3rd Sunday of Easter Year B
Psalter: Week 3
Saint Lydwine
White
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 65: 1-2
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth; O sing to the glory of his name. O render him glorious praise, alleluia.
Collect
May your people exult for ever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Acts 3:13-15,17-19
Peter said to the people: ‘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.
‘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.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 4:2,4,7,9
R/ Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
When I call, answer me, O God of justice; from anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me!
It is the Lord who grants favours to those whom he loves; the Lord hears me whenever I call him.
‘What can bring us happiness?’ many say. Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Second reading: 1 John 2:1-5
I am writing this, my children, to stop you sinning; but if anyone should sin, we have our advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who is just; he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the whole world’s. We can be sure that we know God only by keeping his commandments. Anyone who says, ‘I know him’, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, refusing to admit the truth. But when anyone does obey what he has said, God’s love comes to perfection in him.
Gospel Acclamation: cf.Lk24:32
Alleluia, alleluia! Lord Jesus, explain the Scriptures to us. Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 24:35-48
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.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we pray, these offerings of your exultant Church, and, as you have given her cause for such great gladness, grant also that the gifts we bring may bear fruit in perpetual happiness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Lk 24: 35
The disciples recognized the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Look with kindness upon your people, O Lord, and grant, we pray, that those you were pleased to renew by eternal mysteries may attain in their flesh the incorruptible glory of the resurrection. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The Emmaus disciples recount their encounter with the Risen One and how they recognised him while sharing bread with the rest of their companions, the community, when Jesus arrives again, greeting them and promising them PEACE. The disciples were consequently troubled and perplexed by Jesus’ terrible death and «rumoured» resurrection. His gift, which overcame all of these difficulties, was PEACE. Peace dispels doubt and drives anxiety away. Today, Jesus offers us this serenity: the peace that knows no boundaries, the joy that knows no fear. A person who has found inner peace has already risen with Christ. The previous doubts and worries vanish because Jesus «opened their minds» so they could grasp the Scriptures and how much they knew about Him. So, one by one, the Spirit of the Risen Jesus enlightens their companions’ brains and hearts and converts them – like Peter – into powerful witnesses of the Good News.