Tuesday
Octave of Easter
1st Reading: Acts 2:14, 36-41
Peter's Address (Continuation)
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[14] But Peter, standing with the Eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them,
"Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give
ear to my words. [36] Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that
God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."
The Baptism
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[36] Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him
both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." [37] Now when they heard
this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles,
"Brethren, what shall we do?" [38] And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be bap-
tized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is to
you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our
God calls to Him." [40] And he testified with many other words and exhorted
them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." [41] So those
who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three
thousand souls.
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Commentary:
14. In his commentaries St. John Chrysostom draws attention to the change
worked in Peter by the Holy Spirit: "Listen to him preach and argue so boldly,
who shortly before had trembled at the word of a servant girl! This boldness is
a significant proof of the resurrection of his Master: Peter preaches to men who
mock and laugh at his enthusiasm. [...] Calumny ('they are filled with new wine')
does not deter the Apostles; sarcasm does not undermine their courage, for the
coming of the Holy Spirit has made new men of them, men who can put up with
every kind of human test. When the Holy Spirit enters into hearts He does so
to elevate their affections and to change earthly souls, souls of clay, into chosen
souls, people of great courage [...]. Look at the harmony that exists among the
Apostles. See how they allow Peter to speak on behalf of them all. Peter raises
his voice and speaks to the people with full assurance. That is the kind of
courage a man has when he is the instrument of the Holy Spirit. [...] Just as
a burning coal does not lose heat when it falls on a haystack but instead is
enabled to release its heat, so Peter, now that he is in contact with the life-giving
Spirit, spreads his inner fire to those around him" ("Hom. on Acts", 4).
36. During His life on earth Jesus had often presented Himself as the Messiah
and Son of God. His resurrection and ascension into Heaven reveal Him as
such to the people at large.
In Peter's address we can see an outline of the content of the apostolic procla-
mation ("kerygma"), the content of Christian preaching, the object of faith. This
proclamation bears witness to Christ's death and resurrection and subsequent
exaltation; it recalls the main points of Jesus' mission, announced by John the
Baptist, confirmed by miracles and brought to fulfillment by the appearances of
the risen Lord and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; it declares that the messianic
time predicted by the prophets have arrived, and calls all men to conversion, in
preparation for the Parousia or second coming of Christ in glory.
37. St. Peter's words were the instrument used by God's grace to move the
hearts of his listeners: they are so impressed that they ask in all simplicity what
they should do. Peter exhorts them to be converted, to repent (cf. note on 3:19).
The "St. Pius V Catechism" explains that in order to receive Baptism adults
"need to repent the sins they have committed and their evil past life and to be
resolved not to commit sin henceforth [...], for nothing is more opposed to grace
and power of Baptism than the outlook and disposition of those who never decide
to abjure sin" (II, 2, 4).
38. "Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ": this does not necessarily mean
that this was the form of words the Apostles normally used in the liturgy, rather
than [the] Trinitarian formula prescribed by Jesus. In the "Didache" (written
around the year 100) it is stated that Baptism should be given in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but this does not prevent it, in other
passages, from referring to "those baptized in the name of the Lord." The expres-
sion "baptized in the name of Christ" means, therefore, becoming a member of
Christ, becoming a Christian (cf. "Didache", VII, 1; IX, 5).
"Like the men and women who came up to Peter on Pentecost, we too have
been baptized. In baptism, our Father God has taken possession of our lives,
has made us share in the life of Christ, and has given us the Holy Spirit" (St. J.
Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 128). From this point onwards, the Trinity be-
gins to act in the soul of the baptized person. "In the same way as transparent
bodies, enlightened by the Holy Spirit become spiritual too and lead others to
the light of grace. From the Holy Spirit comes knowledge of future events, un-
derstanding of mysteries and of hidden truths, an outpouring of gifts, Heavenly
citizenship, conversation with angels. From Him comes never-ending joy,
perseverance in good, likeness to God and--the most sublime thing imaginable
--becoming God" (St. Basil, "On the Holy Spirit", IX, 23).
This divinization which occurs in the baptized person shows how important it is
for Christians to cultivate the Holy Spirit who has been infused into their souls,
where He dwells as long as He is not driven out by sin. "Love the Third Person
of the Blessed Trinity. Listen in the intimacy of your being to the divine motions
of encouragement or reproach you receive from Him. Walk through the earth in
the light that is poured out in your soul. [...] We can apply to ourselves the
question asked by the Apostle: 'Do you not know that you are God's temple and
that God's Spirit dwells in you?' (1 Corinthians 3:16). And we can understand it
as an invitation to deal with God in a more personal and direct manner. For
some, unfortunately, the Paraclete is the Great Stranger. He is merely a name
that is mentioned, but not Someone--not one of the three Persons in the one
God--with whom we can talk and with whose life we can live. No: we have to
deal with Him simply and trustingly, as we are taught by the Church in its liturgy.
Then we will come to know our Lord better, and at the same time, we will realize
more fully the great favor that was granted us when we became Christians. We
will see the greatness and truth of this divinization, which is a sharing in God's
own life" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133-134).
