Peace

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/040915.cfm) reminds me how loving and forgiving God is.

In the gospel, we see Jesus appearing to his disciples while they gathered. It is inspiring to see that the first words he said were “peace be with you.” He did not harbor anger, nor did he get mad at his disciples for what they did – leaving him during the most painful and difficult time of his life. There was no drama, no lecture – just peace and love.

God’s love is greater than our faults.

Instead of getting mad or lecturing them on what wrong they did, Christ instead assured them that he indeed is risen, fully alive and loving. Not only that, He opened their minds to understand the scripture. Jesus prepared his disciples for the task at hand, which is to proclaim him in all the earth. And he gave them another chance, as we see in the first reading when Peter and John healed the man and proclaimed Jesus.

God is also giving us today this greeting of peace. It does not matter if we feel we did not prepare much for lent. It does not matter if we feel we could have given more. What is important to God is the present – where we are now and what we can still do for him. As he gives us this peace, he also is giving us inspiration and preparing us as we are called to proclaim him to others. May we heed his call.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for your peace. Thank you for looking past my sins and imperfections, and loving me instead. Thank you for forgiving me. thank you for giving me another chance. I ask that as I experience your love, I be ready and willing to proclaim you to others. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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April 9, 2015

Thursday in the Octave of Easter

Lectionary: 264

Reading 1 Acts 3:11-26

As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John,

all the people hurried in amazement toward them

in the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”

When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,

“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,

and why do you look so intently at us

as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,

the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus

whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence,

when he had decided to release him.

You denied the Holy and Righteous One

and asked that a murderer be released to you.

The author of life you put to death,

but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.

And by faith in his name,

this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong,

and the faith that comes through it

has given him this perfect health,

in the presence of all of you.

Now I know, brothers and sisters,

that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;

but God has thus brought to fulfillment

what he had announced beforehand

through the mouth of all the prophets,

that his Christ would suffer.

Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,

and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment

and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,

whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration

of which God spoke through the mouth

of his holy prophets from of old.

For Moses said:

A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you

from among your own kin;

to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.

Everyone who does not listen to that prophet

will be cut off from the people.

“Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,

from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.

You are the children of the prophets

and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors

when he said to Abraham,

In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you

by turning each of you from your evil ways.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

or:

R. Alleluia.

O LORD, our Lord,

how glorious is your name over all the earth!

What is man that you should be mindful of him,

or the son of man that you should care for him?

R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

or:

R. Alleluia.

You have made him little less than the angels,

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him rule over the works of your hands,

putting all things under his feet.

R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

or:

R. Alleluia.

All sheep and oxen,

yes, and the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,

and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia Ps 118:24

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us be glad and rejoice in it.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 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.”