Third Sunday of Easter
(Acts 2:14, 22–33; 1 Peter 1:17–21; Luke 24:13–35)
Each year, on this Third Sunday of Easter, we hear the
account of an appearance of the risen Jesus. Today we are told of his encounter
with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. I would like to take this opportunity
to reflect on the nature of the resurrection, both of Jesus and of our own at
the end of time. The resurrection is one of the central truths of the Christian
faith. However, it is not as easy to understand as is often assumed.
To arrive at a proper understanding, we must clarify some
misconceptions about the resurrection. For many people today, the resurrection
of Jesus is considered a myth meant to say that Jesus lives on in the hearts of
his disciples. Myths are stories without a historical foundation and whose
purpose is to express a human truth. The “Tower of Babel,” for example, is a
myth that attempts to explain the many languages of the world. This is not the
case with the account of Jesus’ resurrection. Its historical foundations are
well established: Jesus was crucified by order of Pontius Pilate, governor of
Judea, when Caiaphas was the high priest. His resurrection took place on the
third day after this event.
According to another mistaken idea, the risen Jesus was a
ghost whom some people saw briefly. This misconception makes Jesus similar to
the prophet Samuel, whom Saul summoned to gain information about his enemies. But
this idea does not correspond to the experience of the disciples, who see that
the risen Lord with a body that is able to share food with them.
A third false idea of the resurrection makes Jesus like
Lazarus, who Jesus resuscitated in the gospel reading a few weeks ago. But this
concept also does not agree with what the gospels tell us. Lazarus brought back
to life has a body like our own. The
body of the risen Jesus, on the other hand, has been transformed. Jesus can pass through closed doors and
appear and disappear suddenly.
There are several common features in these appearances that
help us understand their nature. First, Jesus can be seen, but he is not
immediately identified. The disciples on the road to Emmaus do not recognize
him at first. When he appears to Paul on the road to Damascus, he is perceived
as a bright light. As we have said, his body has been transformed and is no
longer subject to previous limitations.
Another characteristic of the risen Christ is that he
communicates with those to whom he appears. His message can be challenging, as
when he reproaches his disciples for not believing the women, according to the
longer ending of Mark’s Gospel. But more often, he greets them with the word
“peace.” This word in Hebrew is shalom and means much more than “hello”
or “good morning”. Shalom
expresses the fullness of well-being. Then Jesus sends his apostles out to
proclaim the Good News everywhere.
Finally, Jesus shares meals with those to whom he appears.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples recognize him in the breaking of the bread, a
gesture that recalls the Eucharist. He is continuing his pre-death practice of
sharing table fellowship as a way of expressing the intimacy of his love.
From all this, we can say that the resurrection represents a
new level or mode of human existence. It
is a qualitative leap, similar to, in a sense, the one that occurred when
primates evolved into human beings. The Risen One has a transformed body, and
his love is no longer limited as it once was. During his earthly life, Jesus was
limited by the fact that he could not reach everyone. Now, in his risen state,
he not only reaches all people but is able to embrace every man, woman, and
child within himself. In this way, a new communion with God and with one
another is established.
Our love is limited in more fundamental ways than that of
Jesus. We cannot love without some degree of self-interest. This is not wrong until
we seek our own satisfaction to the detriment of the other’s welfare. However,
in the resurrection, our bodies will be transformed in such a way that the love
for which they were created to show will no longer be merely one of sensual desire,
or even only of friendship. Rather, our love for others will manifest the
complete selflessness that characterizes Jesus’ love for his disciples. We will
be able to love all people in a way unlike anything we have ever known.
