Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter, April 18, 2021. The Gospel of St. Luke 24:35-48. Theme: The Easter Gifts of Pardon and Peace
As I was pondering the Gospel for this Sunday’s liturgy, I kept trying to find in it some insight to share that could encourage us in these troubling times. I kept reading and re-reading the passage but coming up blank. It wasn’t t that there was nothing there, of course…it was that nothing just jumped off the page for me. But after a few days of pondering, the Holy Spirit slapped me upside the head and immediately, one line from today’s Gospel jumped out at me. It’s when the Risen Lord said to his disciples, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see…”
In that moment, I came to understand that the answer and the hope that we are all looking for these days can be found in those words and in that scene from today’s Gospel. In it, we are shown Jesus, risen and alive, standing in front of his astounded and amazed disciples. He speaks a blessing of peace upon them and through his words they come to realize that they have been forgiven for their sin of abandoning him during his Passion. The wounds of Jesus’ hands, feet and side stand out to them as five sources of this peace that comes from repentance and forgiveness. A growing immensity of joy fills their hearts as they reach out and touch their beloved Lord and Master.
St. Luke has recorded this event in his Gospel to tell us that we, too, can experience the pardon and peace that comes from repentance and forgiveness. We, too, can gaze upon the glorious wounds of Jesus seeing in them how much he has loved us. St. John tells us the same thing in different words in today’s second reading. He assures us that Jesus is our Advocate in Heaven and his wounds are the signs that he has obtained forgiveness for our sins. So, with the disciples we too can rejoice to know that the Risen Lord forever shows these wounds to the Father in Heaven as testimony of this love. These wounds are the proof that we have been pardoned. These wounds are the source for this Easter gift of peace to us.
We might wonder then…how can we, like the disciples, look upon the wounds of Jesus and personally touch them in a deeply profound way?
One way we can do this is by prayer, which transcends space and time and places us in the very Presence of God. I don’t mean reciting prayers and going through many devotions, good and helpful as these may be. I mean prayer of the heart which is a person-to-person conversation with Christ. In this prayer, we spend quiet undisturbed quality time with Jesus. We speak to him with confidence and trust. We confess our failings and repent of our selfishness. And we listen for his voice deep within us, allowing his words to penetrate into our hearts and minds. This is precisely how we can spiritually look at Jesus and see. It’s how we can spiritually touch Jesus and be blessed. It’s how we can let his words and his presence dispel the trouble in our hearts and answer the questions that arise within us.
Another way to encounter the Risen Lord Jesus is, of course, in the reality of his True Presence in the Eucharist. When we come before the Blessed Sacrament, either as we receive Christ in Holy Communion or adore him the tabernacle, he repeats to us what he said to the disciples in today’s Gospel, “It is I myself!”. It’s really me! He is present to us in the Eucharist in the most vivid and personal way he could remain with us; not just as a memory or an imagination but really and truly, as surely as he was standing before the amazed disciples in the upper room!
So, whether it be in the quiet of our prayer or when we are with him in the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus will indeed speak to us if we have ears to hear. He will remind us that his peace is the remedy for the disease, worry and fears that threaten our serenity. He will give us all the peace we need for our minds, because when we see his precious wounds we will have proof that he will go to any length for our good. He will give us all the peace we need for our hearts, because when we ponder his pierced side we will become convinced of his love for each one of us, a love that is undying, unconditional, personal and intimate. And he will give us all the peace that we need for our souls, because when we contemplate the nail marks in his hands and feet we will come to truly believe that his mercy is ours just for the asking.”
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