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April 15, 2009

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, (rise and) walk." Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. Acts 3:6-8

And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" Luke 24:15-17

Piety

There Is A Candle by Rumi

There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled.
You feel it, don’t you?
You feel the separation from the Beloved.
Invite Him to fill you up, embrace the fire.
Remind those who tell you otherwise that Love comes to you of its own accord,
and the yearning for it cannot be learned in any school.

Study

Slowly our eyes are opening. Then, all of a sudden, our eyes are fully open.

Like the shepherds coming to the manger in Bethlehem, those who encounter the Risen Christ have an Epiphany. Each week in group reunion, we discuss with our friends our moment closest to Christ, our epiphany. Sometimes, those moments shine so brightly that we can not help but to notice the Lord at work. Other times, it is much more difficult to recognize his work and walk among us.

What is amazing is how ordinary Jesus acted after the Resurrection. He did not perform signs and miracles like changing water into wine, walking on water, healing the sick, curing the blind man, or raising people from the dead. He talked with people in the garden. He visited them where they gathered. He walked with them wherever they went. He ate with them. He fished with them.

The key word here is “with.” Jesus did not come back to life for himself or for God. He came back to life for us. As he said from the beginning, he wanted us to change the direction in which we were looking for happiness. Before he rose from the dead, he needed to get our attention. So he performed miracles of healing and change to the witnesses around him. However, once Jesus was raised from the dead, he was no longer the Nazorean but he became the Risen Christ. He could open our eyes with the simple act of conversation and breaking of the bread. He did not have to feed the five thousand. He just needed to feed us one at a time. He fed Mary Magdalene. He fed Peter. He fed John. He fed Thomas. He fed his companions on the journey to Emmaus.

Jesus did not need to perform any more signs. Merely walking amongst us was miracle enough to change the disciples. Even thought they did not understand before, now their eyes are opened to the possibilities surrounding them.

Action

There is still time to work on your Palanca for the candidates on the Men’s 118th Cursillo for the Diocese of Arlington. Please pray for these candidates:

Chris Aycock, Precious Blood
Rich Baffa, St. Patrick
Dave Bentz, St. Charles Borromeo
Ned Cain, St. John Bosco
Tony Campos, St. Patrick
C.J. Capen, St. John Neumann
Jonathan Carlson, St. John Bosco
Dave Clem, St. John the Beloved
Joe Conklin, St. Ignatius
John Dister, St. John Neumann
David Hauge, St. Peter
Tomas Hillman, St. John Neumann
Robert Kendall, Precious Blood
Craig Koszycki, St. Mary of Sorrows
Emil Meny-Plunkett, St. John Bosco
Rick Miller, St. Charles Borromeo
Benny Perez, Precious Blood
Steve True, St. Mary of Sorrows
Tim Tully, St. John Bosco
Nate Wurst, St. Charles Borromeo