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. 

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Wednesday of Easter Week

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

In the novel A Day with a Perfect Stranger an agnostic, who is having trouble understanding her faith-filled husband, goes on a business trip. She strikes up a conversation with the man sitting next to her on the airplane who also seems impatient with religious zealots. During their conversation the man not only resolves the woman’s doubts about God but also helps her discern what the Spirit is saying in her heart. In the end the woman realizes that it is no ordinary person that she is conversing with. It is the resurrected Jesus whom she has met.

The familiar story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus provides the storyline for A Day with a Perfect Stranger. Two travelers from Jerusalem are bereft with the death and rumored resurrection of Jesus. Along the road they meet another traveler who explains all that is troubling them. His insights into Scripture make their hearts burn with love of God. Then they recognize that their interlocutor is their risen Lord as he shares with them the evening meal.

The Emmaus story is meant to help us appreciate the presence of Christ in both word and sacrament at mass. We may also find it a parable indicating that he accompanies us along the journey of life. As youth, we find him teaching us to play fairly and to exert ourselves if we hope to achieve success. In middle age, we meet Jesus forgiving our excesses and strengthening us to carry out his Father’s call for our personal life. At journey’s end we recognize Jesus as the thread that has held our life together and the hope that old age is not our downfall but our catapult to a new and more abundant life.

Homilette for Monday, September 17, 2007

Monday, XXIV Week of Ordinary Time

(Luke 7)

Have you ever wished you could meet Jesus? Perhaps we hear ourselves saying, “If I only could meet him face to face, then I would not have any doubt.” Certainly having a personal encounter with Jesus would lift our spirits. In a fantasy entitled A Day with a Perfect Stranger a woman takes a seat on an airplane between two men one of whom is Jesus. The companion by the window chides her for not supporting her husband’s newly found faith. The man in the aisle seat leaves the armrest for the woman to use. Which of the two men do you suppose is Jesus?

In the gospel passage the centurion remarkably never meets the Lord. He sends Jewish elders to make his request for the healing of his servant. It is not that he considers himself more important than Jesus. As a matter of fact, his reasoning is quite the opposite. He does not want to bother Jesus with having to make the necessary courtesies to greet a foreign official. Yet the centurion believes in Jesus’ saving power, even from a distance. Jesus, of course, grants the centurion’s request as faith assures.

We may not have the personal encounter with Jesus that our hearts desire. But we do have his blessing as surely as the centurion in the gospel. In this Mass we listen to his words encouraging us to trust in him. We also touch him and hold him inside ourselves in the reception of the Eucharist. Jesus does more than let us use an armrest. He gives himself for us to lean on.