Readings and meditation on the Word of God on the 3rd Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2025

Delivered by Pricillia Ceranda and Gregory Octaviano from the Parish of Saint Francis of Assisi, Andrew and Shendy Jost from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 5: 27b-32.40b-41; Rs psalm 30: 2.4.5.6.11.12a.13b; Revelation 5: 11-14; John 21: 1-14.MEETING THE LORD Our meditation on this 3rdSunday of Easter is entitled: Meeting the Lord. The period after theresurrection of the Lord on Easter Sunday is called the Easter Season. We areall now in this period. All that happened in this period, as narrated in theActs of the Apostles, was a series of meetings of the risen Jesus with theapostles, disciples and members of the Early Church. The testimony about therisen Jesus came directly from the disclosure of those meetings. A truth requires facts or reality thatsupport it. The first element to prove an existing fact should be the testimonyof those who have direct experience on it through all their senses and incooperation with reason and communication. Acts of the Apostles in the newTestament tells it all. When the Jewish and religious leaders strongly refused thosetestimonies and then persecuted the apostles and disciples of Jesus, their mainreason was because they rejected Jesus Christ and would never make him the Lordto them. Their testimonies are considered thekey testimonies. They saw, heard, touched, and spoke directly with the risenJesus. They encountered the risen Lord as individual disciples and apostles andalso as a community of the early Church. What we hear from the today's Gospelreading really illustrates how the meeting and experience with the risen Jesus occurredin all aspects of the life of the Church. God meets his people when they areworking in their respective workplaces. In our works, we are sure through ourfaith that the power and love of God really assist us. This is why we areconfident to overcome difficulties and failures in our works. The risen Jesus’promises to be always with us is an evident sign. The encounter with the Lord alsooccurs through prayers and our intimacy with him. For the Church, the greatestand highest form of our prayer is the sacrament of the Eucharist. In thecelebration of the Eucharist, God Himself provides His own meal for us which wepartake as a feast celebrated together. The Eucharist is also a sign ofservice, which begins in the Church through the celebration of this sacrament,and will become relevant and concrete when we practice it outside the church andworship. Therefore, this Eucharist should become a holy Mass, because from itwe are sent to be the witnesses of Christ in the midst of the world anduniverse. Every one of us, starting with theBlessed Mother, her spouse Saint Joseph and the apostles to this day, need tomake an encounter with the Lord as the proof of our testimony of God. Even indifficult circumstances, such as the experience of Jesus as the lamb brought tobe sacrificed, our testimonies of God must have manifestations and expressions.Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O God, may this Sunday celebration be a special opportunity for ourencounter with You as individuals and all members of the Church. Glory to theFather and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father…