Weekend Reflections for 4/24/20

3rd Sunday of Easter

The Gospel for this Sunday – commonly entitled “The Road to Emmaus” – might be considered one of the immortal short stories of the Christian world. It tells of two people walking toward the sunset… a man and perhaps a woman, moving away from Jerusalem, making the 7-mile trek, more or less, to the West, to a village not far from Jerusalem. Why do they make this walk? It’s not clear. I suppose because they are going home. “The show,” “the action,” is now over in Jerusalem; the Passover celebration is finished; and, for those who were drawn to the person of Jesus, it has all ended in tragedy.

Saint Pope John Paul II was fond of reminding Christians that we are a “Easter People,” but I think that most of us experience life more as a Holy Week people. The joy of the Risen Christ is real, but it is mostly fleeting. Life in general feels more like the craziness, challenge, stress, pain and confusion of Holy Week. How true that is in this particular time of COVID-19! Amidst it all, we can easily fall into discouragement.

Perhaps that’s why it can be helpful to reflect on the central images presented by today’s Gospel. Life is a journey, and we are pilgrims. Where we are now is not where we ultimately need to be. As pilgrims, we are subject to disappointment and even disillusionment about ourselves, about others, about leaders, about politics, etc. Our hopes and dreams, like the Gospel walkers, can be dashed.

What lessons might we draw? Let me propose 5 rather disparate thoughts, each of which might be worthy of some individual reflection:

· In life, it’s better that we walk with others, even though it is tempting at times to walk alone, to get wrapped up in only our own feelings and experiences.

· It’s easier and better if we walk in hope and into hope… not into the sunset, but into the sunrise.

· Christ is present to us – even when we do not recognize him – and he wants to be the source of hope and encouragement.

· We are more likely to recognize Christ if we keep the focus less on ourselves and more on life outside ourselves.

· That recognition, that awareness, of Christ is crucial because Christ is the one who can “make sense of things”; in fact, it is only in Christ that we learn what life truly means.

And that is why it’s worth dedicating ourselves to getting to know Christ better, letting ourselves be fed by him, and letting him be our companion on our own pilgrim’s journey. May we journey well.

Christ’s Peace.

Fr. Frank Reale, S.J.