3rd Sunday of Easter Year A (2023)

Mass Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Year A

• First Reading – Acts 2:14, 22-33: “God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”
• Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 16: “Lord, you will show us the path of life.”
• Second Reading – 1 Peter 1:17-21: “He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”
• Gospel – Luke 24:13-35: “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Themes for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Year A

The readings for the 3rd Sunday in Easter for Year A encourage us to truly walk the path of discipleship. In the first reading Peter boldly proclaims the Good News. The psalm reminds us that God will guide us along the path of life. The second reading explains that Jesus Christ died so we could have new life. And in the gospel, two disciples encounter the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

• Discipleship
• Fellowship
• Letting God lead the way

See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Year A.

Prayer to the God of Goodness

This prayer to the God of Goodness is a prayer of praise. We must remember all of the blessings our heavenly Father has poured out on us. This prayer is based on Psalm 16, which is the responsorial psalm for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Year A.

Guide Me to Heaven Game

Guide Me to Heaven is a game which helps youth understand the importance of clear instructions and helping each other stay on the right path. It goes well with a meeting focused on friends or the teaching of the Church.

Go to a Prayer Labyrinth

A prayer labyrinth is a circle with a path in it which you walk while you pray. The purpose of the labyrinth is to facilitate prayer.  Several Catholic retreat centers in our area have prayer labyrinths on their grounds. They can be really effective for some youth with Autism or ADHD.

Walking Away

Jeff Cavins explains that the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus were walking away from Jerusalem, for they didn’t understand or believe that Jesus had risen.

The Role of Hope

Fr. Mike Schmitz recalls two stories from the Gospels that exemplify what hope is not. When Peter denied Christ, and when the two travelers on the road to Emmaus abandoned their hope in Christ.

The Pattern of Love

From Bishop Robert Barron. Like the two disciples walking towards Emmaus, a symbol of worldly power and security, and away from Jerusalem, the center of sacrifice, we need to be stopped in our tracks. Christ appears to them, but they do not recognize him. They do not recognize him because they are walking the wrong way.

Emmaus and Us

From Scott Hahn. We should put ourselves in the shoes of the disciples in today’s Gospel. Downcast and confused, they’re making their way down the road, unable to understand all the things that have occurred.

Emmaus and Genesis

Also from Bishop Barron. This is a somewhat novel interpretation, one that takes its inspiration from the style of the Church Fathers and draws a very interesting correlation between this narrative with the third chapter of Genesis.

You will show me the path to life,
abounding joy in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.