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Hello Friends,
On this Third Sunday of Easter, we hear at Mass the story in today’s Gospel from Saint Luke about the two disciples of Jesus traveling from Jerusalem on the road to Emmaus on Easter night.
Jesus has been dead three days and these disciples are understandably downcast, but they have also heard unbelievable accounts from their friends that He might be alive.
As they are walking on the way to Emmaus, the Risen Jesus Christ joins them and engages with them, but they were unable to recognize Him. They carry on a full-blown conversation with this “stranger” never realizing who it is.
The fact that they didn’t recognize Him as Jesus until they begin their meal and Christ blesses, breaks, and shares the Bread has always been an intriguing mystery for me.
What did the Risen Christ look like if they couldn’t recognize Him?
I don’t think anyone of us on this side of the grave will ever truly know why these disciples couldn’t “see” that they were with Christ. But we know now that their being prevented from recognizing Him was to God's purpose.
In so many ways, the Risen Christ is also walking in our midst and too often you and I might not even realize it.
The signs of the presence of Christ are here, you and I just have to look to see with the eyes of faith.
What keeps you and me from recognizing the Risen Christ with us in our lives?
Maybe it is because you and I can get stuck in a crisis of faith. You know, something happens – life happens – and you and I can become disappointed, or even angry at God.
Or maybe we just become ambivalent to our faith because life isn’t going the way we think it should. We might stop participating in church each week, we stop praying, we might stop believing in our heart.
Yet, the signs of the Risen Christ’s presence are here!
The Risen Christ walks with you and me in people all around us who make real the presence of the Risen Christ - if only you and I open ourselves to it look through our hearts with the eyes of faith.
Do you want to see God better?
If so, I have a homework assignment for you: look for the Extraordinary in the ordinary. Open your eyes of faith to see the Risen Christ.
Do this prayerful exercise – sometime at the start of your day say aloud to yourself, “I am going to see the Risen Jesus Christ today.”
Then go about your day.
And at the end of the day, before you go to bed, take a moment, and ask yourself, “Where did I see Christ today?”
I promise you, if you look through your heart with your eyes of faith, you will find that Christ is walking along side you in your life.
And through your eyes of faith, you will see and believe in the Extraordinary – the Risen Christ journeying with you, always.
As always, if there is anything we can do for you at UB Catholic campus ministry, please let me know. We are here for you.
May God bless you with Peace and All Good.
Fr. Greg