ENCOUNTERING CHRIST ON THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM

The Mediterranean sun was growing longer and softer in the late afternoon as a gentle breeze blew through the nearby palm trees cooling down the hot dusty road. The fords of the Jordan River had been passed for the final time and now only the “City of Palms” lay ahead.

The “City of Palms”: The ancient city called Jericho. But it wasn’t the original nor did it occupy the sight of that hamlet. This was a newly constructed city about a half-hours travel to the northwest of the original location. The area possessed a climate tropical in nature and at times grew very hot. It was long known as an oasis because of its fresh water spring, which contributed to its nickname. Here palm trees of various kinds grew alongside sycamores, cypress flowers, and myro-balsamum, which yielded precious oil. Not only was Jericho an oasis but it was also a gathering place for pilgrims on the final leg of their journey to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual Passover feast. Jericho was only fifteen miles from the Holy City. A mere six hours travel by foot. And the main road of travel ran right through town.

Now it was customary at the time, when a well-known teacher was on a journey passing through town that the people would gather around and listen to his teachings. With Passover just a few days away many such teachers were passing through the city and many of the people that gathered about these teachers were pilgrims themselves on the way to Jerusalem; they were the ones with an added advantage. Others however, even though the Law demanded they travel to Jerusalem to attend the festivities, were unable to do so for various reasons. In lieu of this, many of these unfortunate souls would gather along the streets to see some of the famous rabbis and hear their teaching as they journeyed along.

On any particular day as the sun began to peak over the nearby mountains farmers would began driving their animals through the city streets as merchants began setting up shop and children desiring to get an early start could be heard laughing and screaming as they ran trough the streets.

Bartimaeus was awakened by all the early-morning noise of the city. Inside his makeshift living quarters he clutched his ever-present coat, throwing it around his shoulders as he struggled to his feet. With matted hair and unshaven face, this unkempt, blind beggar, began making his way to “beggars row” on the outskirts of town.

As he crept along the city streets, he stopped only long enough to beg for a small portion of stale bread from a sympathetic shopkeeper. With gift in hand he continued on his journey through the long city streets. As he walked along, most of the townsfolk that caught sight of him quickly diverted their attention in another direction. Beggars were considered a public nuisance.

Bartimaeus had always lived a dreadful life. From the very beginning he had two strikes against him. First there was the fact that he hardly had his own identity. The prefix” Bar” means “son of” and “Timaeus” means the “blind kid.” So he was merely identified as the blind son of another. Secondly, he experienced very little joy in life, little success, or peace. His daily goal was mere survival. But surviving really wasn’t living. He survived on charity, on people’s leftovers. Most of which was granted by those pious individuals who were familiar with God’s word: “Prayer and fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness…for almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life” (Tobit 12:8-9; cf. 4:8-11; 14:10-11; Sirach 3:30; 7:10; 29:12).

When he finally reached his spot on “beggar’s row,” Bartimaus sat down in his usual spot amongst his friends and fellow outcasts. On a normal day their spirits hung low, but today there was a reason to be a little more cheerful; they knew that Passover was coming and the crowds in the streets would be much larger than usual. So there was hope that this day would be more profitable than the others.

As the streets began to line with people, Bartimaeus began to think that perhaps this would be a red-letter day. But unbeknownst to him down the long dusty road trod the most famous Rabbi of all—Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was traveling with his motley band of twelve apostles, followed by a huge crowd. Their journey had been long; they were hot and sweaty and dust from the road clung to their wet skin. But with the afternoon sun fading, relief from the day’s heat was on its way. There was also relief in store for Bartimaeus also. This poor blind beggar had lived a life without any visual contact with his environment and he had sat in the hot, blazing sun all his life, but today relief from life’s torments would finally come.

Anticipation hung heavily in the air as the burgeoning crowd began to approach the city. The mood was festive; many no doubt were quite hopeful that they would encounter the great healer and teacher from Nazareth. One man in particular began to circulate among the people in hopes of catching a glimpse of this famous rabbi. He was a rich man, the chief tax collector of the city. His name was Zacchaeus.

As Zacchaeus looked for a vantage point, Bartimaeus sat along the road unable to see, but he heard the sounds of young children running ahead of the crowd, laughing, yelling, and playing as young children do. Then slowly, a rising crescendo of voices and laughter accompanied some playing reeds and flutes were heard. With his sense of hearing being keenly developed due to the lack of his sight, Bartimaeus could tell that something or someone had caused a mammoth crowd to assemble, a much larger crowd than usual.

