Our Sabbath Scripture Stories – 3rd Sunday of Easter – Cycle B

Read or listen to this Sunday’s Mass readings here.

  • Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
  • 1 John 2:1-5a
  • Luke 24:35-48

What a peaceful Sunday morning in the Pauline house.  You could still smell the scent of the Easter lilies all around.  “God is good!” Mom thought to herself.

Just then, Mom looked down the hall and saw Baby Ben.  He was standing in his bed, reaching up to a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that hung on his bedroom wall.  It was his favorite picture in the whole world, but what was he trying to do to it?  Mom looked a little bit closer and saw what he was up to.  Ben was trying to stuff a piece of his breakfast toast into the mouth of the picture of Jesus!

“Jesus hungry!” Ben exclaimed, as Mother approached him. 

Mom looked at the glass smeared with butter and crumbs.  But before she could scold him, she looked at the brightness in Ben’s eyes.  For whatever reason, he obviously cared about feeding this picture on the wall!

From the dining room, they heard Dad’s voice.  “Time for the Gospel reading for this Sunday!” he called.  Within seconds, you could hear the other Paulines scamper to their designated seats around the table.

“We will get the Windex later,” Mom smiled to Ben as she scooped him in her arms to join the others.

Dad read the Gospel they would soon be hearing at Mass.  “Does anyone have any questions about this reading?” he asked.

“I have a big one!” said Vincent.  “Was Jesus really standing there in the flesh, or was it Jesus as a spirit?”

His apostles know for sure that He wasn’t a ghost or something?”

“Excellent questions!” Dad said.  “I see you children are really thinking about this Gospel!  His apostles had the very same questions!  Luke makes a point of telling us how Jesus proved to His disciples that he was really flesh and bones.  Let’s read again verses 38 to 43: 

” ‘Why are you troubled?  And why do questions arise in your hearts?  Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.  Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”  And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.  While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”  They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.’ ”  (Luke 24:38-43)

“You see, Kids,” Dad said.  “Jesus was not a ghost, even though He had died on Good Friday.  He was alive once again!  His disciples got to touch Him, and Jesus even ate in the presence of His apostles so they could truly believe and say, ‘I know for sure that Jesus was a man of flesh and blood even after His death.  Truly He has risen!’ “

“Yeah,” agreed Vincent.  “Things that aren’t flesh and blood would not be able to eat anything.”

Dad nodded.  “I bet that no one in this entire room can think of an example where something that was not really alive would be able to eat anything!”

As Dad looked around at the faces of his family, he noticed Mom’s shoulders starting to bob up and down.  Soon she was shaking!  Then she exploded into total laughter!

“Baby Ben had an idea just this morning!” she chuckled.  “And since that picture was not alive, we still have a little mess to clean up, don’t we Ben?”

“Me funny!” he shouted.  Ben started giggling as if someone was tickling him.            

“We’re laughing now!” Dad said, as Mom brought down the picture to show the entire family what Ben had been up to.

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B – 3 EasterDownload

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