Week 5
Stay in the City
Part 1: Scripture
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (24:30-35)
(New American Bible translation,
copied to here from USCCB Books of the Bible https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24)
33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them
34 who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
35 Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The Appearance to the Disciples in Jerusalem.
36 While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
38 Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?
39 Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”
40 And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of baked fish;
43 he took it and ate it in front of them.
44 He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.
46 And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
(New American Bible translation,
copied to here from USCCB Books of the Bible https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24)
33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them
34 who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
35 Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The Appearance to the Disciples in Jerusalem.
36 While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
38 Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?
39 Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”
40 And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of baked fish;
43 he took it and ate it in front of them.
44 He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.
46 And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
[24:36–43, 44–49] The Gospel of Luke, like each of the other gospels (Mt 28:16–20; Mk 16:14–15; Jn 20:19–23), focuses on an important appearance of Jesus to the Twelve in which they are commissioned for their future ministry. As in Lk 24:6, 12, so in Lk 24:36, 40 there are omissions in the Western text.
[24:39–42] The apologetic purpose of this story is evident in the concern with the physical details and the report that Jesus ate food.
[24:46] See note on Lk 24:26. ([24:26] That the Messiah should suffer…: Luke is the only New Testament writer to speak explicitly of a suffering Messiah (Lk 24:26, 46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:23). The idea of a suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in other Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period, although the idea is hinted at in Mk 8:31–33. See notes on Mt 26:63 and 26:67–68.)
[24:49] The promise of my Father: i.e., the gift of the holy Spirit.
[24:39–42] The apologetic purpose of this story is evident in the concern with the physical details and the report that Jesus ate food.
[24:46] See note on Lk 24:26. ([24:26] That the Messiah should suffer…: Luke is the only New Testament writer to speak explicitly of a suffering Messiah (Lk 24:26, 46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:23). The idea of a suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in other Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period, although the idea is hinted at in Mk 8:31–33. See notes on Mt 26:63 and 26:67–68.)
[24:49] The promise of my Father: i.e., the gift of the holy Spirit.
Jesus' Appearance While the Apostles are at Table, by Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319)
REFLECTION
Jesus makes himself present to the disciples in bodily reality. He offers words of peace, comfort, and challenge.
Place yourself in this room with these disciples. What would trouble you? What questions would arise in your heart? What would give you strength and hope?
He gives them their mission and a promise, but tells them to wait, stay, until they receive what they need to be witnesses.
READ this reflection on waiting. "What Are You Waiting For?," by Father (now Bishop) Robert Barron. It’s an Advent reflection, but the thoughts on waiting can apply at any time of the year.
RECALL a time you had to wait on something longer than you wanted to. In hindsight, what blessings can you see in your time of waiting?
How do you help your learners develop habits of patience in the face of unwanted waiting?
Jesus makes himself present to the disciples in bodily reality. He offers words of peace, comfort, and challenge.
Place yourself in this room with these disciples. What would trouble you? What questions would arise in your heart? What would give you strength and hope?
He gives them their mission and a promise, but tells them to wait, stay, until they receive what they need to be witnesses.
READ this reflection on waiting. "What Are You Waiting For?," by Father (now Bishop) Robert Barron. It’s an Advent reflection, but the thoughts on waiting can apply at any time of the year.
RECALL a time you had to wait on something longer than you wanted to. In hindsight, what blessings can you see in your time of waiting?
How do you help your learners develop habits of patience in the face of unwanted waiting?
Part 2: A Life of Journeys
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela's autobiography is titled Long Walk to Freedom. He traveled a long, trying, and dangerous road to help to bring justice to South Africa. Read this brief biography from the Mandela Foundation and watch this video:
REFLECTION:
What strikes you as the most difficult segment of that long walk to freedom? What would have required the most patience?
What most inspires you in Mandela's story?
Choose from among these quotes from Nelson Mandela the one that inspires you most. Why?
What strikes you as the most difficult segment of that long walk to freedom? What would have required the most patience?
What most inspires you in Mandela's story?
Choose from among these quotes from Nelson Mandela the one that inspires you most. Why?
- “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.”
- “A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.”
- “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
- “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
- “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
- “I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”
- “It always seems impossible until it's done.”
- “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
- “It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.”
- “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”