3B EASTER HOMILY, LUKE 24:35-48, APRIL 14, 2024
1. STORY
During World War II, John, a non-believer, was in an Air Force plane
with seven others when the plane was shot down in the Pacific Ocean. All survived the crash and for 21 days they
floated in a small rubber raft with no food or water. Their only source of strength was a daily
prayer service. On the sixth day, a
school of fish passed by and two leaped into the raft providing for the first
in one week. The next day they prayed
for rain and were deluged by a rain storm. From then on, John became a believer. On the 21st day, they reached land and knelt
down to give thanks to God.
2. GOSPEL, LUKE 24:35-48
A. JESUS APPEARS TO THE DOUBTING DISCIPLES.
Jesus helped the doubting disciples by his actions.
i) He appeared to them.
ii) He spoke to them saying “Peace be with you.”
iii) He showed them his hands and feet.
iv) He ate with them. Jesus helped strengthen their faith by his actions.
B. JESUS TEACHES THE DISCIPLES.
Jesus helped the disciples by his words: "Then he opened their
minds to understand the Scriptures.” He
told them that “the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead.” Jesus strengthened their faith by his words.
3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
A. WE HELP DOUBTING CATHOLICS BY OUR ACTIONS.
Today there are many Catholics whose faith is very weak. Their faith may not be strong for several
reasons.
i) They may have had very little or no instruction after their baptism.
ii) They may have witnessed the bad example of other Catholics.
iii) They may have many difficulties in their lives.
iv) They think God does not answer their prayers. However, we can help them
i) by being aware that some are in need of spiritual support,
ii) by being kind to them,
iii) by being willing to listen to them,
iv) and by praying for them.
B. WE HELP DOUBTING CATHOLICS BY OUR WORDS. We can help the spiritual weak by:
i) sharing the joy and happiness you receive from believing in
Jesus;
ii) explaining that Jesus is able to give them the light to know what is
right and what is wrong;
iii) explaining that Jesus can give them the strength to do what is
right;
iv) explaining that Jesus can give them joy, peace, and happiness here
on earth and eternal life in the next world. We help the spiritually weak by our words.
4. CONCLUSION
John, the non-believer, came to believing in God by what he experienced
in his hour of need. While in the ocean
clinging to his life, he knew that the food and water he received came from
God. Jesus helped the doubting disciples
by his actions and words. We are able to
help the spiritually weak and the doubting disciples by our actions and words. We thank Jesus for helping us to stay
spiritually strong. We ask Jesus to help
us follow his example of strengthening spiritually weak Catholics.
