April 25, 2019

Easter Th

April 25, 2019:  Thursday, Easter Octave

See about two dozen connections with today?
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Pope Francis

To Associations for the Deaf:  Your tackle the culture of waste and encourage greater inclusion, necessary to ensure a better quality of life for the deaf and overcoming this disability by valuing all dimensions, including the spiritual.  Deaf people inevitably experience fragility.  Like others with disabilities, they also often experience prejudice. This is wrong.  You teach us that only by accepting our limitations can we help build the culture of encounter, as opposed to indifference.

 God’s presence is not perceived with the ears, but faith.  God’s voice resounds in each heart; everyone can hear it. Help those who don't ‘hear’ God's voice to be more attentive to it.  I pray for all the deaf, especially the marginalized and poor.  May you bring your special contribution to society and be capable of a prophetic gaze, of sharing, inclusion, and cooperating in the revolution of tenderness and closeness.

 To young French pilgrims:   Your pilgrimage helped you revive your gift of faith, as you remembered Peter, Paul, and the many witnesses, including young people, who suffered martyrdom for choosing to remain faithful to Christ.  Some think it's harder to live the Christian faith now, but it's just different.  Rediscover the Church, which for 2,000 years has advanced along her pilgrim way, sharing humanity's joys, hopes, grief, and anguish.  In you I recognize the work of the Lord who doesn't abandon his Church but allows her to renew herself and be rejuvenated.

 Remain united to the Lord through the Word, sacraments, fraternal life, and service.  In the Church you can recognize the message God wants to offer the world through what's unique in your life.  Build bridges between people, advancing a culture of encounter and dialogue, to foster authentic human fraternity.  Care for the smallest and poorest and light stars of the many who are tried.  I’m counting on you!  The Church needs your spirit, intuitions, faith, and courage!

Read
  • Acts 3:11-26  Peter at Solomon's Portico after cripple's healing:  “Why are you amazed, and why do you look at us as if we cured him?  God glorified Jesus; you killed him, but God raised him.  Faith in Jesus cured the man.  God fulfilled the prophecies that his Christ would suffer.  Repent and be converted so your sins may be wiped away and God may send you Jesus, and in your offspring all shall be blessed.”
  • Ps 8:2ab, 5-9  "O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!"  You've crowned him and given him dominion over created things.
  • Lk 24:35-48  They recounted how they recognized Jesus in the breaking of bread.  Jesus came:  “Peace!” but they thought him a ghost.  “Look at my hands and feet, and touch me; a ghost has no flesh or bones.”  They were joyful and amazed.  “Have you anything to eat?”  They gave him fish, and he ate it.  “I told you everything about me in the law, prophets, and psalms must be fulfilled....  It is written the Christ would suffer and rise, and that repentance would be preached to all.  You're witnesses.”

Reflect
  • Creighton:  In today’s gospel, Jesus’ disciples experience many emotions.  When Jesus appears and greets them, they're afraid and confused.  Once he shows them his hands and feet to convince them he's not a ghost, they're overjoyed and amazed.  May we feel the Lord's love and presence.... 
    • The appearance of Christ at the Cenacle/ Tissot
  • One Bread, One Body:  "Ghost story or love story?"  We believe God became a baby, died on a cross, was buried in a tomb, and rose from the dead.  Jesus is not a ghost; he can be seen and touched. He ate.  He let Thomas put his hand into his wounded side and his finger into the holes in his hands. "What was from the beginning, what we've heard, seen, and touched — we speak of the Word of life,"  "This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, while every spirit that fails to doesn't."  Our faith is based on objective, historical fact.  We're in a deep, total, practical relationship with the Risen Christ.  Our faith is "the substance of things hoped for."  Touch the risen Christ.
  • Passionist:  First, Jesus called Peter "Rock" and gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven; then he called him satan; now we see him preaching with confidence.  My faith can swing from certitude to doubt, so I've come reverence these “second chance” narratives.  In the parable of the unproductive fig tree, the owner wanted to cut it down because it was still barren, but his servant offered to fertilize and give it a more time, a second chance.  Remember when Jesus healed the blind man, the man responded, "I can see, but people appear like trees,” and Jesus tried again.  I'm glad to be given another chance, and another...
  • DailyScripture.net:  Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures":  We can be like the apostles, not believing unless we see with our own eyes.  Jesus assures his disciples he's not a ghost, showing them the marks of his crucifixion, eating, and explaining how the Scriptures foretold his rising.
"As he showed them real hands and a real side, he ate with his disciples, walked with Cleophas, conversed with men, reclined at supper, with real hands broke and offered bread...  Don't put the Lord's power on the level of magic tricks, so he may appear to have been what he wasn't, and may be thought to have eaten without teeth, walked without feet, broken bread without hands, spoken without a tongue, and showed a side that had no ribs" (Jerome, Letter to Pammachius against John of Jerusalem 34).
The gospel doesn't end with the cross:  Through the cross Jesus defeated our enemies and won pardon for our sins, opening heaven to us.  The cross led to life, victory, power to overcome everything that would stand in the way of God's love and truth.  As the first disciples were commissioned to proclaim the good news, so are we called to be witnesses of the resurrection....
    • Trumped saint, from Universalis:  Mark, apostle and evangelist, cousin of Barnabas, disciple of Peter, accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey, followed him to Rome, founded the Church in Alexandria.   His gospel is told from Peter’s point of view. See also Wikipedia.
    Dress legend
    • 'Butterfly' pin:  "God raised Jesus from the dead" (1st reading)
    • 'Walker/runner' tie pin:  Cripple who now walks; people, amazed, hurried toward Peter and John  (1st reading)
      • 'Car with mouth' pin:  God brought to fulfillment what he'd announced through the prophets' mouth (1st reading)
      • 'Olympics' tie pin:  Repentance will be preached to all nations (1st reading)
      • 'Eyeball' pin:  "Why do you look so intently at us?" (1st reading) "See; ghosts don't have..." (gospel)
      • Flesh-colored suspenders:  "...flesh..." (gospel)
      • 'Skeleton' tie pin:  "...and bones like I do" (gospel)
      • 'Angel' pin:  "You made people little less than the angels,..." (psalm)
      • 'Crown' tie bar:  "...crowned them with glory and honor,..." (psalm)
      • 'Feet' pin:  "...and put all things under their feet,..." (psalm); "look at my... feet" (gospel)
      • 'Sheep' tie bar, 'beast' and 'bird' pins:  "Sheep, beasts, birds..." (psalm)
      • 'Wheat' pin:  Jesus' disciples recognized him in the breaking of the bread (gospel)
      • 'Peace sign' tie bar:  “Peace be with you.” (gospel)
      • '?', 'heart' tie pins:  "Why do questions arise in your hearts?" (gospel)
      • 'Hands' pin:  "Look at my hands" (gospel); "You gave him rule over the works of your hands" (psalm); "You 'handed' Jesus over and denied him" (1st reading)
      • 'Fishes' tie:  Jesus ate the fish they gave him (gospel); the Lord gave people... fish (psalm)
      • 'Musical notes with "joy"' pin:  They were incredulous for joy (gospel)
      • White shirt (and socks):  Color of day and season
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