HOMILY FOR THE 3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A. (3)

HOMILY FOR THE 3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A.

THEME: DIVINE COMEDY.

BY: Fr Andrew Ekpenyong.

1. Joke. Let’s start with only one one-liner today. “Gravity is such a disappointment. It always lets

HOMILY FOR THE 3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A.

THEME: DIVINE COMEDY.

BY: Fr Andrew Ekpenyong.

 

1. Joke. Let’s start with only one one-liner today. “Gravity is such a disappointment. It always lets me down”. Well, SpaceX has already learned how to see last Thursday’s (April 20th, 2023) explosion of the most powerful rocket ever built, not as a disappointment but as a learning moment for a replacement. Yet, for us human beings, the death of loved ones offers no room for replacement and usually leaves us sad and disappointed like the two disciples on their way to Emmaus in today’s Gospel reading (Lk 24:13-35). These disciples, Cleopas and an unnamed one, were leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus, in utter disappointment. Their journey symbolizes everyone’s life journey, in some sense. From false hopes to disappointments. And then God intervenes. Yes, as we try to escape from the disappointments of earthly Jerusalem to the sobering seclusion of Emmaus, the Risen Lord reveals Himself and we hurry back to Jerusalem with a new vision: the Heavenly Jerusalem. Their journey reminds me not only of my life journey but also of Dante’s Divine Comedy (Italian ‘La Divina Commedia’), one of the world’s greatest works of literature.

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2. Divine Comedy. This work, divided into 3 sections: Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, traces the ultramundane journey of Dante himself from darkness and error to the revelation of the Divine, culminating in the beatific vision of God. Interestingly, this imaginary journey starts from the evening of Good Friday, through Easter Sunday and slightly beyond. It is therefore easy to draw parallels with the journey of the Emmaus disciples. Dante has two guides in his journey. First, the Roman poet, Virgil, who represents the best of human knowledge, takes him from the dark pit of hell to the summit of purgatory, the threshold of Paradise. That is the furthest human knowledge can take us. Fortunately, Dante meets his second guide at this threshold of Heaven, a lady named Beatrice. Beatrice embodies Divine revelation and grace. She leads Dante, through Heaven, where Dante is allowed for a moment, to glimpse the glory of God. Much like our Risen Lord led Cleopas and his companion to a glimpse of Himself at the breaking of the bread.

3. Beatrice. Just like our Lord’s fate on Good Friday was a huge disappointment for the Emmaus disciples, Beatrice was nearly a total disappointment for Dante. Yes, the Emmaus disciples stated their hope and disappointment: “But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel.…” (Lk 24:21). Dante’s Beatrice was in fact Beatrice Portinari. They met in Florence when he was 9 and she was 8. She was Dante’s first and unrequited love. Even though they met only twice in life, Dante literally spent the rest of his life enamored of her. Imagine Dante’s disappointment when she married Simone de’ Bardi. And when Beatrice died tragically at the age of 24, Dante wrote several anguish poems, and then vowed that he will write: “concerning her what hath not before been written of any woman.” (La Vita Nuova). Wow. Of course, Dante fulfilled this promise in the Divine Comedy. Here, Dante’s love for Beatrice turns spiritual and Beatrice guides Dante to God’s presence. The cause of his disappointment becomes Dante’s guide to God, the fulfilment of all our love and yearnings. Dear Sisters and Brothers, right now, we are journeying along with the Emmaus disciples, recounting, and retelling the many tragedies in our city and our world. Tragedies including accidents, illnesses, natural disasters, and all the physical evils that we face in this life which raise questions about God’s goodness, power, and wisdom. We are lamenting as they did, the consequences of moral evil, including deadly violence and wars around the world. But our Lord steps in to remind us of God’s revelation and grace which turn all this to our good. Yes, from the greatest moral evil ever committed – the rejection and murder of God’s only Son, caused by the sins of all mankind – God, by his grace that “abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20) brought the greatest of goods: the resurrection of Christ and our redemption. That is the real Divine Comedy. Yes, the cause of disappointment turned into a source of fulfilment. Wow. Now we have more reasons to live like Christ. Even if we fail to recognize Him as He explains Scripture to us, let us recognize Him at the breaking of bread (Luke 25:35), in today’s Eucharist, let us pray to recognize Him in our neighbors especially the less privileged after this Mass, so that He may recognize us (Mt 25:35) in the Heavenly Jerusalem where we will share the beatific vision forever. Amen.

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