ACTS 3: 11 – 26

In those days: While the lame man who had been cured clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s, astounded. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people, “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name, by faith in his name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people. ’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came afterwards, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God gave to your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

The Word of the Lord.

 
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 8: 2ab and 5, 6 – 7a, 7b – 9 (R.) 2ab.

R/. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name through all the earth!
Or: 
Alleluia.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic
is your name through all the earth!
What is man that you should keep him in mind,
the son of man that you care for him? R.

Yet you have made him little lower than the angels;
with glory and honour you crowned him,
gave him power over the works of your hands. R.

You put all things under his feet,
all of them, sheep and oxen,
yes, even the cattle of the fields,
birds of the air, and fish of the sea
that make their way through the waters. R.

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Psalm 118: 24

Alleluia.
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.”
LUKE 24: 35 – 48

At that time: The two disciples told their story of what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have 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 were marvelling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then 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 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 for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.

China 4 Kubvumbi – April; .

China chePasika

Chiverengo chokutanga:
Mabasa 3,11-26⁷6
Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mubhuku
raMabasa Avapositori
11Murume akanga arapwa akaramba angoti name
name, naPita naJohani vanhu vose vakati wiri, wiri
kwavari muberere rinonzi Berere raSoromoni
vachishamiswa. 12 Pita paakazviona akataura
kuvanhu achiti, “Varume vaIsiraeri munoshamisika sei nezvizvi?
Munotinan’anidza sei sokunge isu ndisu taita kuti
afambe nesimba nounamati wedu? 13 Mwari
waAbhurahamu, naIsaki, naJakobho, Mwari
wamadzitateguru edu, akarumbidza muranda
wake Jesu, wamakaturira mukamuramba panaPirato paakafunga zvokumusungunura. 14Asi imi
makaramba mutsvene nomururami, mukakumbira
kuti mupiwe mhondi, 15 mukauraya muridzi
weupenyu, iye akamutswa naMwari kuvafi. Isu tiri
zvapupu zvaizvozvo.
16Munhu uyu wamunoona nokuziva, asimbaradzwa
pamusana pekutenda kwakemuzita raJesu. Izita
raJesu nechitendero chinobva maari zvamupa
utano uzere sokuonawo kwamuri kuita mose.
17 Zvino hama dzangu, ndinoziva kuti makazviita
mukusaziva sezvakangoitawo vatongi venyu. 18Asi
Mwari zvaakafanotaura nemiromo yavaporofita
vose, kuti Mesia wake anofanira kutambudzika,
izvi akazvizadzisa nenzira iyoyi. 19Nezvo pindukai
mutendeuke, kuti zvitadzo zvenyu zvipfudzwe, kuti
nguva iya yokumbofefeterwa nokuvapo kwaTenzi
(Mwari), 20 uyo kuti atumire Mesia wamakasarudzirwa, iye Jesu, 21anofanira kumbochengetedzwa
kudenga kusvikira zvinhu zvose zvaitika, zvakataurwa naMwari nomuromo wavaporofita vake
vatsvene vakare. 22 Mosesi akanyatsotaurawo achiti, ‘Tenzi Mwari
achakumutsirai muporofita mukati mehama
dzenyu, sokumutsa kwaakandiita. Munofanira
kumuteerera muna zvose zvaanokutaurirai. 23Ani
naani asingateereri muporofita iyeyo achaparadzwa,
achibviswa mukati mavanhu. 24 Vaporofita vose
vakataura kubvira kuna Samueri, navamwe
vakazotevera, vakaparidza nezvamazuva iwaya.
25Ndimi vana vavaporofita vacho vanorehwa, uye
vechitenderano chakaitwa naMwari namadzibaba
enyu achiti kuna Abhurahamu, nokumwana wako
mhuri dzose dzapasi pose dzichakomborerwa.’
26Mwari paakamutsa muranda wake, akamutumira
pokutanga kwamuri kuti akukomborerei nokukutendeutsai mose, kubva kuuipi hwenyu.”
Shoko raTenzi.

Rwiyo rwokutsinhira: Nziyo 8,1ab+4-8. (D – 1)

(D) – TENZI Mwari wedu, hakusi kukura ikoko kwakaita zita renyu, pasi pose zvapo.
1 TENZI Mwari wedu, hakusi kukura ikoko
kwakaita zita renyu, pasi pose zvapo.
Imi mune mbiri inorumbidzwa kumusoro
kwamatenga.
4 Munhu chiiwo zvake wamunorangarira,
iye munhuwo zvake wamunochengea.
(D) – TENZI Mwari wedu, hakusi kukura ikoko kwakaita zita renyu, pasi pose zvapo.
5 Asi imi makatoita kuti munhu asiye padukuduku
kuti ave saMwari.
Muchimupa chiremba chembiri norukudzo.
6 Makaita kuti ave ndiye anotonga mabasa
amaoko enyu,
mukaisa zvinhu zvose pasi petsoka dzake.
(D) – TENZI Mwari wedu, hakusi kukura ikoko kwakaita zita renyu, pasi pose zvapo.
7 Zvose: hwai nemombe,
uyewo mhuka dzomusango,
8 neshiri dzedenga, nehove dzegungwa
dzinofamba nomunzira dzomugungwa.
(D) – TENZI Mwari wedu, hakusi kukura ikoko kwakaita zita renyu, pasi pose zvapo.

Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka:
Nziyo 118,24

Areruya, Areruya.
Iri ndiro zuva rakaitwa
naTENZI, ngatifarei kwazvo tipembere mariri.
Areruya

Shoko Rakanaka: _Ruka 24,35-48”

Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa naRuka
35 Pavakabva kuEmmausi vadzidzi vaviri vaJesu
vakataurira vamwe vavo zvakanga zvaitika munzira,
uye kuti vakamuziva sei pakumedura chingwa.
36Pavakanga vachiri kutaura izvi. Iye Jesu pachake
akamira pakati pavo (akati kwavari, “Rugare ngaruve nemi”). 37Vakavhunduka vakatya vachifunga
kuti vari kuona dzangaradzimu. 38 Iye akati kwavari,
“Ko, muri kunetseka mumwoyo menyu neiko? Ko,
mibvunzo iri kumukireiko mumusoro menyu?
39Tarisai maoko angu netsoka dzangu muone, kuti
ndini chaiye. Ndibatei muone nokuti dzimudzangara
harina nyama namapfupa sezvamuri kuona
ndiinazvo.”
40 Ataura izvi akavaratidza maoko ake netsoka
dzake. 41Vachiri kupokana kudaro pamusana pokufara, uye vachikatyamadzwa akati kwavari, “Mune
chokudya here pano?” 42Vakamupa hove yakagochwa, 43 akaitora akaidya pamberi pavo.
44Akazovataurira achiti, “Aya ndiwo mazwi angu
andakakutaurirai ndichinemi ndichiti, ‘Zvose
zvakanyorwa nezvangu mumutemo waMosesi
nomuvaporofita nomunziyo zvaifanira kuzadzikiswa.’” 45 Akavazarura pfungwa kuti vanzwisise
Magwaro Matsvene. 46Akati kwavari, “Zvakanyorwa
zvichinzi, ‘Kristu aifanira kutambudzika uye kuti
amuke kuvafi nezuva retatu, 47 uyewo kuti kutendeuka nokuregererwa kwezvitadzo kuparidzwe muzita rake kumarudzi ose, zvichitangira kuJerusaremu. 48 Imi ndimi zvapupu zvezvinhu izvi.’”
Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi.

The Gospel of the Lord
GOSPEL REFLECTION: Becoming a Witness to the Truth
April 4, 2024

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, “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. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:45–46)

Jesus once again appears to a group of His disciples, and He once again gets straight to the point. He “opened their minds” so that they would understand all that the Scriptures revealed about Him. He helped them to see that His death and Resurrection were fulfillments of the teachings of Moses and the prophets. And then Jesus says something new: “You are witnesses of these things.”

As we saw in yesterday’s Gospel, it’s clear that the disciples did not yet understand why Jesus had to die and then rise again. They were still in shock and traumatized by these events. Therefore, Jesus had to carefully explain to His disciples the meaning of what had just taken place. They needed to understand this on a level that they couldn’t comprehend by themselves. They needed Jesus’ clear and detailed explanation as well as a special grace by which their minds would be opened to an understanding of these profound mysteries of faith.

We are no different than these disciples. It’s easy to believe in Jesus for insufficient reasons which only result in superficial faith. Some believe simply because that’s what they were taught when they were young. Some believe because it makes them feel better to believe. Some believe because they don’t know of anything better to believe. But then there are those who believe for the right reason. Like the disciples in this resurrection appearance, they have listened to Jesus speak clearly and in detail to them, such as through their study of Scripture, the Catechism, or other holy sources, and then they were given a special grace from God that “opened their minds” to an understanding that goes far beyond human rational abilities alone. Are you one of those people?

If you are, then you have another duty. Not only must you continue to internalize these truths, allowing them to deepen and change your own life completely and totally, but you must also become a “witness” to these things. When you grow in an authentic knowledge of the faith revealed by our Lord, you must also share it with others. Real faith must be shared!

Reflect, today, upon this powerful resurrection appearance. As you do, ponder whether or not you have allowed our Lord to speak to you in the same way that He did to these disciples, and whether or not you have truly internalized all that He has spoken to you and explained to you. If you are among this grouping of people, reflect also upon your duty to be a witness of these truths to others. Jesus wants to appear in His resurrected form to many others, but He especially does this, today, through the mediation of His faithful followers who are now sent forth to be witnesses to Christ and His glorious Resurrection.

PRAYER:
My risen Jesus, You gave Your disciples a glorious gift when You opened their minds to Your holy Truth and taught them many things. Please open my mind also, dear Lord, so that I will comprehend the deep and profound mysteries of faith. Help me to understand Who You are, why You had to die, and how to share in the new life of Your Resurrection. Please also use me as Your witness so that many will come to know You and share in the new life won by Your Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You.