THIRD EASTER (A)

Sunday 30 April 2017

The Examen How have I lived out last week’s Gospel message? … What was tough? … What was rewarding? The Introduction Many young people say that they find Mass boring and don’t get much out of it. Today’s reading is describing what happens at every Mass. The Lord walks with us, opens the Scriptures to us, speaks to us about what it all means (the Liturgy of the Word), and then, sits down to break bread with us (the Liturgy of the Eucharist). Try to think about Mass in this way: Jesus wants to speak and share a meal – which is his very self – with us! How might thinking of Mass this way change your experience of it? The Call to Prayer Leader: Join us on our journey, Living God; All:

we have feelings to express, experiences to share.

Leader: Walk with us on our journey, Compassionate God; All:

we have memories to recall, faith stories to tell.

Leader: Reveal yourself to us on the journey, Surprising God; All:

we have thanksgiving to offer, bread and wine to share and community to nurture.

Leader: Strengthen us for our own journeys, Ever-Present God; All:

we have commitment to pledge; we have Christ’s work to do. Amen.

The Scripture

(Luke 24: 13 – 35)

Narrator: On the first day of the week, two disciples were making their way to a village named Emmaus seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to one another about all that had happened. As they were talking and discussing, Jesus came near and began to travel with them. But they did not recognise him. Stranger: What are you discussing as you walk along so sadly? Cleopas:

Are you a stranger in Jerusalem that you do not know the things that happened these past few days?

Stranger: What things? Cleopas:

The things to do with Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet powerful in word and deed in the eyes of God and all the people; how our chief priests and leaders delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. We were hoping that he was the one who would set Israel free.

Disciple: Besides all this, today, the third day since these things happened, some women of our group astonished us. After going to the tomb before dawn and not finding his body, they came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of those with us went to the tomb and found it empty just as the women said, but him they did not see. Stranger: How slow of heart you are to believe all the prophets have said. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things to enter his glory? Narrator: Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted for them every passage of scripture that referred to him. As they neared the village to which they were going, the stranger acted as if he were going farther. But they pressed him. Disciples: Stay with us, for it is nearly evening. The day is ending. Narrator: So he went to stay with them. While he sat with them, he took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened and they recognised him but he vanished from their sight. They said to each other – Disciples: Were not our hearts burning inside us as he talked to us on the road and opened the scriptures to us? Narrator: They got up immediately and returned to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven and the rest of the company assembled. Company: The Lord has been raised! It is true! He has appeared to Simon. Narrator: Then the two recounted what had happened on the road and how they knew him in the breaking of the bread. The Focus

Plug Into Mass

Mass is so boring. I hear it often from young people. Many have stopped going. It saddens me, because I think they don’t know what they are missing. The Mass was critical – though it seems to have been less formal – for early Christians. They gathered on the first day of the week, told stories about Jesus, shared their hopes and fears, prayed for one another, and then shared a meal with bread and wine. Those gatherings helped them remember that Jesus was still with them. The Mass also gave them strength to live faithfully in a hostile world. Luke tells the story this week in a way that shows the importance of those gatherings. The story tells about the disciples’ flight from Jerusalem after the Crucifixion. They talk with a stranger about the Scriptures and life. They share a meal with him, finally discovering that the stranger is Jesus. Then they head back to Jerusalem filled with hope. That’s the process the first Christians followed on the Sabbath – the Scriptures, reflection, bread and wine, heading back to the world in hope. Our Mass follows the same flow today. It can also fill you with the hope of the Resurrection if you plug in. Listen closely to the readings. Compare the homily to your own reflections. Discuss the homily afterward with family or friends. During the intercessions, think about your troubles and the troubles of our world. When the Eucharistic prayer recalls how Jesus offered his body and blood to the world, quietly ask him for strength to offer yourself to make the world better. When the priest proclaims the end of the Mass, commit yourself to leaving as a disciple ready to stand for what’s right. The more you do all of that, the more you, like the disciples in the Gospel, will see Jesus is right there for you. The Music Connection (Sunday’s Song) ‘COMPASS’

Lady Antebellum

Golden Label

New Country Lyrics

When the risen Jesus appears to his friends on the road, they don’t recognise him immediately. However, they say their ‘hearts were on fire’ when they talked with him and recognised him when they shared a meal. Similarly, when we feel moved to act out of compassion, Jesus is present to us – even if we don’t recognise it.

Key lines:

You wanna give up ‘cause it’s dark / We’re really not that far apart / So let your heart, sweet heart / Be your compass when you’re lost / And you should follow it wherever it may go

Who is a compass for you? What motivates you to act for justice? How have you developed these values? What is an example of following your heart or a cause you are fired up about? How does Jesus show us he is still alive today? The Reflection Have you ever had a moment when you knew beyond a doubt that God was real? Where were you? Who were you with? What were you doing? On the road to Emmaus the disciples’ hearts burn. Their hearts know it before their heads have figured it out that Jesus is real, he’s right there in front of them. One of the great things about the Eucharist is the chance to be reminded. The next time you’re at Mass, remember the moment, let your heart burn, and know that Jesus is here with you now. Before my dad died, I asked him to send me a sign that he made it. He promised he would try. After his funeral on our way back home, I was looking for the sign. I wanted an eagle to fly in front of my car, or fireworks to go off in the distance. There was nothing. When we walked into our house, our friends had brought food. It was everywhere. I didn’t pay much attention until I took a piece of hot crusty bread and, as I broke it and the crumbs fell to the floor, it hit me. He was present to me in the meal. The disciples were feeling a great sense of loss, too. They had thought that Jesus was the Messiah, but given how he had died, they were not sure anymore. Jesus came upon them, but they couldn’t recognize him. It wasn’t until he broke and blessed the bread that they recognized him. Notice the parallels that the Gospel has to the Mass. Jesus greets the disciples, and then talks to them about Scripture. Then, they share a meal together. After that, Jesus disappears, and the disciples return to Jerusalem and tell everyone there about the Resurrection. That last part might be the most often overlooked, but it is important: they go forth with a mission. This is what we are called to do every time we encounter Christ in the Word and Eucharist, too. The Action As Catholics, we live a sacramental life. We don’t believe in a God who is far away, we believe that God is active in our lives, and that God’s presence is all around us. We believe that Jesus Christ is truly present to us in the Scripture and that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ at Eucharist. We also believe that God is present in every one of God’s people. Many people feel God’s unique presence in nature. Take time this week to visit an awe-inspiring natural place, or perhaps you might do a virtual pilgrimage by going online at Google Earth in order to visit the galaxies of outer space, the canyons of the ocean, or the holy city of Jerusalem. Give thanks for all of the amazing things that God has given to us. The Commissioning Leader: You travel along life’s highway, and often it seems humdrum and ordinary, even discouraging at times. All:

But then, God meets us along the road, and we feel the joy of God’s presence.

Leader: You experience God’s love, and you come to share God’s love with family, friends, and those you encounter day by day. All:

We feel our spirits restored, our purpose clarified, and our faith in Jesus Christ affirmed. Amen.

The Song Suggestions

(Song suggestions taken from ‘Spirit & Song’ Spirit & Song/ OCP Publications)

HAPPY DAY (Tim Hughes & Ben Cantelon)

TELL IT OUT (Timothy R. Smith)

The Question of the Week If a word or phrase from the Gospel grabs your heart: sit quietly for a few moments, repeating it to yourself and asking God to show you how it applies to your life. Perhaps even journal on the following question: • What could you do to take more away from the Mass?