running towards Peter and John in great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is called, where the man was still clinging to them.” When such a miracle was worked on the crippled man from birth, it was unimaginable. How could it happen and where did they get such miraculous powers? That was their question.
So Peter took the occasion to direct them to focus on the source of that power rather than on themselves. He said, “‘Why are you so surprised at this? Why are you staring at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or holiness?” This is a very good reminder to us who are teachers or messengers of the gospel, that we should avoid drawing people to us instead of drawing them to God. There is the great temptation of seeking popularity, glory and honour in serving God. Although our lips say that we do it for the glory of God, the way we do things appear that we are more concerned about what people think of us and whether they are happy with our service, not because they are brought closer to the Lord. We want praise and recognition that we are good enough, rather than allowing God to shine through us, and in humility realize that we are unworthy servants; and that without His power and blessings, we would not be able to do what we are doing. Sincerity of heart is what matters at the end of the day. St John the Baptist, St Peter and the apostles were genuinely concerned that the people acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and master. It was not about them and their ingenuity, or preaching or works of wonder. Humility is required of God’s servants who serve without self-interest and reward.
Secondly, Peter linked the healing of the man to the power of the Risen Lord, the servant of God that they accused falsely and handed over to Pilate to be for executed, even when Pilate was ready to release Him, having found Him to be not guilty. “God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses.” Jesus is therefore truly alive. His resurrection proves His innocence and that God was truly with Him and identified with Him since He glorified Him. Peter, in order to justify the truth about Jesus, also cited from the scriptures to show the continuity between the Jesus of Nazareth and the Risen Lord.
Most of all, His true identity is vouched by the miracle that took place. What is required for the Lord to work in our lives is faith in Him. He said, “it is the name of Jesus which, through our faith in it, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in that name that has restored this man to health, as you can all see.” Calling out the name of Jesus has power only because Jesus is truly alive. If Jesus were dead, then it meant that He was not what He claimed to be, the Son of God, the Holy One, the Suffering Servant. But the proof that He is alive is that when they called out the name of Jesus, in faith, the Lord heals.
Thirdly, whilst making them aware of what they had done, Peter did not crush them completely but gave them hope and encouragement. “Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing, this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that Christ would suffer.” In our proclamation of the Good News, we must deal with the realities of the situation. We do not proclaim the Good News without first striking the conscience of our listeners. Unless they come to realize that what they had done was wrong, whether they did it deliberately or ignorantly, they must first be awakened in their conscience. This is why when we proclaim the Good News, it does not mean to suggest to people that God loves them unconditionally and inclusively and therefore they can continue to do what they are doing. We must also enlighten them as to what is right and what is wrong. Peter was outright in saying that “it was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life.”
Fourthly, Peter directed them to make amends. “Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort.” This exhortation to repentance is part of the message of the Good News. The problem today is that some religious leaders, including our lay leaders, say that we must be inclusive towards sinners or those who fail to live up the gospel. But we are not saying that they must repent. By our actions and words, we are implying that they can continue to live a life contrary to the teaching of the gospel so long as they do not cause scandals. Clearly, whilst we must show compassion for those struggling to be faithful to the gospel, the call to repentance cannot be omitted, otherwise, it would be a lie. Our Lord told the disciples, “So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.”
Finally, it is the repentance from their sins that will enable them to experience the full presence and power of the Risen Lord. Peter said, “Then he will send you the Christ he has predestined, that is Jesus, whom heaven must keep till the universal restoration comes which God proclaimed, speaking through his holy prophets.” Indeed, just asking people to repent is bad news unless we show them that what they are giving up is nothing compared to what they will receive. Peter reminded them of their calling and God’s promise to them. “You are the heirs of the prophets, the heirs of the covenant God made with our ancestors when he told Abraham: in your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed. It was for you in the first place that God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” God wants to bless them but they must be ready to acknowledge Him, not just in name but in their way of life. So it is our choice, as Moses said, “The Lord God will raise up a prophet like myself for you, from among your own brothers; you must listen to whatever he tells you. The man who does not listen to that prophet is to be cut off.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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