April 26 2009 Third Sunday of Easter
About the sources used. The readings on this site are from the Haydock Bible according to the daily Lectionary readings for the American Roman Catholic Church. The Haydock Bible contains traditional Catholic commentary and is free from copyright. Due to verse numbering differences and pastoral deletions in the actual Lectionary, these readings may at times vary from the actual readings.
Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/042609.shtml
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
Haydock New Testament
Peter spoke:
The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son, Jesus, whom you indeed delivered up and denied before the face of Pilate, when he judged he should be released. But you denied the Holy and the Just one, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. But the author of life you killed, whom God hath raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
And now, brethren, I know that you did it through ignorance, as also your rulers. But those things, which God had foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out:
Responsorial Psalm 4:2, 4, 7-9
DR Challoner Text Only
When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me:
when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me.
Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.
Know ye also that the Lord hath made his holy one wonderful:
the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.
The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us:
thou hast given gladness in my heart.
By the fruit of their corn, their wine, and oil, they are multiplied:
In peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest:3.
1 John 2:1-5a
Haydock New Testament
My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Just: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. And in this we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith he knoweth him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But he that keepeth his word, in him the charity of God is truly perfect: and by this we know that we are in him.
The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 24:35-48
Haydock New Testament
And they told what things were done in the way: and how they knew him in the breaking of bread. Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of them, and said to them:
Peace be to you; it is I, fear not.
But they being troubled and affrighted, supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them:
Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? See my hands and feet, that it is I myself: feel, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have.
And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his feet. But while they yet believed not, and wondered for joy, he said:
Have you here any thing to eat?
And they offered him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb. And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains, he gave to them. And he said to them:
These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me.
Then he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. And he said to them:
Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead the third day: And that penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.
Haydock Commentary Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site
- Ver. 13. Who does not admire, in this second discourse of S. Peter, as well as in his first, the prudence and discretion, with which he blames the Jews? He reproaches them, but with such mildness, as not to offend them, and dispenses to them truths in proportion to their capacity to bear them; after the example of his master and Saviour, he sweetens the bitterness of the truth, by furnishing them with an excuse. They sinned through ignorance. Calmet.
- Ver. 14-15. The just one, and the holy one, even the author of life you killed: he that is the just one promised, the Messias, the Son of God, and true God. Wi.
- Ver. 17. You did it through ignorance, but such as could not excuse the chief of you. Wi.
Haydock Commentary 1 John 2:1-5a
- Ver. 1. That you may not sin, or lose the grace of God by any considerable sin. — But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father, who being made man to redeem us from sin, is our great Advocate, our chief Mediator, and only Redeemer, by whose merits and grace we have been reconciled, after we had lost and forfeited the grace and favour of God by our offences. He is the only propitiation for the sins of the whole world; for, as S. Paul says, (Hebr. x. 14.) Christ, for one oblation on the cross, hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. All remission of sins, all sanctification, is derived from the merits and satisfaction of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ; not but that the Angels and saints in heaven, and virtuous persons upon earth, when they pray to God for us, may be called advocates, mediators, and intercessors (though not redeemers) in a different sense, and in an inferior manner, without any injury, but on the contrary with an honour done to Christ; because what they pray and ask for us, is only begged and hoped for through Christ, and by his merits. S. Aug.[1] in his commentary on this epistle, on these very words, we have an advocate, &c. prevents and answers this very objection of the late pretended reformers: (tom. iii, part 2. p. 831 Nov. Edit.) “Some one will say: therefore the saints do not ask for us, therefore the bishops and governors of the Church do not ask for the people.” He denies that this follows, the saints being advocates in a different sense. Though God be our protector and defender from dangers, this does not hinder us from owning the Angels to be our defenders in an inferior manner under God, as the Church of England acknowledges in the common prayer book on the feast of S. Michael, and all Angels, which runs thus: “mercifully grant, that as thy holy Angels always do thee service in heaven, so by thy appointment they may succour and defend us on earth through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” Wi. — The calling and office of an advocate is many things proper to Christ, and in every condition more singularly and excellently applying to him than to any Angel, saint, or living creature, though these also may be truly so called without any derogation from Christ. To him solely it belongs to procure us mercy before God, by the general ransom of his blood for our delivery; hence he is our only advocate of redemption, though others may be and are advocates of intercession. Hence S. Irenæus (l. iii. c. 33. and l. v. post med.) says: “the obedient Virgin Mary is made the advocate of the disobedient Eve.” Our Saviour declares that Angels are deputed for the protection of infants; (Mat. xviii.) and frequently are the examples we find in the old Scripture, such as Gen. xlviii. 16. Tob v. 27. and xii. 12. Dan. x. See also the common prayer book, in the collect of Michaelmas day.
