THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER – A: 8th May, 2011
Acts 2:13.22-33; Ps. 15; 1Peter 1:17-21; Lk. 24:13-35
My dear Brothers and Sisters,
We can easily identify ourselves with these two disciples on the road to Emmaus! Their hopes had been shattered; their dreams had gone up in smoke. They were downcast, dejected, disappointed and discouraged. Their plans had gone awry. They just wanted to forget the reality of the death of Jesus and were walking away from the scene on to Emmaus, some seven miles away. At times, have we not felt that way ourselves? There is so much that we can learn from their encounter with this “Stranger” who walked with them.
The first lesson we learn is that Jesus does not abandon us when we are discouraged, disappointed and in the dumps. He journeys with us every step of the way. He listens to our story. He is with us even in our darkest moments. His presence makes our darkest moments our deepest moments! Jesus was walking with those two disciples and they failed to recognise Him. Their vision was clouded. This can happen to us too: we have met with failure or frustration, death or disaster, trial and trouble, loss and liability. Our vision gets blurred. All sorts of doubts cloud our mind. We think, mistakenly, that Jesus has abandoned us and that we are walking alone. We need to remind ourselves that He is with us always; yes, even unto the end of time.
As these two discouraged disciples walk with Jesus, they pour out their hearts and share with Him their shattered hopes. This is the second lesson that we need to learn. In prayer when we talk to Jesus we need to tell Him just what we are going through. If we are angry with Him, we must tell Him so. If we are burdened with sorrow or weighed down with anxiety, we must let Him know. Keeping our feelings bottled up can only make us feel more bitter and broken. When we tell Jesus what we are really going through, our prayer becomes real and personal. And only when we are ourselves real, we can talk and listen to a real God.
Finally, comes that magic moment when their hearts begin to burn and their eyes are opened. They realise that Jesus was with them along their road as He spoke His word. They sensed His presence when He broke bread. Indeed, He had broken into their battered lives and filled them with renewed hope. They set out that instant and hurry back from Emmaus to Jerusalem seven miles away – a mini-marathon – to share with the eleven and their companions that Jesus had risen and that they had encountered Him. This is the miracle of prayer: it does not change reality; rather, it changes us. We emerge renewed, reinvigorated and revived!
To conclude, how blessed we are to have Jesus with us. At every mass, He speaks to us as the scriptures are explained in the liturgy of the word. Our hearts must burn as we hear Him speak. At every mass, we break bread when we celebrate the Eucharist. In that breaking of the bread, we must recognise Him. Like those two disciples we need to invite Him into the inn of our hearts, to stay with us. He will change despair to hope, darkness to light, weakness to strength and failure to fulfilment. Amen.
[St. Tudwal Church, Barmouth – Msgr. Alex Rebello (556 Words)]
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