Luke 24:1-53
CHAPTER 24 VER. 1. _Now upon the first day of the week._ The first day after the Sabbath, the Lord's day, _i.e._ the day on which Christ rose from the dead. See S. Matthew 28:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER 24 VER. 1. _Now upon the first day of the week._ The first day after the Sabbath, the Lord's day, _i.e._ the day on which Christ rose from the dead. See S. Matthew 28:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Joanna._ A disciple, although her husband Chusa was the steward of Herod, who was an avowed enemy of Christ. So, as in the cases of SS. Serena, the wife of Diocletian, Antherina, her daughter, Tryphonia and others who were the near relatives of emperors notorious for their persecutions. God gathers... [ Continue Reading ]
_And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus_, &c. These two are generally considered to be the same as those mentioned by S. Mark 16:12, but Euthymius is of a different opinion, and argues that the Apostles believed these (see verse 34), whereas S. Mark 16:13, expressly s... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they talked together of all these things which had happened_, i.e. they were talking of the sufferings, the death, and the burial of their Master, grieving that so great a prophet had suffered so unworthily, and sorrowing because they would see Him no more; for they evidently despaired of his r... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it came to pass_, &c. Jesus teaches here that He is present with those who speak concerning Him. Let us then speak of Jesus, and He will be present with us also, and take part in our communings: not indeed now in bodily form, but spiritually, by the grace of His Holy Spirit, by which He inspire... [ Continue Reading ]
_But their eyes were holden._ You will ask, How was this effected? 1. Dionysius the Carthusian replies, and S. Augustine (_lib._ xxii. chap. 9 _De Civit._) favours his opinion, that they were struck with blindness like the men of Sodom, Genesis 19:11. But this can hardly be true, for they saw Chris... [ Continue Reading ]
_And He said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad?_ _σκυθζωποί_, "sullen" in the sense of downcast. Christ knew whence their sadness arose, but asks them the cause, in order that He might remove it: "As I followed I heard you speak of... [ Continue Reading ]
_And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said_, &c. This Cleopas was the brother of S. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin, the father of S. James the less, and S. Jude, and the grandfather of S. James the greater and S. John, who were the sons of Salome, the daughter of Cleopas. Se... [ Continue Reading ]
_And He said unto them, What things?_ Christ constrains them to open their grief and to confess their doubts as to His resurrection. _And they said unto him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth._ They acknowledge Him, says Bede, to be a great prophet, but they do not speak of Him as the Son of God, either... [ Continue Reading ]
_And how the chief priests, and our rulers delivered him_, &c. They do not accuse the chief priests and the rulers, although they were persuaded of the injustice of their actions. For they feared lest this stranger might be a spy, seeking some cause of accusation against them.... [ Continue Reading ]
_But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel_ from the power of their enemies, _e.g_., from the power of the Romans. "We trusted that he had been the Messiah who would have restored the kingdom of Israel to the same, or even greater, dignity than it had possessed in the tim... [ Continue Reading ]
_Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished_ (_ε̉ξέστησαν_). For what the women had told inspired them with awe rather than fear, and, says Theophylact, "overthrew their doubting and unbelief, whilst it strengthened their faith and hope in the resurrection of Christ. Their fear th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Them said He unto them, 0 fools_. _Άνόητοι_, rendered here in the Vulgate "stulti," but Galatians 3:1., "insensati." With these keen words Christ as the Master rebukes the disciples for their ignorance and slowness to believe. For a teacher is allowed to stimulate his disciples by sharp reproof to... [ Continue Reading ]
_And He made as though He would have gone further._ This was no deceit: for He would have gone on if the disciples had not constrained Him, but as He knew that they would thus constrain Him to abide with them, in this respect he was not willing, but was making as if (_πζοσεποιει̃το_) He would have g... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they constrained Him._ "From which example it is gathered," says S. Gregory, "that strangers are not only to be invited to hospitality, but even to be taken by force." And S. Augustine adds (_Serm._ 140 _De Temp_.), "Detain a guest, if you wish to recognise the Saviour; for hospitality restored... [ Continue Reading ]
_He took bread and blessed it._ He blessed it by causing it to become His body as in the consecration of the Eucharist. For that Christ thus consecrated it, although Jansenius and some others deny it, is clear: 1. Because S. Matthew, S. Mark, and S. Luke use the same words concerning the institutio... [ Continue Reading ]
_Their eyes were opened._ "See here the power and effect of the Eucharist. It opens the eyes of the mind to the knowledge of Jesus, and enables it to comprehend heavenly and divine mysteries. For the flesh of Christ possesses a great and illuminative power." Theophylact. Hence S. Augustine (_Serm._... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they rose up the same hour_ (i.e., immediately and without waiting to finish their meal) _and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together._ Actually there were but ten assembled, for Thomas was absent and Judas had hanged himself. But the Apostolic college is spoken of as "the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared unto_ _Simon._ Christ appeared unto Peter before He showed Himself to the two disciples and the rest of the Apostles, because he was penitent, and because he was the prince of the Apostles. See verse 36.... [ Continue Reading ]
_How He was known of them in breaking of bread_. S. Luke's expression for the Eucharist. So also S. Paul, 1 Corinthians 10:16 : "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" VER. 36. _And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them._ In their midst, say... [ Continue Reading ]
_But they_... _supposed that they had seen a spirit._ Because of Jesus' sudden appearance in their midst although the doors were shut. Hence S. Ambrose says, "Although Peter believed in the resurrection, yet it was but natural that he should be terrified and affrighted when he saw that the Lord had... [ Continue Reading ]
_And He said unto them,... Why do thoughts arize in your hearts? i.e._ why do you give way to them and permit them to arise? "These thoughts," says Augustine (_serm._ 69 _De Diversis_) "were earthly. For had they been from heaven they would have descended, not ascended, into their hearts. Thus Chris... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold My hands and My feet_,&c. If you cannot believe your sight, believe your touch. Let your hands prove whether your eyes have played you false. S. Augustine. For the sense of touch is more to be relied upon than the sight. _Handle me_ (_ψηλαφήσατέ_), that by touching my body you may be assure... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them His hands and His feet_ "pierced, and still bearing the prints of the nails," says Euthymius; as is clear from S. John 20:27. For Christ willed that these five wounds, or rather wound-prints, should remain in His glorified body as trophies of His victory... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb._ A proof of the frugality of the Apostles, for if they had had any better food they would have offered it to their Master. But as fishermen they fed on fish, just as Athæneus (_De Cœnis Sapientum_) tells us the frugal men of old were... [ Continue Reading ]
_And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you_, &c., i.e. that I was to suffer death upon the Cross and rise again the third day. Acknowledge Me then as the true Messiah, inasmuch as My words have been verified to the letter. Or by a metonomy these are... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then opened He their understanding that they might understand the scriptures._ He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself, as He had done before at Emmaus. See ver. 27. Christ did this both to confirm the Apostles in their belief, and to prepare them to teach and to... [ Continue Reading ]
_And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name_, i.e. 1. By His authority. 2. At His command. 3. In His stead. That the Apostles should continue the teaching of Christ, and spread the doctrine of repentance and remission of sins throughout the world. 4. In His name, _i.e._... [ Continue Reading ]
_And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you, i.e._, after a few days, when the Feast of Pentecost is come, I will send you the Holy Spirit, who will teach you clearly many things besides these, and enable you to preach the gospel to all nations. _But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem unti... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy._ They rejoiced greatly because they had seen their Master triumphantly ascend into heaven, because they eagerly and without doubting looked for the promised gift of the Comforter, and because they had good hope that Christ would, in... [ Continue Reading ]