Today's Gospel

How to Understand the Scriptures

Welcome back to Radical & Relevant. Today's reading comes from the Gospel of Luke 24:35-48. It's almost the very end of Luke's gospel. The only part that comes after this reading in Luke's gospel is the ascension of Jesus. And sometimes it helps to have the context. Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." And they were startled and frightened and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

And while they still disbelieved for joy and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, "Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning with Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."

What is it that jumps out at you today? Remember each day we were looking for a word, a phrase, or an idea? It's such a rich reading. A few things jump out at me. Once, again, we see a repetition. And any time there's a repetition-- it could be a word, it could be an idea. But anytime there's a repetition, I think it's something for us to pay extra attention to. And so what is the repetition here? Repetition is essentially the idea that Jesus wasn't a ghost. Okay? He wasn't a phantom. It wasn't an apparition. He was physically there. And so he says to them, "See my hands and my feet. Touch me for a spirit has not flesh and bones." So what's he saying to them? He's saying to them, a spirit, an apparition, a ghost, or whatever you want to call it, doesn't have flesh and bones. Touch me. And so he wanted to demonstrate to them that he was physically present.

And then later in the reading, okay, like all great teachers, there's repetition. And so he's told them this, but then what does he do? He shows it to them. How does he show it to them? In just the most casual, simple, everyday way, what does he say to them? He says, "Have you anything here to eat? Have you anything here to eat?" Why is that so significant? Because again, spirits don't eat. Ghosts, phantoms, apparitions, spirits, they don't eat. And so he's told them, "Hey, this is me, physically present. Touch my feet. Touch my hands. And just to make sure that it is clear, have you anything here to eat?" Of course, he knows they have something there to eat, has all the answers to all the questions, but asks the question again to teach them. So I think that's powerful.

The other thing that struck me today in this reading is this phrase: then He opened their minds to understand the scriptures. Let that be our prayer today. Lord, open my mind to understand the scriptures. Let that be our prayer today over and over throughout the day. Lord, open my mind to understand the scriptures. Let's pray that all day long today. Lord, open my mind understand the scriptures, so that each day when we come together for a few minutes just to reflect upon the gospel, Jesus can continue to open our hearts and our minds and our spirits to his wisdom in the gospels. Have a great day and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.