Luke 24:13-14, 30-31, 35
Now on that same day two of
them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem
and talking with each other about all these things that had happened....When he
was at table with them he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to
them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished
from their sight...Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had
been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
"If only..." is a frequent
refrain for all of us who wish we had done things differently, or the pandemic
had not happened, or the weather was ___ [fill in the blank]. Mostly,
though, I think most of us have yearned, with some desperation at times, for
that if only I could see, talk to, or touch them one more time moment.
As for the death of one loved deeply, I can say from my own acute experiences
that yes, much time does soften the punch and shock of loss, and it is then the
memories become ever more important with the hope and desire to believe that
they are still present with us. It is with that understanding that we
enter this segment of Luke’s Gospel about two little-known disciples of Jesus.
We read about two regular guys walking down the
road to Emmaus talking about the strange events of the prior few days. This other guy
shows up and seems unaware of these events and their importance. They,
surprised he didn’t know, explain it and then invite him home to dinner.
Suddenly the stranger is hosting the meal and even more suddenly, as he blesses
and breaks the bread, he vanishes. In an instant their eyes were opened as
never before and when they realized who He was, they rushed to
tell the others what they experienced.
Let us remember that at any
time and any place when we tear a piece of bread that is blessed at a meal,
whether we are alone or with another, to know Christ in the
breaking of the bread. More than a memory, Christ IS LIVING within us.
As we travel the road of this life, wherever it takes us, when we call upon His
name we know we are in His love. When we are consciously in His love and our thoughts and actions are guided by His Truth, this Road will lead us Home.
Risen Lord Jesus, our constant
Companion on the Road, You ransomed us from the futile ways of sin, and we are
born anew through Your Resurrection. Reinvigorate our dedication to purify
ourselves by obedience to Your Truth, to live in and act through genuine love
for others and ourselves, and to set our faith and hope on God. We ask through
You, the Living Enduring Word; and the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of our Souls;
who together with our Impartial Creator, reign as One God, always, forever,
eternally. Amen.
All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment