On the Third Sunday of Easter, we draw close to the duo of the dejected disciples and witness their transformation from despair to rejuvenated hope. Without Jesus, we are lost and groping for meaning – but with Him, we are ensured of our ultimate destiny. Let us quicken our steps and join them on their hike to Emmaus. For we could all do with a closer walk with Thee!
Leaving Jerusalem
Cleopas and Companion were done, their dreams in tatters, their hopes dashed. They had hoped for a Redeemer of Israel, and in Jesus of Nazareth, they cherished a dream that one day, they would regain their kingdom, and it would be restored to the glory days, just like when David was King and peace reigned in all their land. But they had witnessed him being handed over by their own religious leaders, and they were eyewitnesses to his destruction by crucifixion by their civil leaders.
Despite the astonishing claims of the women disciples of seeing a vision of angels who announced the resurrected Christ, which had been corroborated by others, they clung fast to their own disappointment and chose not to sift the evidence with their own eyes and, consequently, turned their backs on Jerusalem. In the space of the Triduum, they had abandoned their adopted way of life, presumably having left everything in order to follow a Promise that only recently seemed so alluring. But their hopes were crucified on Calvary. To them, Jesus was just another prophet and nothing more. And now that he was gone, they were getting out of the city as fast as their feet could take them. They were done with Jesus and ready to turn the page.
Foolish And Slow
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!” Lk 24:25
Aren’t we just like them? When the chips are down, who do we seek? Do we rely on ourselves, strength and sagacity, or do we turn to the Lord? We don’t get it, despite repeated reminders. We revert to type. But despite our being done with Jesus, he is never done with us. Three days after His Death, why did Jesus seek out this dusty duo? Didn’t He have better things to do? But such is our Savior; this is what He does. He seeks out the lost and the forlorn, meets us along the ways and walks of our lives, and listens to our broken dreams. Why? Because He cares; He is deeply concerned about us; He wants to know what we are conversing, debating and wrestling with. It isn’t too trite for Him; it isn’t insignificant. We matter!
Jesus Holds the Interpretive Key
Consider how good He is. Jesus draws near to us. He opens the Scriptures for us. He enlightens our minds. And to top it all, He is the very Food for Our Journey. He dwells with us and within us! We don’t need to seek Him in far-off places; He is close at hand, nearer even than our next breath. He holds the interpretive key that unlocks our truest joys, that causes our hearts to burn within us. Our listlessness transforms into incandescence, we are shaken out of our stupor, we are given a new heart and an urgent mission. And here’s the astonishing truth. He needs us. He relies on us.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
We are called, we are taught, and we are sent. That order is, oh, so important. Every Mass ends with these words: Ite, Missa Est!
The Sermon on the Jaunt is over; we must go and tell the good, good news!
[Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35]
