Pop Quiz, Hotshot

Apr. 3: Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

If you ran into Jesus on the side of the road and He started asking you about scripture, how well do you think you’d do on the test?

Reading 1

Acts 3:1-10

Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer. And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.

But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”

He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”

Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.

The first pope didn’t get a salary, poor guy. He can’t even afford to give alms to a beggar. What he offers instead is prayer. God grants a miracle, and the man is not only able to walk, but jump and sing praises. Everyone is amazed at what happened them.

Think about what happens next, though. Peter and John don’t give him food, or a house. They didn’t set him up for life. The beggar is going to have to work.

And yet no one would consider this an unhappy ending. Life goes on, just as it does for Peter and John, and the rest of the Apostles, after the Resurrection.

Neither is our work done. Many of us have years to go, some less. But it doesn’t matter; as long as we’re alive, we can do something, even if it’s just pray.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations--
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.

This is only about a fifth of the full Psalm. It tells the story of Israel, from the patriarchs (in this section), through Egypt, slavery, Moses and Aaron, and then 40 years in the desert.

Despite all their trials God remained with them. They give thanks and invoke His name. Peter does with the beggar, because God made a new covenant—not just with the Jews through Abraham, but for all humanity through Jesus.

Alleluia

Ps 118:24

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Looks like it’s the same Alleluia all week.

Gospel

Lk 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?”

They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?”

And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”

They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.”

And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

As with Mary, the disciples don’t recognize Jesus. This time, though, He doesn’t make it easy on them by saying their names. Instead, He quizzes them.

It’s almost like He wants to make sure they’re ready for the real journey ahead. Sure, they can walk sixty stades,¹ but have they studied the Gospel well enough that they can explain it to a stranger?

They evidently hadn’t, so Jesus, the ever patient rabbi, re-explains Moses and all the prophets.² At the very least, the disciples are willing to learn. They ask Him to stay for dinner, and only then do they recognize Him.

That, I think, is the real, final test. Do they see Jesus in the Eucharist? Do you?

1. This is the actual measurement in the original text, not seven miles. It might even be a hundred and sixty stades, which would be eighteen miles. (I’m not sure why this is ambiguous.) The location of Emmaus has been lost to time, so we don’t actually know which number makes more sense.

2. Hey! The gospel ties in with the psalm today!