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HOMILIES

12. Homily - Sunday, April 26, 2020

Third Sunday of Easter - Year A (Lc 24, 13-35)

“Were not our hearts burning within us?”

“Were not our heart burning within us while we were on the road and he spoke to us and
explained the Scriptures to us?”

Today we, too, are on a road. It is the road of our life’s journey, the road of human history, our
personal history, and the history of our society. On all these roads, Jesus comes to meet us.
Jesus comes to walk with us and talk to us. Do we take the time to listen? Do we let ourselves
listen to God?

In general, when one approaches the theme of prayer, it is not unusual to hear the following
question: “What is prayer really at the deepest level?” The answer given to this very legitimate
question is that praying is to speak with God, to petition God, to praise God, and, again, to
speak with God.

But we know in the depth of our hearts that to pray is not only talking to God, but also
listening to God. God speaks to us. One could even say that the beginning of prayer is not to
speak, but to listen!

Praying is opening our hearts to God who speaks to us. By becoming listeners to the Word of
God in scripture, we learn to pray. By entering into the Word of God, we can respond to God
who speaks to us through the scriptures.

In prayer, we can make requests to God. Jesus himself told us to pray in this way, “Ask and it
will be given to you.” We can petition God, even with tenacity and perseverance. But at the
same time, He invites us to listen to his Word, the Word of God.

What is the Bible? We know that the Bible, Holy Scripture, is the Word of God. The Bible is the
Word of God! Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh, the incarnate Word of God and the
Word of God in its fullness. Drawing from the source of the Word of God, from Holy Scrip-
ture, is a means that God gave us to speak to us directly.

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 136