Desiring to know who or what was causing all the commotion, he turned to a fellow beggar and asked, “Hey, what’s all the commotion about?” His companion could no more get a grip on things as he could, so he replied in a puzzled tone of voice, “I don’t know.” Determined to have the inquiries answered they turned to the passing crowd, “What’s all the commotion?”

“It’s Jesus of Nazareth. He’s coming down the road.” A passer-by informed them. “You mean the great rabbi? The fellow they claim can heal the sick and blind?” Bartimaeus excitedly asked. “That’s the one,” came the reply, “and I’m not going to miss seeing him for anything.” With that the unknown stranger was off and running.

Bartimaeus had been desperately looking for Jesus. So as the crowd grew closer and closer, excitement filled his heart. “I can’t believe it,” shouted Bartimaeus to his friend. “This could be the greatest day of my life if I can only get his attention.”

“Hey Bart there he is, I can see him!” exclaimed his companion. “But how are you ever going to get his attention?”

“I don’t know, but this is it,” stated Bartimaeus. “I may never get another chance to come in contact with Jesus again. I want to be healed.” So throwing dignity and caution to the wind Bartimaeus yelled at the top of his voice, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be silent beggar!” came a retort from the crowd. “You’re making too much noise. And besides there’s so many people here you don’t stand a chance on seeing Jesus. So just relax and keep quite!” But Bartimaeus was more determined now than ever to get Jesus’ attention. “What do they know?” he thought to himself. He knew he couldn’t see, but he could yell louder.

Did you catch the irony in all this? These were religious people on their way to religious festival who were listening to Jesus teach about the kingdom of God. Here were people listening to Jesus and taking it all in, they were in the right place, listening to the right thing, but completely missed the point! When it came to helping out a blind man, they told him to shut up. They basically said to him, “We’re on our way to the Holy City; we have no time for a blind beggar! Don’t bother the Master, you old beggar man. He’s got more important things to do than fool with you!”

Some folks are known to pat themselves on the back because they attend Mass on Sunday. Now, I’m glad they attend weekly Mass, but just attending Mass on Sunday doesn’t matter a whole lot if what you or I do afterwards doesn’t reflect the fact that we have just met with Jesus. Again, here were people traveling with Jesus, listening and taking in all His teachings, but when it came to helping out a blind man they told him to shut up! They failed to seize a golden opportunity that fairly smacked them in the face. They were like so many in the Church today, interested in listening but woefully short when it comes to obedience. They told Bartimaeus that Jesus had no time for him. But that’s where they were wrong, dead wrong! Jesus was far more concerned with the hurting and the needy than his day-planner, schedule or his persona.

Bartimaeus would not remain silent; you could hear his voice rise above the noise of the crowd. It rang out like a great clarion call. “Jesus, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Suddenly the crowd stopped, because Jesus had stopped. A great hush fell over the crowd. Throughout his ministry winds and waves couldn’t stop him nor could angry mobs or crowds of people. But a lone cry from a blind beggar could. Jesus with his great heart of compassion demanded that Bartimaeus be brought before him.

“Be silent now,” came a soothing voice. “Rise to you feet beggar and come, Jesus is asking for you.”

Jesus, on his way to becoming the Savior of the world, stops to become the servant of a blind beggar! Notice the complete difference between Jesus’ attitude and that of the people. The fickle crowd had been saying, “Shut up!” But now their refrain changes as they say effectively, “Cheer up, take courage.” How many times had Bartimaeus heard that before with no real reason to cheer up, offered merely as a panacea in the place of really offering help. But this time there was a real reason to cheer up, to take courage, for someone was there who could make a real difference!

The Lord always stands still at the cry of those who call Him. To Him each and every soul is valuable, regardless of color, race, state of origin, or position. He doesn’t look at names or titles, but at the heart of the seeker. All of humanity is in need of Him—without exception. And until they meet Him they are blind in need of sight. They may not be physically blind but they are spiritually blind. Only the Lord can give the light of life. Only through an encounter, a divine appointment with Him can a soul receive its sight. And only His dwelling in a man’s heart can make it alive and bright.

Bartimaeus was told that the Master was calling, and when Jesus calls, one dares not stay where they are. Up to his feet he leapt, and following as best he could the sound of the voice, he made his way to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. Bartimaeus responded humbly without hesitation, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”

Immediately Bartimaeus went from total darkness to unimpaired vision. Why? Because God responds to faith! Jesus didn’t have to ask what Bartimaeus wanted because it was obvious. He asked him to articulate the words of faith, words that acknowledged why Bartimaeus had called for Jesus in the first place. Just think, the very first thing Bartimaeus saw with his new found vision was the face of Jesus. But the story doesn’t end here; from this moment on Bartimaeus tossed his old cloak behind, the cloak that signified darkness and despair, and began to follow the Master. When Jesus changes us, we don’t need the old things anymore. They no longer have any value.

