Jesus continues showing himself to his disciples, who will witness his resurrection. But this time, He used the Holy Scriptures first. Today we celebrate the risen Christ Jesus, who revealed his mysteries to us contained in the scriptures. The idea is that we understand that the resurrection is not a random event but was ordained by God.
Today’s readings show how Jesus and Peter used the scriptures to preach the resurrection faith and the Messiah. In the first reading, Peter, quoting David in the
scripture (Ps.16), explained to the crowd the prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ, who is incorruptible because God raised Him from the dead after being crucified by the people. God exalted Him and gave Him the Holy Spirit, who has become His gift to them, the apostles. In the gospel, two disciples were walking to Emmaus when they encountered a man they did not recognize, who turned out to be the risen Jesus. He explained the Scriptures concerning himself to them, though they only recognized him once He broke the bread with them. Filled with joy, they returned to Jerusalem to tell the others what had happened.
Jesus could have just shown them himself right away, but He chose to lead them through the scriptures, to understand first that He is the Messiah foretold in the
scriptures. He led them to an understanding of the scriptures about Him before the breaking of the bread when finally they recognized Him. The holy Mass is such an
opportunity of encountering Jesus, firstly through the liturgy of the Word and secondly at the Liturgy of the Eucharist when the bread is broken. By reflecting on the Word of God during each Mass, Jesus gives us an opportunity to have a deeper understanding of Him, who we receive in the Eucharist.
In the second reading, Peter urges the believers to conduct themselves with fear during their time on earth, knowing that they were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. In your journey of life, have you been able to recognize Jesus walking alongside you? He opens your eyes today to see and acknowledge Him in your
brokenness through the Scriptures and Communion in the Eucharist.