Wednesday, April 23, 2014


Wednesday within the Octave of Easter

(Acts 3:1-10; Luke 24:13-35)

In the novel A Day with a Perfect Stranger a woman is seated between two men on an airplane.  One of the two begins to moralize with her.  The other allows her to use the armrest.  Which of the men do you suppose to be Jesus?

On the road to Emmaus the disciples find in Jesus the perfect companion.  He engages and inquires, lets them express themselves and then explains to the point of inspiring.  The shock comes at the end of the journey when they discover in breaking bread with their supposedly new-found friend that Jesus is their gracious companion.

We may wonder what the risen Christ looked like.  The gospels do not offer much of a portrait.  He evidently could be easily mistaken as with Mary Magdalene in yesterday’s passage or even unnoticed as with the two disciples today.  Yet his presence becomes evident in the breaking of the bread.  All this is to say that Jesus reveals himself in the Eucharist where we may meet him daily.