A Gospel according to Luke 24:35-48
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, “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, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
REFLECTION: “Peace be with you.”
How wonderful it is to read how Jesus kept meeting His friends when they were together. And how gently He kept reassuring them He was not a phantasm, an apparition, but Himself, flesh and bone.
The disciples were scared, and kept in hiding for fear of what could happen to them because they had been followers of Christ.
In these days when we are also hunkering down, and afraid of what could happen to us and our loved ones, Jesus is still here among us.
The rushing all over the place is gone. Stores are closed. And we can now sit quietly and think of the Lord. And of what He has been trying to tell us all of our lives.
And we know He has not left us alone. In the quiet, we can feel His presence. We can listen to His voice.
The distractions of the world are gone. And we can choose. Choose to be alone. Or choose to let Him into our lives.
One day, this famine of His Body and Blood will be over. And we will be able to fully rejoice in the sacrifice of the Mass with Him.
In the meantime, we wait, we hope, we pray.
And we let His Peace fill us up with His Hope, His Love, His Grace.
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