A Commentary and Reflection on the Readings for the Third Sunday of Easter – Year B. The Liturgical Sense of the Scriptures Podcast, by Catholic Author and Theologian David L. Gray. READINGS: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19, 1 John 2:1-5, Luke 24:35-48.
The Liturgy of the Catholic Mass and the Sacraments are the Very Essence of the Divine Promise
The message of the Easter Event is that sin now has a remedy. That remedy is not something we could have devised for ourselves, but, rather, the remedy was a gift from God as not a something, but in someone, Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, who sacrificed Himself to heal our fallen nature. There was no other way by which our sins against God could be paid for and satisfied than through the blood sacrifice of God Himself. As the author of 1 John 2:1-5 in today’s Second Reading for this Third Sunday of Easter wrote, “Jesus Christ the righteous one [is the] expiration for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.” Christ Jesus said it this way in today’s Gospel Reading from Luke 24:35-48, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
The narrative of Easter is a powerful testament to the boundless grace and love that forms the cornerstone of the Christian faith. It is a true event that transcends human understanding, where the world’s sins tarnished the very essence of divine purity. However, through His profound sacrifice on the Cross, redemption was made possible for all. This act of ultimate love, where God embraced the Cross, descended into Hell, and on the third day emerged victorious, illuminates the path for humanity to follow. Yes, the world, the flesh, and the devil are naturally inclined to give us death, but we have been given the freedom to choose life in Christ’s resurrection. It is not about what we can offer to God but recognizing that everything we hold dear is already a gift from Him. In this recognition lies the true inspiration: that in God’s selfless act, we find the hope and strength to rise, renewed and invigorated, into a life that reflects His glory and love.
It seems extreme that life had to come by the way of death, but the greatest sin, which is killing God, paved the way for the greatest mercy known to mankind. As Saint Peter said to the people in today’s First Reading from Acts 3:13-15, 17-19, “The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead.” Nevertheless, what man meant for evil, God reconciled for His good by bringing to “fulfillment,” Peter says, “what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.” It was only by this act of mercy of God in response to our ignorance and betrayal that Peter was then able to charge those listening that day, “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”
In the profound narrative of redemption, it is a paradox that life’s genesis is entwined with sacrifice. Yet, through the most profound act of love—sacrifice—the boundless mercy of the divine is revealed to humanity. Saint Peter’s words resonate with timeless truth, reminding us that hope emerges triumphant from the shadows of our failings. The resurrection is a testament to the promise fulfilled, a promise spoken by prophets that salvation comes through suffering. This divine mercy, a beacon in our ignorance and betrayal, calls us to transformation, to turn away from our transgressions and embrace a renewed existence.
Thus, the sacred liturgy and sacraments are not mere rituals; they are the very essence of the promise, a conduit through which we experience rebirth in Christ. The Divine Symphony of the Mass and the Sacraments of the Church participate in the fulfillment of the promises we read about in the prophets and the psalms in the Easter Event by renewing our life in Christ through the forgiveness of our sins and filling us with all the graces and fruits we need to be free from sin so that we might free to serve God. They offer us a path to absolution, a chance to be imbued with grace, and the strength to break free from the chains of sin. In this divine exchange, we find the freedom to serve, love, and live in the fullness of God’s glory. Uniquely, the Sacraments of Initiation, Penance & Reconciliation, and Extreme Unction are not just rites; they are the milestones of our spiritual journey, guiding us to the ultimate fulfillment of our destiny in the divine narrative.
This is just one way how the readings at Mass this Sunday connect to the liturgy and how the liturgy is forming us how to live our lives in the world. Be in the world what you have received through the liturgy.
