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The Road to Emmaus
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It was the Sunday after what was to become known as "Good Friday". For the Jews, Sunday is like Monday.
Everything around them was returning so completely to normal that it
was impossible for the followers of Jesus to believe that His life or
death was going to make any kind of difference. He had made great
promises and great claims and they placed their hope in Him. But, now
He was dead and it was all over. Of course, there were rumors about the
tomb being empty. But, rumors are only rumors.
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So, two people who had followed Jesus had nothing left
to do but get out of town and go to Emmaus. We do not know why.
Perhaps, the only reason they went there was because it is about seven
miles distant from a situation that had become unbearable. Many of us
feel the need to go to Emmaus.
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Emmaus may be going to the movies or going shopping.
Emmaus may be going to church or numbing your mind with drink or drugs.
Emmaus is whatever we do or wherever we go to make ourselves forget or
when we feel we cannot handle what life brings. Emmaus is where the two
disciples went to try to forget about Jesus and what they thought was
the great failure of His life.
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And, so they are walking along a dusty road to a town
that nobody had heard of. Suddenly, they are aware of footsteps
approaching them from behind. They are joined by a stranger who is Jesus
and who they do not recognize. When they reach Emmaus, they persuade
the stranger to have supper with them. Important – They invite Him. He
does not invite them and does not impose Himself.
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When they sit together for a meal and Jesus takes
bread and breaks it. Then, and only then, do they recognize Him as the
Lord. And, like the two disciples who had the revelation of the risen
Christ in the breaking of the bread, many people come to recognize that
on life's journey they are not alone. Usually such a discovery is made
in hindsight just like the two disciples after the revelation they say –
"Were not our hearts burning inside us
on the road as He opened the scriptures to us? Now that we think about
it, when we were walking along the road, complaining, being disappointed
and hurt, when we were pouring it all out to that stranger whom we did
not recognize, wasn’t there something we could not put our finger on?
Wasn't there a grace there?"
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Often it is that way with us. Think of a time in your
life that was messy, difficult, hard and, perhaps, traumatic. Then when
you look back, you can see how God was there. You often hear someone say
– "It was a terrible time in my life
but still there was a presence that I did not feel at the time. It
helped me get through the tough times. At the time I did not understand
it and I did not recognize it. But in hindsight, I am here today because of God's grace. God did touch me, did care for me and did guide me. But, I did not see it at the time."
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We come to realize that God is always present in the
midst of our everyday life. Even when we run to our own Emmaus to
escape, He is there. So how do we break through to a sense that we are
never alone that walking with us is a God who is madly in love with us.
We have a clue in our story. The two disciples say to Jesus – "It is getting late, share our food, and share our hospitality."
They forgot themselves, their disappointments and hurts and for a
moment they focused on another. That was their point of entry that
revealed the Christ who was there all along on their journey. The
presence that had been hidden from their eyes was revealed in the
breaking of the bread.
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The Emmaus story is also our story. It reminds us that
we do not walk alone and that it is "ok" to be disappointed or to
complain and "ok" to talk about hopes that have been dashed and to
wonder if anybody cares. This gospel also tells us that God is always
there right beside us. But, as we saw, that revelation often only comes
in hindsight. The Emmaus story reminds us that no matter what we are
going through not to be turned in on yourself so that nothing matters
except your health, your needs or your wants. It was only when the two
disciples reached out to Jesus to care for Him that they knew who He
was. It would seem that to recognize Jesus the resurrected was not
enough. Like these two followers of Jesus, you have to reach out to the
stranger you meet on the road.
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Yours in Christ,
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Fr. Robert Warren, S.A.
Spiritual Director
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P.S. Beginning on May 4th,
the Friars of the Atonement will celebrate the Feast of St. Peregrine
Novena of Masses honoring St. Peregrine, Patron Saint of cancer
patients. Join with us by sending your most heartfelt petitions to me now,
so your needs or the needs of your loved ones can be included in our
special Novena of Masses to St. Peregrine. My hope is that you will find
comfort, hope and strength through your friendship with this beloved
saint.
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