Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, khi Chúa Giêsu hiện ra với các môn đệ, họ đang sống trong những cơn sợ hãi, vì họ vẫn đang còn nghi ngờ sự sống lại của Chúa. Chúa Giêsu đã phải cho họ thấy những chứng tích của cuộc khồ nạn qua những dấu đóng đinh ở tay và chân của Ngài để chứng minh cho họ thấy rằng Ngài đã thực sự đã sống lại từ cõi chết và đã hiện ra với họ bằng xương bằng thịt chứ không phải chỉ là một bóng ma như họ đang tưởng tượng.
Meditation: Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures
In the first reading, Peter proclaims the Good News of salvation – that Jesus died for our sins and rose for our justification. Now all men have access to heaven which before was closed to them. In Jesus our sins are forgiven and we now have a Savior who is God himself. In the Gospel reading, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, they were so frightened. Jesus had to show the wounds in his hands and feet to prove to them that it was really him risen from the dead.
The centrality of the Gospel is the cross; but fortunately it does not stop there. Through the cross Jesus defeated our enemies - death and Satan and won pardon for our sins. His cross is the door to heaven and the key to paradise. The way to glory is through the cross. When the disciples saw the risen Lord they disbelieved for joy! How can death lead to life, the cross to victory? Jesus shows us the way and he gives us the power to overcome sin and despair, and everything else that would stand in the way of his love and truth. Just as the first disciples were commissioned to bring the good news of salvation to all the nations, so, we, too, are called to be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who live on the face of the earth. Do you witness the joy of the Gospel to those around you?
"Lord Jesus, open our minds to understand the Scriptures that we may fully comprehend the truth of your word. Anoint us with your power and give us joy and boldness to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed.
“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. Luke 24:44–45
Have you allowed God to open your mind? When you read through the Scriptures, are you able to comprehend the hidden yet glorious mysteries contained within them? The Scriptures are not only a historical book we interpret through the use of our intelligence alone. There is a layer of meaning within them that no human mind can penetrate without the assistance of grace.
Today’s resurrection appearance in Luke’s Gospel took place later in the day on Easter Sunday. That morning, our resurrected Lord appeared in physical form to some of the holy women and then to Simon Peter. In the afternoon, Jesus appeared to two of the disciples as they journeyed to the town of Emmaus, several miles from Jerusalem. Those disciples did not recognize Jesus until He opened their minds and revealed Himself in the “breaking of the bread,” foreshadowing the Eucharist. After that appearance, those two disciples returned to Jerusalem to tell the eleven and the other disciples about their encounter. It was during that conversation, behind closed doors, that Jesus appeared to all of them Easter evening, except for Thomas who was absent.
Jesus first said to them, “Peace be with you.” This was no ordinary greeting. In Hebrew, Jesus said, “Shalom.” The shalom Jesus spoke of was an imparting of His grace that brought about the tranquility that those who are united to God experience. The peace Jesus spoke of and imparted flowed from the power of His victory over sin and death, by His Passion and Resurrection. That same shalom is given to us when we worthily and fruitfully participate in the sacraments. Through these gifts, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, we receive the transforming power of the Paschal Mystery: His life, death, and Resurrection, bestowed through the Holy Spirit.
Once the grace of peace was bestowed, Jesus instructed them to receive it without fear. As this peace rested upon them, Jesus was able to give them another gift: “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
Throughout Jesus’ public ministry, He spoke about the necessity of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. He pointed to the prophecies and promises about Him that were contained within the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Until that moment, Jesus’ teaching had not fully penetrated their minds. They heard His perfect sermons, but the full meaning of what He said eluded them. During this resurrection appearance, however, they understood, as Jesus granted them the supernatural gift of Understanding—a gift of the Holy Spirit, who illuminates divine truths and helps us to perceive God’s mysteries in a way we could never achieve on our own.
Our Lord wants to open your mind, just as He did for His disciples that Easter day. Too often, we go through life in a state of confusion. We easily misinterpret our joys and struggles, leaving us on our own to make sense of our lives. Jesus wants to remedy that. He wants us to understand everything as He sees it. He invites us to receive His peace, His shalom, that brings order and tranquility to our lives and unites us in communion with God and others. From there, the Holy Spirit opens our minds to see everything through the lens of divine truth.
Reflect today on how God might be calling you to live in this peace and understanding, particularly by fostering a deeper relationship with Him in the sacraments, in prayer, and in daily reflection on the Scriptures. By receiving the grace of shalom and an understanding of divine truths, we are strengthened for our mission to witness to the Resurrection and to share Christ’s love with a world in need of His peace.
