 See your CHART for details  Key similarities:  Sunday morning  Women at the tomb (which is empty)  Messengers reveal resurrection  Women are sent to share the message  NO eyewitnesses to the Resurrection itself

 1. Disciples on the Road to Emmaus  Luke 24:13-35  2. Mary Magdalene  John 20:1-18  3. Doubting Thomas  John 20:19-29  4. “Breakfast on the Beach”  John 21:1-19 Read and summarize each one of these accounts in your notes. I will check them in class on Tuesday.

 Personal encounter with Jesus brings faith  1. Disciples on the Road to Emmaus (LUKE 24:13-35)  Gather, Study Scripture, Share Meal, Sent to proclaim  “The first Mass”  2. Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18)  FIRST witness of the Resurrection  faith & love are the keys to discipleship (not rank, gender...)  “Apostle to the Apostles”

 3. Doubting Thomas (John 20:19-29)  Describes the importance of FAITH--- believing without seeing  4. “Breakfast on the Beach” (John 21:1-19)  Symbolic of the disciples’ role as “fishers of people”  Symbolic of Eucharist  John’s accounts emphasize Jesus commissioning the disciples to continue his work

 A. Common Elements  1. The people Jesus appeared to are distressed.  2. Jesus reveals himself and reassures them.  “don’t be afraid” or “peace be with you”  3. Jesus instructs them to share their knowledge of his resurrection with others.  4. Only people of faith experience the Risen Christ.  The resurrection is ultimately a matter of faith.

 B. Risen Jesus: The Same but Different  SAME  Wounds of crucifixion  Knows the disciples  Disciples are convinced that it’s him  DIFFERENT  Appearance (not recognized immediately)  Can appear/disappear & go through locked doors  The Resurrection is not a continuation of earthly life; it is a completely new way of living.

 Which character in the Resurrection Appearance stories do you relate to most & why?  Has there been a “resurrection” experience in your own life…a time when “new life” came out of “death”?  In other words, how does good come out of bad in our own lives & in the world?

 The Resurrection is the essential fact of salvation history, the heart of the Good News  Confirms that Jesus is God’s Son  Fulfills Jesus’ preaching  Accomplishes our salvation  Gives us new life  Now – joy, freedom from anxiety, Jesus lives in us  Later – eternal life  Death does not have the last word!

 A. To understand this title, we must keep in mind the worldview of 1 st century Jews  In your notes DRAW the world as they would have imagined it.  Include: earth, humans, waters under the earth, waters above the earth, sky, stars, floodgates, heavens, God  Given this worldview, 1 st century Jews believed that God and heaven were “UP there.”  ASCEND = to move upward

 B. Scripture Accounts of the Ascension  Read each of the following accounts and answer the corresponding questions in your notes:  1. Mark 16:19  Where does Jesus go?  2. Luke 24:50-53  From where does Jesus depart?  What is the response of those who are present?  Emotions? Actions?  3. Acts 1:6-11  What does Jesus promise and why?  Who shows up and what is their message?  4. 1 Peter 3:22  What is Jesus doing?

 C. The Meaning of Jesus’ Ascension  1. Jesus moved beyond our experience of space and time  Heaven isn’t a “place” the way we think of places  2. Jesus passed totally into the presence of God  JESUSISNOWHERE  3. Jesus is even more present to us now  Because he is not limited by space and time, Jesus is always present with us.

 A. Jewish Holy Day  50 days after Passover (Exodus)  Celebrates the giving of the Law to Moses  B. Jesus’ Promise Fulfilled  10 days after Jesus’ Ascension, his disciples were gathered to celebrate Pentecost.  The promise Jesus made at the time of his Ascension (Acts 1:6-11) is fulfilled when he sends the Holy Spirit to the disciples at this gathering.

 C. Scripture Account: Acts 2:1-13  1. Who was present? (look back at 1:13-14)  2. Describe the presence of the Holy Spirit (sight & sound)  3. Describe the effect of the Holy Spirit

 D. The Significance of Pentecost  1. TRANSFORMATION  Disheartened people + Spirit of the risen Jesus = transformation  Frightened disciples become courageous witnesses  A shattered group of followers becomes a community of faith

 D. The Significance of Pentecost (continued)  2. BIRTH OF SOMETHING NEW  Disciples began a new way of living in communion with one another  Disciples went out to share the Good News (missionary campaign)  Pentecost = “Birthday of the Church”  Ideal Church:  Christian fellowship (Koinonia)  Praying for one another  Celebrating the Eucharist  Rooted in Gospel/Apostolic truth

 D. The Significance of Pentecost (continued)  3. GIFT OF THE SPIRIT  We receive the gift of the Spirit at Baptism  The gift of the Spirit is renewed in us at Confirmation  Because we have received the Spirit, we are called to share in the mission of the first disciples

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 See the Worksheet for an outline and key points  Use your worksheets to answer the following questions in your small group:  Describe the role of each of the following individuals:  Stephen, Philip, Matthias, Timothy  Give 2 specific examples of how the disciples continued Jesus’ ministry  Describe the controversy & conclusion about Gentiles in the community