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Posts Tagged ‘breaking of bread’
Download 3rd Sunday Easter Yr B
Reflection Questions
- Easter lasts for 7 weeks in the Catholic experience. It is called Eastertide and marks the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost. What practice or ritual could you live for 50 days to celebrate Easter and let its message get ‘under your skin’ and change you?
- Peter has gone through a remarkable experience of change and has the confidence to preach the core christian message to unbelievers. However, his preaching is connected with his ‘living’ and the ‘signs’ that he works (he just cured someone!). ‘Preaching’ comes after ‘living’. What sign / action / witness can I ‘live’ this week to let people experience Jesus through me?
- ‘Repent and be converted’ is an invitation to a complete change of one’s value system. The worldview of the early disciples had been tipped upside down with the Resurrection. Consider what change took place for the early disciples to sell land and give to those in need? Is your value system those of the ‘world’ or ‘Christ’? Prove it.
- Some people in the Johannine community believed that knowledge of salvation was salvation. Knowing Jesus and his forgiveness was all that was important. Moral behaviour and changing ones lifestyle didn’t matter. Yet the Easter Acts of the Apostles and Gospel readings teach the disciples of Jesus witnessed to the resurrection with power and signs and wonders. The Easter Sunday Victory of the Resurrection is supposed to overturn the evil of good Friday. Christians are not just baptised and waiting for the idea of the resurrection to turn true with eternal life. We have a job to do. How could you ‘keep the word’ more and let the ‘love of God come to perfection within you’ more?
- Jesus was ‘made known to them in the breaking of bread’. This new action and new words with it was so new at the last supper that it had to be Jesus who did this. And yet the resurrected Jesus must have appeared different to the disciples. How do you understand what happens at the celebration of the Mass / Eucharist? How does it help you to experience the continued presence of Jesus? Do you have questions of the scriptures that require some help to understand them. What are they? Who could you ask for help?
- “Why are you troubled and what are the questions rising in your heart” What are the things you need to look at, discuss with someone, write about, research, pray about, so as to reach the peace Jesus offers?
- What is one action that you will do to ‘livetheword’ this week?
Download 3rd Sunday Yr A
Reflection Questions
- The church continues for 8 weeks soaking us with the message and stories of Easter. Consider the story of the newly married Catholic German couple. The wife welcomed fleeing Jews into their house for safety. The husband on returning challenges his wife on their own safety and possible death. She replies: but we believe in the resurrection. Is your heart glad? Tongue exulting? Flesh hopeful?
- Peter with the ‘Eleven’ standing in the midst of many ‘Jews’ is a picture of the early Church in Jerusalem. Considering the tone of their words and the audience, fear of persecution is heavily present behind the scenes. Picture yourself today, in the Church, one of the ‘eleven’. What are the challenges and obstacles of the christian community today? The Holy Spirit moved the disciples from fear behind closed doors to courage and preaching in public places. Do you sense the Holy Spirit moving and inspiring you toward a certain action, attitude, mission task?
- The word ‘ransom’ has a special history in the Old Testament. If a member of your family was sold as a slave, imprisoned, or family land was in-debt, the eldest member of the family had a special duty to ‘ransom’ (buy-back) the family member or land. This image is used by Peter. We have not been won back to God by gold but ‘with the precious blood of Christ’. Do you glimpse the cost of God wanting us to know we are ‘reconciled’ with him? Do you glimpse how loved and loveable you are? What is your life-style response?
- The Road to Emmaus features disciples so upset and downcast. They had such high hopes in Jesus. They now ‘walk away’ from Jerusalem. They could not understand why the death of Jesus was necessary. Their saviour had become a failure. To understand they need to be shocked and humbled at how God’s power is able to work through human weakness. Are you ‘walking away’ from Easter / Jerusalem disappointed? Do you ‘see’?
- In the Church’s liturgy what was present in Christ has now passed over into the mysteries / sacraments. Past events are truly made present now. The Emmaus story reflects this truth. Jesus is truly present when his words are shared and his actions at table are repeated. When he ‘blessed, broke, gave’ bread were very very important to the community. These particular actions and words were unique to him and were commanded to be repeated. How could you heart burn more with scripture? What do you need so that you may ‘recognise him’ in the celebration of the Eucharist?
- What is one action that you will do to ‘livetheword’ this week?