This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, April 23rd is from Luke 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 . . . Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him . . . As they approached the village to which they were going . . . they urged him, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over’ . . . 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.”
Reflection: “The two disciples from Emmaus enjoyed the company of the stranger enough to invite him to stay with them, but it was not until the stranger broke bread with them that they recognized him. Only then did they realize that their hearts had been burning within them as they had listened to him open God’s word to them. Sometimes recognition only comes in retrospect. We don’t always realize the significance of an encounter with someone unexpected in the moment. Only later do we realize how special it was.” SOURCE: Pastoral Patterns, Summer 2023
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Acts 6:8-15; John 6:22-29
Tuesday 1 Peter 5:5b-14; Mark 16:15-20
Saint Mark, Evangelist (Feast) – Mark is the author of the earliest and shortest gospel account in the Bible. Tradition identifies him with the scriptural person who was a member of the first Christian community in Jerusalem.
Wednesday Acts 8:1b-8; John 6:35-40
Thursday Acts 8:26-40; John 6:44-51
Friday Acts 9:1-20; John 6:52-59
Saturday Acts 9:31-42; John 6:60-69
Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – At the age of six, Catherine experienced a vision and dedicated herself to God. She joined the Dominican Third Order. Around age twenty-one, she felt called to become more active in the world, caring for the poor and tending the sick. She is especially remembered for her spiritual reflections, The Dialogue. (See page 5 of this bulletin for more on Saint Catherine of Siena.) SOURCE: Living With Christ, April 2023