Collect Third Sunday Eastertide Year A

COLLECT SERIES 

The Mass: Collect Series Icon.

 

COLLECT

The Collect for 3^rd Sunday of Eastertide reads as follows:

May Your people exult for ever, O God in renewed youthfulness of spirit,

So that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption,

We may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of Resurrection.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

One, God, for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

 

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

 

1.How will I exult in renewed youthfulness of spirit this coming week?

2. What does it mean to me to exult and praise God?

3. How often each day do I praise and exult God in my prayers and throughout the day?

4.What are the areas of my life that needs to be renewed in youthfulness of spirit?

5.What does it mean me to be an adopted son/daughter of God?

6.Why is the resurrection of Jesus central to my Catholic faith?

7.In this difficult time of Covid 19, how will I live in confident hope this coming week?

 

 GOSPEL REFLECTION

 

There are many aspects to the Gospel of the Disciples on the way to Emmaus.

Some of these may be:

The grief and downheartedness of these disciples and their expectations of Jesus.

Importance of sharing grief/emotions with others who understand and listen.

Importance of sharing our life with Jesus- every aspect not just the big things in our lives.

The role of scripture in our lives- Scripture is God’s love letter to us. How often do we read it and understand it?

What happens when scripture comes alive in us’ How often can we say’’ did our hearts not burn as He explained the scripture to us?’

The importance of recognising Jesus as we listen and converse with Him in prayer and also, recognising Him in other people in the circumstances of our lives.

 

If we are to recognise Jesus, we need to spend time with Him  to converse, to listen, to share our lives, hopes, disappointments and daily up and downs.  We need also to spend time to read the scripture- our hearts cant burn within us like the disciples on the road to Emmaus if we do not spend time with Jesus in the scripture.
He alone can explain it to us in the best possible way for each of us individually. We too can experience our hearts burning as Jesus speaks to us.

 

In this time of the pandemic Covid 19, we need to re-evaluate our lives on all levels- the physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, social. We need to take stock and  change where necessary our habits, behaviours, attitudes and mindset.  We need to set appropriate goals too so that each day we continue to live in hope in the light of the risen Lord.

 

Remember, regardless of the current pandemic, the decision to place Jesus no 1 in our lives is a choice- a choice we need to continue to do every day.  However, if we truly love Jesus, then we will want to spend some time with Him every day, we will want to hear Him speak to us and we will want to listen to Him.

 On this third Sunday of Easter when we are reminded of the importance of God’s word for us and recognising Jesus too who also resides in other people, let us recommit ourselves to knowing, loving and serving God this coming week in whatever way we can.  Every task done however small offered to God and done cheerfully can be a gift from us to God, can provide for us more graces we need and ultimately shows our faith in action. We too can be like the disciples from Emmaus, turning back to share the Good News with others of the Risen Lord. We too can experience a watershed moment during this pandemic if we are open to God and His grace in our lives.

 (icon-1971100_1280 He is risenPixabay.com)

May our hearts burn within us as we recognise Him this coming week.

 

Alleluia.