by Faith Central & Steve Welsh
“… We recognize the risen Christ when: Jesus opens our ‘minds to the understanding of the Scriptures,’ Jesus breaks bread with us (Lk 24:35), that is, gives Himself to us in Holy Communion, we receive the Holy Spirit in a new Pentecost, and we witness for Jesus (see Acts 1:8; Lk 24:48). …”
“‘He stood in their midst and said to them: ‘Peace be with you”‘ More than ever before we need to hear these words of the Risen Christ: ‘Fear not!’ (Mt 28:10). For people today, who never cease being afraid in their inmost selves and not without reason, it is a necessity… It is an equal necessity for all peoples and nations throughout the world. In the conscience of every human being what is needed is that there should be strengthened the certainty that Someone exists who holds the fate of this passing world in his hands, Someone who undoes the keys of death and hell (Rev 1:18), Someone who is the Alpha and Omega of human history (Rev 22:13) whether this be personal or collective; and, above all, the certainty that this Someone is Love, Love made man, Love crucified and risen, Love unceasingly present in our midst! He is Eucharistic Love. He is the unquenchable source of communion. He is the only one we can unhesitatingly believe when he asks us to ‘Fear not!'”
“… the Lord appeared to two disciples while they were walking on the road. They were talking about him, even though they did not believe. He did not show them an appearance which they could recognize, but the Lord behaved before the eyes of their bodies in accord with what was going on inwardly before the eyes of their hearts. … They set the table, brought food, and recognized in the breaking of the bread the God they did not know as He explained the Sacred Scriptures. They were not enlightened by hearing God’s commandments, but by putting them into practice.”
“Pope Benedict XVI describes the Resurrection of Jesus as an ‘evolutionary leap’ in which a new dimension of human existence emerges. This new dimension ‘affects all of us and opens up for us a new space of life, a new space of being in union with God.’ That means we’re all capable of undergoing this evolutionary leap. How’s that possible? I’ve heard this new dimension called ‘resurrection-life.’ Jesus founded the Church and instituted the sacraments for the purpose of pouring that same resurrection-life into us. At baptism he gives us our initial influx of it. By baptizing people at the Easter Vigil, the Church is reminding us that, because of our own baptism, we participate in the same divine life that raised Jesus from the dead and that spiritually restores us after the death of sin. …”
“‘I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here.’ This was how the angel spoke to the women; for that very reason he had opened the tomb. It wasn’t so as to let out the Christ, who was already no longer there, but to make it known that Christ was no longer there. ‘He has been raised as he said… Come and see the place where he lay’ (Mt 28:5-6). Come, women, come! See the place where you laid Adam, where the human race was buried. Understand that his pardon was as great as the injustice done to the Lord was great… When the women go into the sepulcher they take their share in the burial, they identify with the Passion. Leaving the sepulcher they stand upright in faith before they rise again in the flesh. ‘Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed’ … Scripture says: ‘Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice before him with trembling’ (Ps 2:11). …”
http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=commentary&localdate=20170417
“Pope Francis celebrated the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday evening in St. Peter’s Basilica …”