Ut Aliis Tradere

[A reflection on the Gospel appointed for the Third Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2026, which may be found with the other readings appointed at https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lectionary/easter-3a/ ] In the world of high stakes gaming, international espionage, and even psychology (in none of which I am an expert, I assure you!), much is made of what people call a tell , a subconscious quirk, expression, or movement that indicates something significant about the person expressin

Instead of a scold, I think this is an acknowledgement by Our Lord that for some, belief will be difficult, because they will not be guaranteed a personal visitation from Our Lord.

There is no question that the two festivals of Passover and Easter are related. As a matter of fact, the word for the Christian festival...is a variant...of a word derived from Pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover.

...there is something profound in this juxtaposition of these two very different Gospel accounts within the same Liturgy, and likely quite deliberate, blending them into a cohesive whole that emphasizes a particular truth or even perspective outside of a merely linear view of time.

Both of these seemingly hopeless, impossible cases Jesus took on to show God's power and to prefigure what can be expected of the age to come when the power of Death and Corruption are no more.

She. Brought. The. Whole. Town.

Here is where many get it wrong. Many think that belief in Jesus is merely acknowledging several statements about him to be true. While that is important, it is not what He means.

In our Epistle today,[3] St. Peter tells us that we are not following “cleverly devised myths,” as he put it, but tells us that he and the other Apostles were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ time among us

Still, we have to consider what Our Lord really means here. For those who read the Gospels, the Law, the Prophets, and the Epistles, we see that these people did not shy away from blunt and vivid. Even Our Lord could be very direct ("Woe to you..." is not exactly a diplomatic opener).