“Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.” Luke 24:15-16
Usually when I read this passage, I’m always reminded of Matthew 25 where we hear the sheep and the goats say: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?” “When did we see you, Lord?” – a good question to ask ourselves this week as we reflect on the Road to Emmaus. We could ask ourselves: “Where am I not seeing you in my life, Lord? Am I like the two disciples on the road that are so preoccupied or distracted with gossip or worldly things that I fail to see when you’re right in front of me?” This is what happened to these two disciples, and it tends to happen to us as well. We could be walking by and not notice the signs or the ways that God may be speaking to us or inviting us today. Christ is always ready to reveal himself to us, especially in our everyday life or everyday situations – just like He did to these disciples on the road. Remember – the disciples didn’t know who they were talking to, and it only became evident at the “breaking of the bread.”
Many times, in our lives, if we’re open to it, we will find these “breaking of the bread” moments – unique, unexpected ways that Jesus reaches out to us in the ordinary, and to be honest, it’s in moments like these that we appreciate even more God’s work and his love in our lives. With God, it’s typically not about grand gestures but amazing things, done in ordinary ways … like the stranger that’s walking beside you as it was on the Road to Emmaus. In the end, it’s his way to encourage us to remain open to his creative and transformative ways in our lives. After all, He even surprises us with the transformation that He does with our hearts and with our lives.
This week, the Church remembers Saint Mark, the Evangelist, a man whose zeal for the Good News and inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote one of the four Gospels. He was also known to have worked with Saint Paul and Barnabas in missionary work. Though they most likely had disagreements, they still established a friendship and respected one another. In addition, this weekend, Joseph Dau, the seminarian who spent last year with us, will be ordained at the Seminary as a Transitional Deacon. Please keep him in your prayers this week as he begins his year as Deacon, and God willing, ordained as a priest in 2027.
In Christ
Fr Robert