Lord of all Understanding, there are many things in life that leave me confused. I often judge my hopes, joys, sorrows, and challenges by a worldly perspective that is devoid of Your Truth. Please grant me Your perfect peace so that I can rest in You. As Your peace, Your shalom, brings tranquility to my life, open my mind to know You and to understand everything from Your perspective, so that through me, You can bring Your peace and truth to the world. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, open my mind today to understand your life-giving Word. Conform my life to that of your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to follow the way of the Cross, suffer with Christ, and be raised to heavenly glory with you.
1. Witnesses to Jesus: The First Reading tells us that, after receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles were empowered to be witnesses to Jesus. Yesterday, we heard about their prayer life and their ministry to the sick. Today, Peter explains the healing of the crippled man. Peter emphasizes that he is only an instrument of God, for God is the one who truly heals (Exodus 15:26). The same God, who revealed himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, continues to act in them through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “The healing is a sign that God has glorified his servant Jesus” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, 72). The man was healed by the power of the name of Jesus. Faith in this name restored the man to perfect health. “This statement underscores the importance of faith in Jesus for healing” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, 73). The name of the Lord God is praised in today’s psalm. God is praised because he cares for us and crowns us with glory and honor.
1. Witnesses to Jesus: The First Reading tells us that, after receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles were empowered to be witnesses to Jesus. Yesterday, we heard about their prayer life and their ministry to the sick. Today, Peter explains the healing of the crippled man. Peter emphasizes that he is only an instrument of God, for God is the one who truly heals (Exodus 15:26). The same God, who revealed himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, continues to act in them through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “The healing is a sign that God has glorified his servant Jesus” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, 72). The man was healed by the power of the name of Jesus. Faith in this name restored the man to perfect health. “This statement underscores the importance of faith in Jesus for healing” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, 73). The name of the Lord God is praised in today’s psalm. God is praised because he cares for us and crowns us with glory and honor.
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.” Luke 24:45–48
Jesus once again appears to a group of His disciples, and He once again gets straight to the point. He “opened their minds” so that they would understand all that the Scriptures revealed about Him. He helped them to see that His death and Resurrection were fulfillments of the teachings of Moses and the prophets. And then Jesus says something new: “You are witnesses of these things.”
As we saw in yesterday’s Gospel, it’s clear that the disciples did not yet understand why Jesus had to die and then rise again. They were still in shock and traumatized by these events. Therefore, Jesus had to carefully explain to His disciples the meaning of what had just taken place. They needed to understand this on a level that they couldn’t comprehend by themselves. They needed Jesus’ clear and detailed explanation as well as a special grace by which their minds would be opened to an understanding of these profound mysteries of faith.
We are no different than these disciples. It’s easy to believe in Jesus for insufficient reasons which only result in superficial faith. Some believe simply because that’s what they were taught when they were young. Some believe because it makes them feel better to believe. Some believe because they don’t know of anything better to believe. But then there are those who believe for the right reason. Like the disciples in this resurrection appearance, they have listened to Jesus speak clearly and in detail to them, such as through their study of Scripture, the Catechism, or other holy sources, and then they were given a special grace from God that “opened their minds” to an understanding that goes far beyond human rational abilities alone. Are you one of those people?
If you are, then you have another duty. Not only must you continue to internalize these truths, allowing them to deepen and change your own life completely and totally, but you must also become a “witness” to these things. When you grow in an authentic knowledge of the faith revealed by our Lord, you must also share it with others. Real faith must be shared!
Reflect, today, upon this powerful resurrection appearance. As you do, ponder whether or not you have allowed our Lord to speak to you in the same way that He did to these disciples, and whether or not you have truly internalized all that He has spoken to you and explained to you. If you are among this grouping of people, reflect also upon your duty to be a witness of these truths to others. Jesus wants to appear in His resurrected form to many others, but He especially does this, today, through the mediation of His faithful followers who are now sent forth to be witnesses to Christ and His glorious Resurrection.
My risen Jesus, You gave Your disciples a glorious gift when You opened their minds to Your holy Truth and taught them many things. Please open my mind also, dear Lord, so that I will comprehend the deep and profound mysteries of faith. Help me to understand Who You are, why You had to die, and how to share in the new life of Your Resurrection. Please also use me as Your witness so that many will come to know You and share in the new life won by Your Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You.
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