The healing of Bartimaeus is intended to encourage all sinners throughout the ages. Just as Jesus restored sight to this poor wretch, so He is able and willing to open the blind eyes of our souls. But Jesus doesn’t heal all the spiritually blind; only those that desire to receive their sight and cry out to Him. Think about it! When Jesus passes by you, you can stay trapped in your thoughts, reasoning and earthly desires. You can even think about it for as long as you want and doubt if you desire. But if you so choose my friend, you will stay blind forever! If you do not cry out to the Lord your soul will never receive its sight; not only that, but you will never be a partaker in the eternal life to come.

After receiving his sight Bartimaeus joined the procession making its way through Jericho and on to Jerusalem. Considering what it must have been like to have the face of Jesus be the first thing one has ever seen, consider now the things that Bartimaeus would see a few days later as his gentle Healer was scourged, mocked, and crucified.

With the recorded healing of Bartimaeus complete, a question comes to mind. Why do we know his name? Didn’t Jesus heal a number of blind, deaf, and crippled people? Why does this man stand out? It’s hard to know definitely, but tradition holds that Bartimaeus’ name is presented while others are lost due to the fact that he became a leader in the early Church. The faith that caused this man to call out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” was the faith that sustained him, having been delivered by the mercy for which he cried, through the most trying of times, a faith that was bolstered by the event of the resurrection!

THE TEST OF KNOWING CHRIST

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. For he who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says that he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked (1 John 2:3-6).

Many in our day profess Christianity. Some even go as far as to attend Mass or some other Christian service on a weekly basis, but are nothing more than pew sitters. These individuals may have the world fooled; even their friends and family into believing they are Christians, but are in reality are living dangerously by believing there is nothing wrong with their lifestyle. They believe through their weekly church attendance that they have reached the standard of goodness that is acceptable unto God. Unfortunately their standard of goodness doesn’t begin to compare with God’s standard.

The problem with pretend Christians is that they always have their eyes upon all the wrong things. They refuse to separate themselves from an ungodly world. They use no discernment in what material they read, what movies or television programs they view, what establishments they frequent or what company they keep. They are completely unconcerned with the types of conversations they engage in, how they dress, act, walk or treat other people. Some even believe there is nothing wrong with abortion or sexual activity outside the boundaries set forth by the Church. In other words, they believe they can engage in the activities that God is against and still be considered Christians. But they are gravely mistaken. These are the ones that St. John is referring to as not only living a lie, but whose lives are void of any truth.

Those that profess an allegiance unto Christ must remember His words: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind and with all your strength.” And: “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-31).

Again, one cannot engage in sinful activity or stand for everything that God is against and love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, nor can one love their neighbor in the way that God has intended. The two are inseparable.

St. John tells us we are “not to love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lusts of it; but he who does the will of God lives forever (1John 2:15-17).

In writing his First Epistle, St. John makes it perfectly clear that the context of his letter is nothing new. It is the same commands that Christ Jesus had already revealed. He merely reinforces the fact that the one who truly knows Christ is the one who keeps His words. By keeping the Lord’s words the love of God becomes perfected in us. Therefore the true mark of knowing Christ Jesus comes down to one word—obedience (1John 2:5).

May The Peace Of Christ Be With You

JUDGING RIGHT AND WRONG

Does scripture actually tell us that we are not allowed to judge between right and wrong, good and bad, or truth and error? If it does, how are we to obey God’s commands to uphold the truth and stand against wickedness while keeping judgmental attitudes in balance? In order to find out the answers to these questions we must carefully consider the Lord’s words.

In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (1-2).

By carefully studying Christ’s words we see that He does not prohibit us from judging but instead issues a very strong warning that we will be judged according to the standard we choose. In other words, if one is teaching in error but yet insists on finger pointing at another errant teacher there’s a problem. Likewise, if we judge another when we are committing the same or an equally grave sin, whether openly or in secret, there’s a problem. It becomes a problem because we become a witness against ourselves by committing the same acts.

Those bent on cowering away from a full commitment unto God or those who have something to hide will say that we have no right to judge another’s heart or intentions, but this too is contrary to Christ’s teachings: “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies” (Matthew 15:18-19).

So we see through Christ’s words that we are to question or judge another’s actions and words according to truth. For if we are not permitted to judge it becomes virtually impossible to distinguish between right and wrong. So going against what can be deemed as popular opinion (because no one wants to hear the truth anymore) scripture does in fact command us to judge.

