Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33; 1Peter 1:17-21; Lk. 24:13-35
Behold,
I Stand at the Door and Knock!
In
today’s Gospel, Jesus called two of his Disciples fools. Why? The two men on
the road to Emmaus were obviously frustrated and disappointed. They were upset
with Jesus for acting as a stranger in Jerusalem and for asking them a
question. “What are you talking about to each other as you walk along?” How could Jesus ask them such a question:
“Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have
been happening there these last few days?
“What things?” Christ asked them. Christ wants to know what is going on
in our lives. He wants us to tell Him about our troubles, sadness, worries, and
our joys. He wants us to share our stories with Him. He wants us to tell him
about the sickness in our families and how devastated it makes us feel. He
tells us, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of
heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” (Matt. 11:28-30). When
we are confused, as the men on the road to Emmaus were, we must turn to Jesus.
When in doubt, we must go to Him for comfort. When we are disappointed, Christ
will console us. He understands us now more than ever before. Christ will
always meet us on the way of our worries, fears, and anxiety. He will engage
us, ask questions, and listen to us attentively. We must listen to Him, too.
There
are times when our sterile worries, futile pleasures, and vain preoccupations
cloud our eyes so much that we cannot recognize the Lord as we should. The two
disciples on the road to Emmaus were thoroughly distracted, unfocused,
frightened, and downhearted, as their conversation reveals. Their
answer to Jesus clearly showed their frustration. They closed their minds to
the Scriptures. One could feel their incredulity and doubts as they recounted
their litany of woes to the stranger. “We were hoping He would be the one to
redeem Israel.” (Acts 2:21). We have been tempted many times to turn
away from God, Christ, and the church because our expectations were not met. We
often think that because we go to Church, say our prayers, pay tithes, obey the
church, and keep the commandments, our problems will be solved. How false are these
assumptions! Many were so disappointed with the sexual abuse of clergy that
they stopped going to church. Others stopped giving to the Church, which they
felt had let them down. Many turned away because they do not agree with the Church’s
teaching on marriage, divorce, gay marriage, and the like. Many have refused to
approach the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and have their sins forgiven.
They can confess directly to God, they reason. Just like the men on the way to
Emmaus once followed the Lord with hope and joy and truly believed that God had
sent him to establish God’s kingdom, we often feel that way too. But when the
storms of life hit us hard, like Good Friday hit the Apostles, we are often
disillusioned and quickly return to our former life, stopping to believe in God.
Mark
Link, reported in his book Sunday
Homilies Year A, a story that best illustrates the attitude of the two men
on the road to Emmaus. Regina Riley tells a story that many parents can relate
to. For years, she prayed that her two sons would return to the faith. Then one
Sunday morning in church, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Her two sons came in
and sat across the aisle from her. Her joy and gratitude overflowed. Afterward,
she asked her sons what prompted their return to the faith. The younger son
told the story. One Sunday morning, while vacationing in Colorado, they were
driving down a mountain road. It was raining cats and dogs. Suddenly, they came
upon an old man without an umbrella. He was soaked through and through and
walked with a noticeable limp. Yet he kept trudging doggedly along the road.
The brothers stopped and picked him up. It turned out that the stranger was on
his way to Mass at a church three miles down the road. The brothers took him
there. Since the rain was coming down so hard, and since they had nothing
better to do, they decided to wait for the stranger to take him home after
Mass. It wasn’t long before the two boys figured they might as well go inside,
rather than wait out in the car. As the two brothers listened to the reading of
the scriptures and sat through the breaking of the bread, something moved them
deeply. The only way they could later explain it was: “You know, Mother, it
felt so right. Like getting home after a long, tiring trip.”
Often in our frustration and despondency, we turn away from Jesus, but He never abandons us; He speaks to our hearts. “Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?” Jesus then explained what was said about himself in all the scriptures, beginning with Moses and the writings of all the prophets. Like the two brothers on Colorado road who met a stranger and returned to the faith, Jesus is the stranger who walks with us on our road of sadness and stress. He will open our minds to the Scriptures, and our hearts will burn within us. He will lead us to the Eucharist and give us His body to eat and His blood to drink.
Whenever
we turn away from the Church, Christ comes in search of us. He will never force
himself on us but will wait to be invited in. And after explaining the
Scriptures to the two men, He did as if He was going on further, waiting for
them to invite Him in. Once He was invited in, He broke the bread with them.
They rediscovered their Lord. He was never far away from them; they were too
preoccupied to see Him. Let us pray that we may see Jesus who stands at the
door of our hearts and knocks. May we hear His voice and open the door, so that
He may enter and dine with us and we with Him. Amen.
Augustine
Etemma Inwang MSP
