Prayer
Jesus, have patience with us. We are foolish and slow of heart and mind. Our hearts are set on getting that latest gadget. Our minds are pre-occupied with something trivial.
Jesus, teach us so we can learn our lessons as well as we remember the Top 40, the best seller list or the TV Guide. These later materials things do not challenge us to change from within. We easily forget the lessons from you and the prophets because you want us to go outside our comfort zone.
Jesus, change our hearts and minds with every close moment that we have with you through the Eucharist and with you in the person of our neighbors, our enemies, our sisters and our brothers.
Make us companions with you on our own Road to Emmaus – the road that leads us to intersect with you. Make us faithful to the mission you command us to fulfill when we cross your faith-filled, love-filled, and hope-filled path. Amen.
Study -- Burning Within Us
http://www.usccb.org/nab/041906.shtml
“Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24: 25-26)
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)
The Risen Lord changes hearts. Hearts of stone burn within.
Today, once again, we witness through the Good News, disciples who knew Jesus encounter him but not recognize him after the Resurrection. As with
Mary Magdalene yesterday, after the close moments with Christ, the eyes of Cleopas and Simon are opened to recognize Jesus when He breaks bread with them.
A consistent feature of the resurrection stories is that the risen Jesus was different and initially unrecognizable.[1] The reading from Acts sheds some new light on why the disciples did not immediately recognize Christ after the Resurrection. First, Christian prophetic insight into the Old Testament saw the crucifixion and death of Jesus as the main import of messianic prophecy. However, according to the NAB, the Jews themselves did not anticipate a suffering Messiah; they usually understood the Servant Song in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 to signify their own suffering as a people. [2] Second, when he did share information about his suffering, Jesus was very secretive.
Often Jesus told his disciples not to say anything about what he taught them because people would not believe the vision until they see it for themselves. For example, after the Transfiguration, as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." Even when speaking with Jesus privately and directly with the disciples, they misunderstood. They thought Jesus was talking about the suffering of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:13).[3]
Sometimes, we also see today, Jesus comes to those who do not seek him. With Mary and John and Peter, they sought out Jesus. But here, two disciples are traveling on that same Resurrection Day. So much has happened; we initially do not know why they are on the road except they were talking about the recent events. Jesus also can come to us when we least expect Him to arrive.
Action
Look for Jesus today. Where do you see Jesus? Post you comments after this entry on http://www.yourdailytripod.blogspot.com/.
[1] http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke24.htm#foot7
[2] http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts3.htm#foot8
[3] http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew17.htm#foot9
1 comment:
When I read and see in the news about all of the pain, suffering and sinfulness of this planet, I see Jesus. Because of the hardened hearts of so many people who refuse to look inward and are drowning out their inner spirit with everything so readily accessible, it pains me to know that their journey to God is going to be a painful one. Then I think of our Lord who is so readily accessible and I have hope.
Because our God gave us his Son to redeem, there is hope. In the meantime, I cry for those souls, and for my own.
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