Our Scripture passage comes from the Gospel of Luke 24:35–48. In this reading, we heard of the two disciples returning from Emmaus and relating their encounter of the Risen Lord to the others gathered in Jerusalem. It is in this context that Jesus appears, opens their minds to the Scriptures, and commissions them to preach repentance to the nations. We continue to experience these same effects of the Risen Christ in our lives. As disciples, it is important for us to study this passage so as to better understand our encounter of the Risen Lord as well.

This Sunday we celebrate the great Solemnity of our Lord’s Resurrection (Easter). The primary liturgy for this celebration is the Easter Vigil. Our Scripture passage for this liturgy is taken from the Gospel of Mark 16:1–7. The New Testament accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus are well known to us. Due to our familiarity with these texts we can easily overlook significant details by which each of the Gospel writers wished to communicate particular meaning. The Gospel of Mark offers numerous insights that are meant to inspire, encourage, and guide our lives as disciples.

Our Scripture passage comes from the Gospel of John 12:20–33. In this passage we see that the long-awaited “Hour” of Jesus has finally arrived. This hour was first alluded to in John 2:4 and further commented on in 7:6, 8, 30 and 8:20. The “Hour” of Jesus is not a chronological hour of 60 minutes, but rather signifies the culminating experience for which He was sent into the world: The “Hour” of Jesus is the event of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

Our Scripture passage for the Third Sunday of Lent comes from the Gospel of John 2:13–25. This is the story of Jesus Cleansing the Temple. Although Matthew, Mark, and Luke all place this moment at the end of Jesus’ ministry, John places it at the very beginning and as one of our Lord’s first public actions. In doing so, John is telling us that the cleansing of our temple has to be one of the first actions we experience as disciples of Jesus. This is an important message for us during this Lenten Time.

Our Scripture passage comes from the Gospel of Mark 9:2–10. This is the scene of Jesus’ transfiguration and it is a fascinating revelation to the disciples of Jesus’ inner identity and mission. This interesting event is contained in the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), as well as the Second Letter of Peter (2 Pt 1:16–18). This multiple attestation means that the Transfiguration was a significant event in the life of Jesus that is important for our lives of discipleship as well. For that reason this account was carefully preserved by the 1st Century Church. There are several points for our reflection.

Our Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from the Gospel of Mark 1:29–39. In this text we read of Jesus going to the home of Simon Peter and healing his mother-in-law. This passage is a wonderful instruction for us as disciples so that we can experience and respond to the Lord’s grace in our lives with fidelity and generosity.