Liturgical Readings for : Wednesday, 3rd April, 2024
Easter Wednesday
Two disillusioned followers of the deceased Jesus are met by a man who opens their minds and hearts
to how God’s word can give new meaning to their lives.
As he shared a meal and prayer with them did they realise this was the Lord himself, alive again.
They returned instantly to Jerusalem to share their good news with the others.
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10
I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!
Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour, it happened that there was a man being carried past. He was a cripple from birth; and they used to put him down every day near the Temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going in. When this man saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them. Both Peter and John looked straight at him and said,
‘Look at us‘. He turned to them expectantly, hoping to get something from them, but Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!‘
Peter then took him by the hand and helped him to stand up. Instantly his feet and ankles became firm, he jumped up, stood, and began to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God. Everyone could see him walking and praising God, and they recognised him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple.
They were all astonished and unable to explain what had happened to him.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 104
Response Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Or Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
1. Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
O sing to him, sing his praise; tell all his wonderful works! Response
2. Be proud of his holy name, let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face. Response
3. O children of Abraham, his servant, O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God: his judgements prevail in all the earth. Response
4. He remembers his covenant for ever, his promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. Response
Gospel Acclamation Ps 117: 24
Alleluia, Alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord; we rejoice and are glad
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 24:13-35 Glory to you, O Lord
They recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread.
Two of the disciples were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them,
‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?‘
They stopped short, their faces downcast
Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘
You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days’.
‘What things?’ he asked.
‘All about Jesus of Nazareth‘ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’
Then he said to them,
‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets!
Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’
Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.
When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them.
‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.‘
So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’
They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.‘
Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Reflection Easter Wednesday Luke 24:13-35
There is a very striking example of eye contact in today’s first reading. We are told that Peter and John looked straight at a beggar who had been crippled from birth and then said to him, ‘Look at us’. Before going on to heal him they wanted to make very clear eye contact with him. The eye contact created a kind of communion between the beggar and the apostles, which allowed Peter and John to be channels of the Lord’s healing presence to him. It is said that the eyes are the widows to the soul. We can use our eyes not only to look at someone but to see into their soul, to sense what lies in their heart of hearts. Eye contact can be the basis of a life-giving communion between us and the other. A lack of eye contact, a refusal to make eye contact, can suggest an unwillingness to get too close to someone. Good eye contact can be enhanced by what could be termed good ear contact, a willingness to listen carefully to someone, not just to the words they speak but to what lies behind the words.
In the gospel reading, Jesus shows himself to have good ear contact in that sense. When he joins the two sorrowful disciples on the road to Emmaus, he invites them to share with him what they had been discussing along the way. He listened attentively to the story they told him. His careful listening inspired the words he went on to speak to them, which led to their hearts burning within them, to their invitation to him to share their table and eventually to their recognizing him for who he truly was in the breaking of bread. Jesus’ listening created a strong communion between himself and the two disciples which was the basis of all that followed. Our own careful listening, as well as our considered eye contact, can have life enhancing consequences for others that we might not have anticipated at the time.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
