"Let us pray together that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence." Pope Leo XIV | |
Excerpted from SBT, April 25th, 2021
The two disciples who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus knew him in the breaking of bread; however, even before he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and shared it with them, their hearts were burning as he broke open the scriptures, explaining the prophecies concerning the sufferings that the Messiah had to face before entering his glory...
And what is the basis for our belief? None of us ever witnessed the stone rolled back, the empty tomb, and the burial cloths neatly folded inside. Nor have we been greeted by angelic visions and tidings of great joy! We do not have the advantage of being able to see and touch the Resurrected Jesus, nor can we observe him eating in our company. Unlike Mary of Magdala, few of us can claim that we have literally heard the Risen Christ call us by name. All this being said, perhaps it is the two disciples en route to Emmaus whose experience is the most relatable. Like them, we can recognize the presence of Jesus in the proclamation of God's Word and in the breaking of bread; moreover, our hearts, like theirs, can "burn" in response to his presence. Just as the disciples invited their companion into their home to share a meal and find shelter for the night, so we can invite him into the sanctuary of our hearts. Then, we, too, can become credible witnesses as we share our stories of faith with those who struggle to believe.
+++
| | Available on Amazon
A resource for promoting ecological conversion.
| |
+++
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
"Merton's Fourth & Walnut Epiphany."
International Thomas Merton Society, Indianapolis Chapter
July 16th, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
All Saints Episcopal Church,
Indianapolis, IN
+++
Archdiocese of Chicago Liturgy Formation
Workshops
St. Paul VIth, Riverside
April 21, 27 & 29. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
St. Daniel the Prophet, Chicago
May 2, 6:00-8:00 p.m.; May 5 & May 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
St. Elizabeth Seton, Orland Park
August 24, 26, 27. 7:00-9:00 p.m.
| |
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- In what ways do you experience the presence of the Risen Christ in your daily life and in prayer?
- Who are your companions on the spiritual journey?
- How do you experience the Risen Lord through Word and Sacrament?
+++
| |
Greetings, SBT Readers!
I'm always intrigued by how anyone can read the Hebrew scriptures as nothing more than the angry communications of a vengeful God. True, there are passages that make us shudder at God's wrath —Ezekiel 25, for example —but typically the Divine anger is aroused by situations of grave injustice. This not only applies to "foreign nations" such as Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia, but also to the Israelites, God's "Chosen People." Regardless of which nations are involved, God is outraged by humanity's cruelty, greed, hatred, violence, infidelity, and deceitfulness. Sadly, the biblical record offers a tragic account of humanity's hard-heartedness—the exploitation of the poor, the marginalization of the vulnerable, cruelty towards foreigners, cheating in the marketplace, the worshipping of idols... As the prophets testify, God is not indifferent to wickedness but experiences such profound grief that "we who are flawed in our loving cannot comprehend the terrible mystery of God's anguish" (EAS, Jesus the Holy Fool, 63). Far from being a punitive god, the Holy One constantly extends mercy and forgiveness, ultimately entering the human condition as a powerless participant—
"as one who will transform the created order, not through the might of armies, not through the intervention of throngs of angels, but through Divine surrender" (65).
Between the Old and New Testaments, there is no sudden transformation in the Divine Nature. The God of Jesus is the same God of Love proclaimed by Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea and other prophets— a God of peace, not war, a God of infinite loving kindness whose Divine Heart is always open ...
Eastertide Blessings,
Elizabeth
| |
LINK TO SCRIPTURE READINGS
That day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were going to Emmaus, a village seven miles from Jerusalem, conversing about all that had occurred.
While they were talking and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, Cleopas, replied, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?"
He replied, "What sort of things?"
They said, "The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,
a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. The chief priests and rulers handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him. We were hoping he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us; they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body.
They came back and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found everything as the women described, but they did not see him."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"
Then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained what referred to him in all the Scriptures.
Lk 24:13-35
Cleopas and his companion knew the post-Resurrection Jesus through ritual action (the breaking of bread), and through scripture (his explanation of biblical prophecies); they also knew him at a heart level, that is, how they felt in his company. All three ways of knowing the Risen Christ are part of the Christian journey. In the first place, both Word and Eucharist sustain us. Through the Word, we receive instruction and inspiration, experiencing God's Presence as we learn to align our vision with the Divine vision. Scripture, in fact, serves as a corrective to our limited ways of seeing and understanding. The Beatitudes and Jesus' parables, for example, stand in direct contrast to the values espoused by the status quo, turning upside down notions of what it means to be successful in life. In a world in which the have-nots are more blessed than those who have everything, we discover that less is truly more and that real power resides in self-mastery, not domination.
Through the Eucharist, we "know" by participation in the Divine life. We become what we eat, letting go of our finite selves to "put on Christ" (Rom 13:14), that is, to be so intimately at one with him that our life becomes an extension of his life. To quote St. Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). In this place of unity, we let go of our petty concerns and ambitions and instead surrender to his love.
The third form of knowing—knowing with the heart—is, of course, influenced by both Word and Eucharist, but, as Cleopas and his companion experienced, heart-knowledge is also a response to that Presence that manifests where and when it wills. The disciples' hearts burned in Jesus' company, filling them with the holy longing to spend more time with him, to draw closer, to know him more deeply. And then, once he vanished from their midst, they carried that heart-knowledge all the way back to Jerusalem, where they shared their story with the other disciples. No doubt there was much warmth in their gathering....
| |