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, 21, 22).

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

“Brethren, if anyone among you wonders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). So how are we to accomplish these commands if we cannot judge?

Whether or not one wants to believe it, testing is judging between right and wrong. But unfortunately Satan has successfully removed the ability of many professing Christians to measure truth because he has convinced them that it is wrong to judge. Again it is not judging that is wrong it is the standard by which one judges and the motives behind their judgment that can be wrong.

There is a standard for judging correctly and Christ Himself has given it to us: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). And, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).

So judgment is not to be according to appearance or personal preference but according to God’s own righteous standard, which is revealed in His word. It is God’s Word that judges between what is right and wrong. We are merely to test all things by evaluating it against that measure. It is the only true measure since God doesn’t change; His word doesn’t change. “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Therefore anything that disagrees with Gods unchanging word is not true.

Now according to scripture we can only practice righteous discernment if we are in love with God. If Christ Jesus is at the center of our heart and we keep His word. “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear in not mine but the Father’s who sent me” (John 14:23-24).

We may not be able to judge the finality of someone’s salvation, but we can clearly discern whether or not they are abiding in a true relationship with Christ based upon whether or not one is obedient to Christ’ commands. In other words, in today’s world many may claim they love God but it is impossible to love God while aligning ones self against His words, against truth. Some of you may still call this being judgmental but we see that Christ Jesus plainly stated it as truth. Furthermore, only those that profess Christianity but live substandard Christian lives are offended when confronted with the truth. Truth hurts and no one wants to deal with it. One must deal with it here in this lifetime or deal with it in the life to come. But in the life to come it will be too late and the consequences of dealing with it will be more than one can bear.

ENCOUNTERING CHRIST ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS--PART FIVE

Saving Faith Verses Religion

There are two types of Catholics, those that are truly Catholic Christians and those that are merely religious worshippers. In other words, there are those who practice religion for whatever reason and then there are those who posses true faith. And believe me when I say there is a real difference.

Religion is humanities creation; faith is Gods gift. A religious person comes to Mass to momentarily ease a guilty conscience and check off a Sunday obligation; while faith comes to Mass to see Christ Jesus. Religion sees Jesus as a meal ticket; faith sees Jesus as God. Religion searches for physical needs to be met by performing religious rituals; while faith on the other hand see rituals as a means of communing with God and receiving grace. Religion sees the signs, but not what the signs point to. But again faith sees Christ Jesus. The Church has this syndrome; worship, hymns, prayers, rituals, sacraments, sermons, creeds, benedictions, and even scripture. But what should be exciting becomes a common place where one cannot see beyond all the commotion in order to see the Word of God made flesh and dwelling among us. Religion is focused on right ritual while faith is focused on a right relationship with God. Religion is caught up in words while faith uses those same words to abide with the object of the words, Christ Jesus. Religion becomes common and mundane, but faith is always fresh and seeks to commune with God.

People who are religious do one of two things; they either wear their religion on the outside with pride and arrogance, like the Pharisees before them where everything was literal and outward in appearance giving the impression that their lives were in order. The other religious type is the one who hides it. They are the ones that shock you when you find out that they attend church. These people have not made Christ Jesus the center of their lives and they will die in their religion. In John 6, Jesus made it perfectly clear that unless we consume all of Him as the very substance of life, one will die of eternal starvation. When one sees Christ Jesus as the primary substance of life and ingests His life, death, and resurrection as we ingest food to live on, then one has faith, not religion. You see, religion cannot survive death, but faith in Christ Jesus can. Religion will not come out victorious on the other side of trials and tribulations, but faith in Christ is the ultimate victory in any and all circumstances. Religion will meet death with fear and trembling, but faith will cry out, “To live is as Christ, to die is gain!”

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” So asked St. Paul of the Corinthian Christians (1 Corinthians 10:16). It most certainly is! Yet the religious do not believe.

To those who merely attend Mass in order to check off another Sunday obligation cannot believe. For they, like countless other professing Christians who are not in full communion with the Church, see the elements as merely symbolic, meaningless pieces of bread and wine. But does their opinion mean they merely encounter the elements? In their places of worship it is true that the non-Catholic does indeed encounter nothing more than a mere symbol, but is that true within the confines Catholic Church? Certainly not! While non-Catholics and many professing Catholics fail to believe they are encountering the real Christ, His body, blood, soul and divinity under the appearance of bread and wine, doesn’t change the fact that they are indeed these things. They are merely carbon copies of their Pharisaic counterparts of old, who stood toe-to-toe, face-to-face, and nose-to-nose with Jesus, yet failed to accept or believe He was the Messiah.

