3rd Sunday of Easter

3rd Sunday of Easter Year B

Acts 3:13-15,17-19; 1John 2:1-5; Luke 24: 35-48

We are in the third Sunday of Easter, and in today’s gospel, the Risen Lord appears again to His disciples. They are still troubled; broken apart and scattered by His crucifixion and death and is reweaving them together around the truth of His Resurrection.

In the appearance recounted in today’s gospel reading, the Lord establishes the features that will be part of every Christian community until the end of time: His Peace, His Presence and His Purpose.

He appears to the apostles and offers them the gift of His peace, because they were in turmoil, confusion, and guilt. The Risen Lord was making peace with those who had slept on the Mount Olive when he had asked them to pray. He was making peace with Peter who had denied him publicly. He was taking the initiative to be reconciled with those who out of greed, hatred, envy, and fear had failed him.

He was welcoming back into communion with himself those who had strayed. He expresses the communion with his disciples by eating in their company.

We have gone through such experiences in our lives. We have suffered countless betrayal from trusted friends, the pain of being left alone in the most difficult moments, the unexpected loss of loved ones, marital crises and other relationship issues, health challenges that slowed down our progress, and delay our deepest aspirations in life.

Jesus’ resurrection breaks down barriers, removes all divisions within us, between us and others, between us and God. His true disciples are ambassadors of reconciliation in every age. No matter what we may have done, whatever our past, our repentance can bring new life, healing, forgiveness, and peace. We can become a new creation.

Today, Jesus is truly among us through His Holy Spirit when gather in faith. The mother church is reminding us that whenever we share our faith stories, the Risen Lord is there in our midst. Even when all hope seems lost, he touches us with His presence when we least expect it. When we are most aware of our failure to follow Him, He speaks his word of peace to us. “We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful, for he can not deny his own self” (2Timothy 2:13).