Coming to Terms with the Resurrection Necessary to Give Our Christological Testimonies on Mission - Third Sunday of Paschaltide, Cycle B

We read and reflected today’s Gospel Reading (Luke 24:35-48) on Thursday of Paschal Octave. And we read and reflect the same Gospel text again on Third Sunday of Paschaltide, cycle B. And, this is the last day to read a Gospel narrative on how the disciples reacted to the Resurrection of Jesus during Paschaltide.

A main reason to read on the disciples’ struggles in coming to terms with the  Resurrection one more time, after reading and reflecting on this theme throughout Paschal Octave is not only to be reminded the difficulties that they had but for us to honestly reflect our own struggles to recognize, experience, and internalize the Christological truth of Jesus’ Resurrection. Unless we do this, we may spoil the evolving transformative effects of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Then, we would not be ready and fit for Pentecost.

In today’s Gospel Reading (Luke 24:35-48), we see how slow it was for the disciples in general to truly recognize risen Jesus – even the truth of his resurrection was already reported by Cleopas and another disciples, who was with him, in encountering risen Jesus (Luke 24:30-36) – and even risen Jesus himself appeared to them directly (Luke 24:36-43).

Why couldn’t the disciples recognize risen Jesus right away when he appeared to them?  Why they mistook him as a ghost (Luke 24:37)?

Besides their grief over Jesus’ death and guilt for abandoning him upon his arrest, the disciples did not believe that Jesus would resurrect – even though that he had foretold not only of his death but resurrection multiple times ever since when Peter made a correct Christological acclaim of Jesus (i.e. Luke 9:22; 18:31-33). Or, did they simply forget that Jesus also spoke of his resurrection whenever he foretold of his death?  Did the disciples suffer from attention deficit?

It is more likely that they only thought as typical humans do. In other words, the disciples’ mind were not able to recognize and accept anything beyond what human mind can perceive and process through the sensory-motor system of the brain. Their minds were not yet able to handle supernatural matter, as the resurrection of Jesus is a certainly supernatural phenomenon that cannot be explained by science.

This problem of the disciples is the same issue that people failed to believe in Jesus even though he performed great signs. This is verified through John 5 to 19, as the religious leaders’ failures to recognize the signs performed by Jesus eventually led to having him killed.  No, the disciples did not contribute to the killing of Jesus. But, they failed to get the Christological truth of Jesus despite the fact they directly witnessed all of these great signs. As they remained incompetent in recognizing the truth in the signs, the disciples failed to recognize risen Jesus as he was at their first sight.

In order for the disciples to recognize, Jesus had to let them see his body and even demonstrate physically prove that he was not a ghost but a real living body with fully functioning physiology by eating fish, upon reprimanding them for their disbelief (Luke 24:38-43).

Upon presenting physical proof of the Christological truth of the resurrection, Jesus gave a Scripture lesson to remind the disciples that what he had foretold about him, especially, of his resurrection, had been prophesized (Luke 24:44-46) in reference to Psalm 16:10-11, Isaiah 53:11-12, in order to open their mind to the truth.  Then, he began directing the disciples’ attention for commissioning to preach what he had taught, especially on repentance and forgiveness, calling them the witness to his teaching, as well as, his death and resurrection (Luke 24:47-48).

So, who really is Jesus to us, Jesus, the one, who had been prophesized for his death and resurrection, who himself had spoken of his death and resurrection, who has died and risen?  And, why had he been prophesized as such and had to fulfill the prophecies by dying and rising?

Unless we honestly address these Christological questions of Jesus, Paschaltide would be meaningless. If this were the case, we would not benefit from the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, which concludes Paschaltide.

Today’s First Reading (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19) and the Second Reading (1 John 2:1-5a) help us tackle with the above Christological questions as these readings are on who Jesus really is, according to Peter and John.

The First Reading (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19) is drawn from Peter’s speech to the onlookers of his first healing miracle performed to a paralyzed man by the Beautiful Gate of the Temple (Acts 3:1-10)(Acts 3:11-26). In fact, we have read the entire speech of Peter (Acts 3:11-26) on Thursday of Paschal Octave.

The audience of his speech already knew as they witnessed that Peter healed the paralyzed man in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:6)– in the mighty name of Jesus. So, he reminded the audience that his work was basically an extension of Jesus’ work.

In the portion of today’s First Reading, Peter gives Christological explanation of who Jesus of Nazareth is.

First, Peter tells that Jesus was glorified, referring to his death, resurrection, and ascension. Because of this threefold glorification of Jesus, Peter and other apostles received the Holy Spirit, being filled with this power, enabling to carry on works of Jesus.

Peter invites the audience to repent and convert – turning their hearts to God, as John the Baptist did in preparing for the public appearance of Jesus, and as Jesus himself did.

The Second Reading (1 John 2:1-5a) gives another Christological explanation on Jesus by John.

John explains that Jesus the Christ is our Parakletos, which is often translated as “Advocate”, as well as, “Comforter” or “Consoler”(1 John 2:1).  And this Parakletos called the Holy Spirit “another Parakletos”(John 14:16).

Parakletos literally means someone who is besides you, as to support you so that you won’t be left alone.

Jesus is meant to be Parakletos because he is Immanuael, which means “God with us”, “God besides us” (Matthew 1:23; cf. Isaiah 7:14), and he promised to remain with us (Matthew 28:20).

As our Parakletos, Jesus advocates for us as a defense attorney, when we are in trouble with God the Father in case we sin. He is well-qualified to help us this way because he is the atoning sacrifice (1 John 2:2).  John reminds that Jesus is the atonement for our sins and for the whole world, reflected in these words of the Divine Mercy chaplet:

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world  (Diary of St. Maria Faustina, 475).

Furthermore, John teaches us that we need to keep his commandments of love to assure that we truly know who Jesus is – know him enough to give our testimonies through our own life – the way we live and abide his commandments of love (1 John 2:3-6).

Now we see, our need to become embodiments of love that Jesus commanded to know Jesus, our Lord and Divine Mercy (expiation for our sins), to truly come to terms with the Paschal Mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  By this, we will be ready to be sent out to all nations to give our testimonies to Jesus Christ, upon receiving and being filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost in concluding Paschaltide.  And he is always with us, as our Parakletos , as visible and tangible  as in the Eucharist and in one another,  and as invisible as another Parakletos, namely, the Holy Spirit, but maybe audible in the Word. So, we shall be able to give powerful Christological testimonies as Peter did, highlighting the Resurrection.