Reading for May 8, 2011

May 8, 2011 Third Sunday of Easter Reading 1 Acts 2:14, 22-33 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. “My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”     16:1-2,5,7-11Responsorial Psalm R. (11a) Lord, you will show us the path of life. Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. R. Lord, you will show us the path of life. I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. R. Lord, you will show us the path of life. Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. R. Lord, you will show us the path of life. You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.   1 Pt 1:17-21Reading 2 Beloved: If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,  realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.       Lk 24:13-35Gospel That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

 

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:

 

In a display of sheer courage that could only have come from God, Peter and all the apostles didn’t just stand firmly.  They went right into the middle of "enemy territory" and confronted the murderers of Jesus. 

He told both Jews and gentiles to listen to what he was saying, and he told them

"Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by The Loving Programmer.  He had the power to instantly erase errors, rewrite the damaged human programs, and download them perfectly.  God helped Him, and you know it.  

This man, Jesus, was sent to us because that was The Loving Programmer’s Program.  You killed Him, using lawless men (including the Jews involved in murdering Him), erasing Him the most painful way you could.                                                              But, The Loving Programmer restored Him, His beloved Program who’d taken human form and come among us.  He was so powerful that He, The Beloved Program, could not be erased by anyone or thing.     David said about Him:  ‘I saw The Living Program ever before me, with Him at my right hand, I shall not worry about having my own program damaged.  Therefore, I am glad and let people know.  My body program, too, lives in hope of eternal life, because The Loving Programmer won’t let my soul or body be corrupted, but will live, forever.  You will fill me with joy, being near You.’

My brothers, you can’t argue that (the human program that was) David died and was buried.  His tomb is here, to this day.  But, since He was given the ability to know about future downloads, and that The Loving Programmer had told him He’d be downloading one of his descendents upon his throne, David saw, and told us what he’d seen, that Christ (The Living Program in perfect, obedient, human form) would be erased and that His Program would be restored.

God restored His Loving Program, and we all saw it.  He is exalted at the right hand of The Loving Programmer, where He received The Power of The Holy Wireless Connector and poured that upon us, as you see and hear.  (Right now, as I am telling you this in the Temple controlled by the same people who murdered Jesus and are unable to attack us now because The Power of The Holy Spirit has overpowered them, forcing them to watch helplessly as I tell you all these things and the 11 others with me stand fearlessly at my side.)

Loving Programmer, You will show us how to get our individual programs operating according to Your Will.

O Loving Programmer, I put my program within Yours;  and say to You, "You are my Lord."  O Loving Programmer, my program is written by You, You are all I have and it is You who keep me."

Loving Programmer, You will show us how to get our individual programs operating according to Your will.

I bless The Loving Programmer Who keeps my program operating properly;  even in the night, I am impelled to do so.  I set The Loving Programmer ever before my human program, with Him at my right hand, I will never be erased.

Loving Programmer, You will show us how to get our individual programs operating according to Your will.

Because my program is operating according to Your will, my heart is glad, my soul rejoices, and my body, too, is confident;  because You will not allow me to be (evilly) altered, erased, or sent to live forever in error.  And, You will not let my program be corrupted.

Loving Programmer, You will show us how to get our individual programs operating according to Your will.

You, Loving Programmer, will show me how to keep my human program operating well, abounding in joy in the Presence of You Who programmed me (from nothing) with the joy of Your Eternal Program forever.

Loving Programmer, You will show us how to get our individual programs operating according to Your will.

 

Beloved, if you recognize that your fair and just Judge will judge you impartially, according to how you have operated your individual program, then you will be reverent (and obedient) during the time your program runs on earth.

You’ll realize that you were (actually) ransomed from errors that corrupted your program from your ancestors’ errors.  You were not saved with basic mineral programs, like silver and gold, that some of the human programs think are more important than they are, but with the sacrifice of The Program, who gave His Life to ransom us, in perfect innocence, the perfect sacrifice.  He, The Living Program, was known before The Creation Program was downloaded, but was shown in these days of the last download for you (human programs who are saved), who, because of, and through Him, believe in The Loving Programmer who restored His program and gave Him glory so that your faith and hope are (seen to be) in The Loving Programmer.

 

The first day of the week, two of His disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem, called Emmaus.

They were talking about all the things that had happened, and while they were doing so, Jesus, The Living Program, drew near and walked with them, but He altered the part of their memory program so they wouldn’t recognize Him.

He asked them what they were talking about.

They stopped, depressed.  Cleopas answered Him,  "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know what’s happened in the last few days?"

Jesus asked, "What sort of things?" 

They answered,

"The things that happened to Jesus, the Nazarene, who was a powerful prophet in both what He said and did right in front of everyone, God and all the people.  You don’t know how our chief priests and rulers had him sentenced and crucified?

 

 

We were hoping He’d be the one to save Israel, and after all this, it is now the third day since it’s happened.

Some women from our group have astounded us.  They went to His tomb early in the morning, and didn’t find His Body.

They came back and reported that they had seen a vision of angels, who told them He was alive.

Then, others went to the tomb, and found just what the women had described, but they didn’t see Him.

 

And, He said, "Oh, how foolish you are!  How slow of heart of believe all the downloads that the prophets had predicted.

Didn’t the Christ (the Living Program, perfect and obedient, in human form) have to suffer these things to get into His glory?"

Then, He told them what Moses and all the prophets had predicted, and showed them how those passages referred to Him (revealing The Great Mystery of the Ages).

As they neared the village, He gave the impression that He was going farther, but they urged Him to stay with them because the day was nearly over.

So, He went in to stay with them.

And, while He was eating with them, He took bread,

and said the blessing,

broke the bread, and gave it to them.

Then, their programs’ memories were made whole, and they saw Who He was, but He vanished from their sight as soon as they saw Him.

 

Then, they said, "Weren’t our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us and explained the ancient downloads?"

So, they left, at once, without going to sleep, and went back to Jerusalem (a two hour walk) where they found the other 11 apostles gathered with other believers, who were saying, "The Living Program has been restored and made visible to Simon!"

Then, the two recounted what had happened to them, and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the (Communion wafer) bread.