Sunday April 18, 2021 - Third Sunday of Easter - Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us! May our hearts be on fire as you speak to us - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 24, 35-48

The passage from the Gospel that we have just heard shows us how Saint Luke the Evangelist tries to offer us a summary of the reflections and the preaching made by the first Christian community on the basis of the last experiences or last encounters with Risen Jesus Christ.

The second appearance of the Risen Jesus Christ to the disciples is crucial, first to help them dispel doubt and overcome the difficulty of understanding the resurrection of their Lord and Master. We must not forget that the Gospel of Saint Luke is addressed to Christians who lived in Greek milieu and culture, the Hellenists. The Greeks claim that the spirit separates from the body after death. Now, the appearance of the Lord Jesus contradicts this conception, for in appearing Jesus did not manifest himself either in a simple material body, nor in a pure spirit. He who was crucified is identical to Him who was resurrected, because he still bears the signs of the passion in his flesh, on his hands and feet; He no longer belongs to the realm of the dead because He shares the meal with the living.

Then, by appearing to the disciples, the resurrected Jesus Christ wants them to understand the paschal event as the realization of salvation. To make it clear to them, Jesus had to interpret his passion, death, and resurrection in the light of the Scriptures, showing how everything that was written came to pass in Him.

Finally, Jesus invites his disciples to a mission: that of being witnesses of Easter throughout the world, by revealing the fruitfulness and the liberating power of the Resurrection, expressed precisely in the forgiveness of sins. Its appearance is therefore essential to confirm and arouse faith in the disciples for the proclamation of the Joy of Easter.