“Peace be to you… Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:36,38)
As the Church walks in the radiant joy of the Easter Octave, the sacred liturgy on this third day draws us into the continuity between the promise made to the Fathers and the fulfillment now manifest in the Risen Christ. The readings today, taken from Acts 13:16, 26-33 and Luke 24:36-47, beautifully converge in proclaiming that God hath fulfilled His promise—not in theory or mere word, but in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
✠ The Witness of the Apostles and the Fulfillment of the Promise
St. Paul, speaking in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch, stands up—“beckoning with the hand,” as the text says—and announces to the sons of Abraham and the God-fearing:
“The promise which was made to our fathers, God hath fulfilled the same to our children, raising up Jesus again.” (Acts 13:32-33)
Here is a striking echo of Psalm 2, which Paul quotes: “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee.” This verse, which once marked the anointing of the Davidic king, now finds its true and ultimate referent in the Resurrection of Christ. As St. John Chrysostom teaches, the Resurrection was not merely Christ’s vindication but the clear declaration of His Sonship according to the Spirit:
“He was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead, according to the spirit of holiness” (Rom. 1:4). This is the public manifestation of what He always was.” (Hom. on Romans)
The Apostles are not inventors of novelty but heralds of a divine continuity: God has kept His word to our fathers. And this is a deep comfort for us—Easter is not a rupture, but a divine seal upon all that God promised through the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
✠ The Appearance in the Upper Room: Christ Reveals Himself as Peace
In Luke’s Gospel, the risen Lord enters the midst of the Apostles, still huddled in fear and astonishment. His first words:
“Peace be to you.” (Luke 24:36)
St. Ambrose tells us that this greeting is not a mere formality—it is the very gift of Easter:
“He who said, ‘My peace I give you,’ now bestows it in truth. He offers not the peace of the world, but that which reconciles man to God.” (Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam)
But note the detail Luke records: they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. (v. 37)
Even in the presence of the risen Lord, the Apostles falter. This is not to be dismissed lightly. As St. Gregory the Great writes:
“It was necessary that doubt should precede faith, not that the hearts of the disciples should remain in doubt, but that their doubt should be healed by seeing the truth.” (Hom. 26 on the Gospels)
In other words, the Lord allows this moment not to rebuke, but to strengthen. He invites them to see His hands and feet, to touch Him, and to eat before them. This is no phantom or symbolic vision—it is Christ risen in the flesh, as the Creed boldly declares: resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas.
✠ The Divine Pedagogy: “He Opened Their Understanding”
Then comes one of the most beautiful moments in all of the Gospels:
“Then He opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45)
It is not enough for Christ to be risen. The Church must understand what this means. Thus, He teaches them how everything written in Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms points to Him. This is the foundation of the apostolic kerygma, as Paul later proclaims in Acts: “We preach unto you the glad tidings.”
Origen comments on this passage with awe:
“He opens the Scriptures when He opens the mind. And unless He open both, the one is sealed and the other blind.” (Homilies on Luke)
The same grace is given to us in the liturgy: Christ opens the Scriptures for His Church through word and sacrament, through the sacred preaching and the sacred mysteries.
✠ Paschal Faith: From Fear to Witness
The transformation of the Apostles from confused disciples to fearless heralds of the Resurrection is a miracle of grace. This journey is the pattern of our own sanctification during the Easter season. We too pass from fear to peace, from doubt to understanding, from confusion to clarity in Christ.
Let us walk in this Paschal grace. Let us ponder the Scriptures with the mind of the Church. Let us proclaim with St. Paul:
“Be it known unto you… that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 13:38)
And let us receive anew the peace of the Risen Christ, who stands in our midst still, in every Mass, in every tabernacle, saying:
“It is I Myself: handle Me and see.” (Luke 24:39)
Suggested Prayer for Today
O God, who by the Resurrection of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ didst vouchsafe to give joy to the whole world: grant, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary His Mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.