{Third Sunday of Easter} Open My Eyes and Heart

Luke 24: 13-35

I just love this Gospel Reading. Here are 2 guys, walking back home, their heads down, trying to understand what happened. They are disciples of Jesus, the one who was to save the world. They stood by and watched him ridiculed, tortured, beaten, and crucified. They walked into the tomb after hearing the news that he was alive and saw it for themselves. Then, they meet a stranger who asks them what they were talking about. This stranger schools them on prophesies and explains them to the men. When they reach Emmaus, Jesus appears to be going farther, so the guys invite him to stay with them. He does, and, while breaking bread, the guys realize who this stranger is.  Once they realize who he is, Jesus vanishes. As they look back over the day's events, they realize that they felt something deep down while they were talking to him; they just didn't notice it at the time. 

It amazes me that Jesus was revealed to them in the breaking of the bread. Just as Jesus is revealed to us during the Eucharist. And then, just as the host dissolves in our mouths, he is gone. But, Jesus remains with us in our heart and body. We partake of his body and blood; he becomes part of us each time we receive Communion. Every day, we go through our routines, through our day. We complain (or at least I do) about something that hasn't gone the way we wanted it to, or thought it would. But then, as Catholics, we are able to walk into Mass and have Jesus come into our hearts & body through the Eucharist. It's through the partaking that our eyes & hearts are opened.

In his homily, Father said that we are like the disciples headed to Emmaus. Jesus came to them just as he comes to us. He revealed himself slowly, and waited until just the right time. That's exactly what he does for us. There have been many times, many "AHA" moments, when I wonder, "Why didn't that ever occur to me before?" This gospel answers that question for me: It wasn't my time for him to reveal those things to me. One thing that hit me during the Triduum: On Holy Thursday the priest washed the feet of several parishioners, then he kissed their feet. The next day, on Good Friday, we kiss the feet of Jesus during the veneration of the cross. That is just 1 example of a revelation that has come to me in middle age that I've never thought of/noticed before.

Father went on to say that Emmaus was just the beginning of the journey. This was the beginning of the believers. How exciting it must have been; how convicted the disciples had to be that they were following the Son of God! We can share in the excitement and be that convicted every single day of our lives. We are Cleopas & his friend on the road to Emmaus. If we are patient, Jesus will reveal himself to us in good time.