39. The "promise" of the Holy Spirit applies to both Jews and Gentiles, but in the
first instance it concerns the Jews: it is they to whom God entrusted His oracles;
theirs was the privilege to receive the Old Testament and to be preached to di-
rectly by Jesus Himself. St. Peter makes it clear that this promise is also made
"to all that are far off"--a reference to the Gentiles, as St. Paul explains (cf. Ephe-
sians 2:13-17) and in line with Isaiah's announcement, "Peace, peace to the far
and to the near" (Isaiah 57:19). Cf. Acts 22:21.
40. "This crooked generation" is not only that part of the Jewish people who
rejected Christ and His teaching, but everyone who is estranged from God (cf.
Deuteronomy 32:5; Philippians 2:5).
41. St. Luke here concludes his account of the events of the day of Pentecost
and prepares to move on to a new topic. Before he does so he adds a note, as
it were, to say that "about three thousand souls" became Christians as a result
of Peter's address.
St. Luke often makes reference to the numerical growth of the Church (2:47; 4:4;
5:14; 6:1, 7; 9:31; 11:21, 24; 16:5). Interesting in itself, this growth clearly shows
the effectiveness of the Gospel message boldly proclaimed by the Apostles. It
proves that if the Gospel is preached with constancy and clarity it can take root
in any setting and will always find men and women ready to receive it and put it
into practice.
"It is not true that everyone today--in general--is closed or indifferent to what our
Christian faith teaches about man's being and destiny. It is not true that men in
our time are turned only toward the things of this earth and have forgotten to look
up to Heaven. There is no lack of narrow ideologies, it is true, or of persons who
maintain them. But in our time we find both great desires and base attitudes,
heroism and cowardice, zeal and disenchantment--people who dream of a new
world, more just and more human, and others who, discouraged perhaps by the
failure of their youthful idealism, take refuge in the selfishness of seeking only
their own security or remaining immersed in their errors.
"To all those men and women, wherever they may be, in their more exalted mo-
ments of in their crises and defeats, we have to bring the solemn and unequivocal
message of St. Peter in the days that followed Pentecost: Jesus is the corner-
stone, the Redeemer, the hope of our lives. 'For there is no other name under
Heaven given among men by which we must be saved' (Acts 4:12)" (St. J.
Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 132).
Gospel Reading: John 20:11-18
The Appearance To Mary Magdalene
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[11] But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to
look into the tomb; [12] and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body
of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. [13] They said to her,
"Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken
away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." [14] Saying this,
she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was
Jesus. [15] Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you
seek?" Supposing Him to be gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried
Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." [16] Jesus
said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which
means Teacher). [17] Jesus said to her, "Do not hold Me, for I have not yet as-
cended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending
to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God." [18] Mary Magdalene
went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that
He had said these things to her.
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Commentary:
1-2. All four Gospels report the first testimonies of the holy women and the
disciples regarding Christ's glorious resurrection, beginning with the fact of the
empty tomb (cf. Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1ff; Luke 24:1-12) and then telling of
the various appearances of the risen Jesus.
Mary Magdalene was one of the women who provided for our Lord during His jour-
neys (Luke 8:1-3); along with the Virgin Mary she bravely stayed with Him right
up to His final moments (John 19:25), and she saw where His body was laid
(Luke 23:55). Now, after the obligatory Sabbath rest, she goes to visit the tomb.
The Gospel points out that she went "early, when it was still dark": her love and
veneration led her to go without delay, to be with our Lord's body.
11-18. Mary's affection and sensitivity lead her to be concerned about what has
become of the dead body of Jesus. This woman out of whom seven demons were
cast (cf. Luke 8:2) stayed faithful during His passion and even now her love is still
ardent: our Lord had freed her from the Evil One and she responded to that grace
humbly and generously.
After consoling Mary Magdalene, Jesus gives her a message for the Apostles,
whom He tenderly calls His "brethren". This message implies that He and they
have the same Father, though each in an essentially different way: "I am as-
cending to My Father"--My own Father by nature--"and to your Father"--for He is
your Father through the adoption I have won for you and by My death. Jesus, the
Good Shepherd, shows His great mercy and understanding by gathering together
all His disciples who had abandoned Him during His passion and were now in
hiding for fear of the Jews (John 20:19).
Mary Magdalene's perseverance teaches us that anyone who sincerely keeps
searching for Jesus Christ will eventually find Him. Jesus' gesture in calling His
disciples His "brethren" despite their having run away should fill us with love in
the midst of our own infidelities.
15. From Jesus' dialogue with Mary Magdalene, we can see the frame of mind all
His disciples must have been in: they were not expecting the resurrection.
17. "Do not hold Me": the use of the negative imperative in the Greek, reflected in
the New Vulgate ("noli me tenere") indicates that our Lord is telling Mary to release
her hold of Him, to let Him go, since she will have another chance to see Him
before His ascension into Heaven.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].