Sermon 236A

Sermon 236

OF THE SECOND DAY OF EASTER

The resurrection of Christ is narrated differently but truthfully by each Evangelist.

During these days of holy Easter, as your Charity knows, brothers, the resurrection of the Lord is solemnly recited according to all the Evangelists. For they wrote their narratives in such a way that they said some things in common, some things, however, one might omit, yet no one diverged from the harmony of truth. All said that the Lord was crucified, buried, and rose on the third day; however, how He appeared to the disciples, because He appeared in many ways, some said differently what others omitted; nevertheless, all wrote the truth.

Disciples slow to believe.

Behold, in the past night during the vigils it was read, if you remember, that the Lord appeared to the women after the resurrection, whom he first greeted himself saying: "Rejoice." And they approached and held his feet, and prayed to him. Likewise, today it was read that he appeared to two of his disciples walking on the road: For they were walking with him, and did not recognize him; for their eyes were restrained so that they would not recognize him; but recognition was reserved for the breaking of bread. For he came with them; he was received by them as a guest; he blessed the bread, and broke it, and they recognized him. Thus you recognize Christ, who believe in Christ. But consider, dear ones, what kind all the disciples were before the Lord's resurrection. Forgive me; they were not yet faithful; great they became afterwards, but before that they were even lesser than us. For we believe Christ has risen, which they did not yet believe. But afterwards they saw, touched, handled with their eyes and hands, and thus they believed, and their hearts were strengthened by the holy Scriptures. They drank, they belched, and filled us.

The opinions of strangers do not surpass those two disciples.

They were speaking among themselves, sorrowing over the death of Christ, as if of a man, and Jesus appeared to them and added himself as a third companion, and asked what they were talking about among themselves. They responded: Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem; do you not know what has happened here in these days; how the chief priests have handed over Jesus to death, who was a great prophet? O disciples, where was the Lord, now a prophet? Did he not fulfill all the Prophets? See, brothers, how the disciples believed, but in the despair of the Lord’s death, they returned to the words which strangers spoke about Christ. Do you remember, dear ones, when the Lord once said to his disciples: Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am? and they responded with the words and opinions of others, not their own faith, and said: Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets. Thus, the disciples returned to this, losing their own faith; they began to hold the opinion of strangers. They say, He was, a prophet. This is what strangers said about Christ, but what did the disciples say? But when Christ said: Who do you say that I am? Peter responded: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And the Lord said: Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, as to those who say I am a prophet; but my Father who is in heaven; and I say to you: You are Peter. You said to me, I say to you; you returned a confession, hear a blessing. For the Lord had said about himself what was lesser, and Peter had said what was greater. In the Lord Jesus Christ, it was lesser that he was the Son of Man; it was greater that he was the Son of God. The lesser said, he who humbled himself; the greater said, he whom He exalted. Upon this rock, the Lord says, I will build my Church. Upon this confession, upon this, which you said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. For the gates of Hell had prevailed against these; they had departed from Peter; they had failed on the sand. Help, Lord, your disciples; break the bread, so that you may be recognized; unless you gather them, they will perish. How did you seek? Behold, the disciples say you are a prophet.

The believing thief reproves the unbelieving disciples.

Then Jesus opened the Scriptures to them, because they had said despairingly, "But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel." O disciples, you had hoped; now you do not hope. Come, thief, remind the disciples. Why do you despair because you saw him crucified, because you looked upon him hanging, because you thought him weak. That same thief, hanging on the cross, immediately believed and recognized him, a companion in punishment; but you forgot the author of life. Shout, thief, from the cross; you criminal, convict the holy ones. What did those say? "We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel." What did this one say? "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." You had hoped, therefore, that he was the one to redeem Israel. O disciples, if he is the one to redeem Israel, you faltered; but he refreshed, he does not forsake. The one who became your companion on the way, he became the way for you. But back then, Peter was not there who had said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." He was not with them. He thought about Christ, wherever he was, that he was with them. Before the Lord died, he had denied; but when the Lord looked at him, he wept. But now, with the Lord crucified and dead... per chance he thought that seeing the Jews insulted, and they said, "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross, and we will believe you." When perhaps even the disciples, not insulting, but exhorting him to come down from the cross. After he did not, but gave up his spirit, and appeared dead on the wood, as other men die, wrapped, buried; when even they despaired, and among the despairing was Peter. After the resurrection, as Mark the Evangelist says, "He appeared to the women; he said, 'Go, tell my disciples, and Peter, that I have risen from the dead.'" For the Lord had already shown himself to the faithful women; and they returned and evangelized to the disciples, because they saw a vision of angels who said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here: he has risen"; and they did not find his body in the tomb. The women said these things, and the men did not believe; they were announcing this to the apostles, the announcers themselves of who he was. For when he was casting out spirits from possessed bodies, the very twisted spirits, afflicted by torments, said, "What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"