Readings of the day: Acts 3:1-10; Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9; Luke 24:13-35
Jesus “was made known
to them” in the same way he is made known to us: In the Word of God and in our
Eucharist, which many of us are blessed to partake in almost daily. How is the
risen Jesus made known to us in our everyday events? Jesus is made known to us
in our prayer. Jesus is made known to us in our kindness toward one another.
Jesus is made known to us by a simple moment of joy; a smile; acts of
compassion. Jesus is made known to us here “in the breaking of the bread.”
How often do we pause and reflect on
where Jesus Christ has been present in our lives during any particular day?
During one retreat I attended while in
seminary in Toronto, the sister who led the retreat proposed that we
retreatants reflect on two instances when God was present to us during that
day. Now, a few years later, I still enjoy taking this short time to pray and
reflect, every day, on when Jesus has been present in my life today. I think
that this can even be a worthwhile examination of conscience, daily or for
instance when we are preparing for the sacrament of reconciliation. Yes, to be
mindful of our faults and even sins is important, especially when preparing for
reconciliation, but it may be just as important and powerful to ask simply and
prayerfully: When has Jesus; when has God been especially present to me today?
When have I immediately recognized
Christ present in one of these events of this day? When have I had a moment
like that of the man healed at “the Beautiful Gate” of the temple by Peter and
John, when it is clear that somebody has acted in our favor “in the name of
Jesus Christ the Nazorean”? These could be great instances of healing; of
forgiveness; of comfort, or they could be (as often they are in my daily
experience) small instances: The smile or laughter of a child; a kind greeting;
somebody going out of her or his way to anticipate another’s need, and so
forth.
And when have I not recognized Christ
present in an event in my life, sometimes until much later? In these instances,
what caused me to recognize Christ in that event when I finally did? When have
we been like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus in today’s Gospel reading,
conversing with Christ as though he were a stranger? Perhaps we have
encountered Christ in this way when we have been grieving or upset, or even
depressed.
The disciples on the Road to Emmaus met the
risen Jesus as a stranger on this road. They had been grieving the horrible
death of “the one” they had hoped would “redeem Israel”; the Christ; the
Messiah. This stranger, Jesus, challenges the disciples sharply for being
“foolish” and “slow of heart.”
But even more significantly the
disciples invite Jesus to “stay with” them just long enough for them to
recognize who he is. And how do the disciples recognize Jesus when finally they
do? Luke says to us that Jesus “opened the Scriptures to” them and “was made
known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
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