- Ver. 3. We have known him, if we keep his commandments. He speaks of that practical knowledge by love and affection, which can be only proved by our keeping his commandments; and without which we cannot be said to know God, as we should. Ch.
- Ver. 4. He that says he knoweth him, &c. To know, in this and many other places, is not taken for a speculative knowledge alone, but is joined with a love of God, and an earnest desire of serving him and keeping his commandments. Wi.
- Ver. 5. The charity of God is truly perfect.[2] Notwithstanding his lesser failings, he retains the habit of charity and grace, by which he remains united to God. — And by this we know that we are in him; i.e. we are morally, though not absolutely, certain that we are in the state of grace. Wi.
Haydock Commentary Luke 24:35-48
- Ver. 37. The apostles thought they saw a Spirit, either good or bad, that had taken the form of Jesus, and was come to deceive them. For that they did not doubt spirits appeared, we have abundant proofs throughout the whole New Testament: and our Saviour, instead of combating this opinion, seems rather to have confirmed it on more than one occasion. Indeed S. Aug. thinks it cannot, without temerity, be denied, that there are occasional apparitions of angels, of demons, and the souls of the dead. Calmet. — This, however, will not justify the credulity of many ignorant and weak people, who think that nobody can die, but their spirit is sure to appear; much less will it justify the superstitious observations of unusual occurrences, which are so commonly reported to happen, as significant of a departed soul. These occurrences are rare; nor should we suppose that the Almighty would be willing to suspend or change the established laws of nature without a sufficient cause, viz. some known good either to the departed soul, or surviving friends. A.
- Ver. 39. A spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have. This was one argument of a true and real body. We may take notice, that Christ brought such proofs, as he knew were sufficient to convince them of his resurrection, though they were not of themselves demonstrations. For when they imagined they saw or touched a body, and that he eat with them, these things might apparently be done by a spirit. See Gen. xviii. v. 9. and Gen. xix. v. 3. and v. 16. where we read that angels, in the shape of men, eat, and took Lot and his wife, and his daughters, by the hand, and led them away from Sodom. Our senses, therefore, may sometimes be deceived, as may be shewn by divers other instances. But the arguments which Christ made us of at this time, to induce the apostles to believe his resurrection, are to be taken with all the circumstances: as 1st, with the corroborating testimonies of the Holy Scriptures, in which his resurrection was foretold; 2ndly, they called to their minds what he himself had told them so often, that he would rise again the third day; 3rdly, concurred also the testimonies already given by the angels, that he was risen; 4thly, the miracles at his death and resurrection; 5thly, Christ himself at the same time opened their understanding, to know and believe this truth, that he was truly risen. Wi.
- Ver. 43. Christ eat, not because he stood in need of food to sustain himself after his resurrection, as we sustain our bodies and lives by corporal refreshment; but he did it, to shew his disciples that his body was really risen from the dead. Ven. Bede.
- Ver. 45. If, after all the extraordinary opportunities of instruction, which the apostles had had from the mouth of our divine Saviour, it was still necessary that he should instil into them a new light, by opening their minds to understand the Scriptures; what are we to think of the presumptuous attempts of the numerous tribe of modern self-inspired interpreters, who are always ready to descant on the word of the Lord; though so perfectly ignorant that their authority, so far from being admitted, would be laughed to scorn, were they to attempt to explain the slightest difficulty, on the most indifferent subject of profane literature? To such a degree has the spirit of seduction spread itself at the present day! A.
- Ver. 47. Beginning at Jerusalem. The sense is, that they were first to preach to the Jews, and afterwards to all nations. Wi.
