HOMILY/REFLECTION FOR THE 3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR B (6)

HOMILY/REFLECTION FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR B

HOMILY THEME: WE NEED DIVINE ILLUMINATION

BY: Fr. Christian Eze

 

HOMILY :

First reading – Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
Second reading – 1 Jn 2:1-5
Gospel – Lk. 24:35-48

Many things are common to all the readings of today. Among these include the theme: “thinking that something or a situation is one thing when it is in actual sense, another thing all together”. In the first reading, the Jews who crucified Jesus thought they understood what they were doing, yet they did not know. Thus, addressing them, St Peter said: “Now I know brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing” – Acts 3:17.In the second reading, St John pointed out that there are those who think they know God but do not know Him. Hence he spoke: “Anyone who says, ‘I know Him’, and does not keep His commandments is a liar” – 1 Jn 2:4. In the gospel, as Jesus stood in their midst, the disciples too “thought they were seeing a ghost” when it was Jesus that stood among them – Lk 24:37. What is the meaning of all these? It is not enough that we have our two eyes on the forehead. We need a Divine illumination to guide us. No wonder today’s responsorial Psalm said: “Lift up the light of your face on us O Lord”

Many times we have committed errors, some grave, some minor, when we had thought we know what we were doing. Sometimes we would not even own up and ask for pardon. Human understanding has its own limitations. No one would believe that the disciples after their long stay with Jesus would not recognize their Master after the resurrection. A Divine illumination was what they lacked. In this our mysterious existence, we cannot get things right if we rely on human wisdom alone. It would be right to say that while the disciples of Jesus had each a pair of eyes on his forehead; they needed their “spiritual eye” to be open so that they could see things clear. I remember the event of 1 Samuel 16, when Samuel was sent to Jesse’s house to anoint a king. Samuel could have made a grave mistake if he had gone ahead to anoint a king based on what his human senses told him. At last, it happened to be the least expected that God chose. Like Samuel we often interpret things with our human knowledge, but unlike him, we do not listen to God saying to us “my ways are not your ways” Is. 55:8-9.

We need Divine illumination to recognize Jesus in all things of our lives. An important question here is: how do we begin to seek and find this Divine illumination? We achieve this by being docile to the will of God and not relying only on our academic fits, political status or material possession. We also seek and find Divine illumination when we humbly acknowledge our human limitations and our mistakes. Above all, our inner eyes are illumined by knowing and keeping God’s words. Little wonder then, Jesus thought his disciples the Scriptures – “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” – Lk. 24:45. Psalm 119:106 said: “Now your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path”. Perhaps this song might make a meaning to us today:
Open my eyes Lord, Help me to se like You
Open my eyes Lord, Help me to see Open my ears Lord, Help me to hear like You
Open my ears Lord, Help me to hear

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