Whoever comes forward to eat and drink from the Lords table without true faith and belief or fails to purify their soul of sin through the act of confession, reaps not blessing but condemnation. They are guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Those that do such a thing do not offer the first fruits of self-sacrifice after the manner in which Able offered the first fruits of his flock, become like Cain who offered something second rate and unacceptable to the Lord. In other words, they partake of the Lords table in an unworthy manner, thus eating and drinking judgment unto his or herself like their forefathers who partook unworthily in the early Church found themselves weak, sick, and some even died. Many are wrought with such things today for the very same reasons. The elements of bread and wine are truly the body and blood of the Lord. There is no symbolic intent in St. Paul’s words. In fact there is not a single instance recorded in all of scripture that testifies to anyone reaping the Lords judgment for having profaned a mere symbol (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-30). One cannot “drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s Table and the table of demons” (10:21).

Is all of this not true? Was there not one false disciple reclining at the table with the Lord at the Last Supper? There most certainly was! And until the proper moment in time had come he was unbeknownst by the other eleven. Judas Iscariot walked alongside the Lord for three years. He witnessed first hand all the miracles that Jesus worked among the sick, dieing, and even the dead and was even commissioned alongside the other eleven who were then sent out to preach the Gospel. He was with them when they received the power to cast out demons, heal the sick, cleanse lepers and raise the dead (see Matthew 10:5-14). Judas was even entrusted to be the keeper of the group’s finances. But despite all of that Jesus referred to him as being a devil (John 6:70) and the “son of perdition” (John 17:12), a term that St. Paul would later use to describe the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3). And he died after sharing in the bread and wine that Christ consecrated at the Last Supper.

Unfortunately there are many among us today, sitting at the Lord’s Table, who posses the same spirit that controlled the life of Judas Iscariot. But despite that fact and all the unbelief, the Eucharist is still in fact Christ Jesus coming to us veiled under the appearance of bread and wine.

So the question I propose is this: How do you partake of the meal that’s set before you? Do you come with mere religion checking off another Sunday obligation so that the bland taste of bread and the sweet taste of wine leave the taste of condemnation upon your tongue and then go home with one more religious quota satisfied which will soon be washed away with Sunday dinner? Or do you come in faith where the bland taste of the bread will become as sweet as milk and honey as your spirit is stirred reminding you of your sins and the Savior who took them unto Himself and suffered your punishment?

Have you ever wondered why Christ chose to utilized bread and wine to represent His body and blood? I know I did until the late Bishop Fulton Sheen eloquently explained the answer: “First of all, because no two substances in nature better symbolize unity than bread and wine. As bread is made from a multiplicity of grains of wheat, and wine is made from a multiplicity of grapes, so the many who believe are one in Christ. Second, no two substances in nature have to suffer more to become what they are than bread and wine. Wheat has to pass through the rigors of winter, be ground between the Calvary of a meal, and then subjected to purging fire before it can become bread. Grapes in their turn must be subjected to the Gethsemane of a wine press and have their life crushed from them to become wine. Thus do they symbolize the Passion and Sufferings of Christ, and the condition of Salvation, for our Lord said unless we die to ourselves we cannot live in Him. A third reason is that there are no two substances in nature, which have more traditionally nourished man than bread and wine. In bringing these elements to the altar, men are equivalently bringing themselves. When bread and wine are taken or consumed, they are changed into man’s body and blood. But when He took bread and wine, He changed them into Himself” (Life of Christ, Image Books, p.278).

In order for all of us to avoid the trap of falling into mere mundane religion, we need to heed the words of St. Francis De Sales: “From the beginning until the priest goes up to the altar make your preparation with him. This consists in placing yourself in the presence of God, recognizing your unworthiness, and asking pardon for your sins (and mean it from the depths of your heart). (2) From the time he goes up to the altar until the Gospel consider our Lord’s coming and His life in this world by a simple, general consideration. (3) From the Gospel until after the Creed consider our Saviors preaching and affirm that you are resolved to live and die faithful and obedient to His holy word and in union with the holy Catholic Church. (4) From the Gospel to the Our Father apply your heart to the mysteries of the Passion and Death of our Redeemer. They are actually and essentially represented in this Holy Sacrifice. Together with the priest and the rest of the people you will offer them to God the Father for His honor and for your own salvation. (5) From the Our Father to the communion strive to excite a thousand desires in your heart and ardently wish to be joined and united forever to our Savior in everlasting love. (6) From the communion to the end of Mass give thanks to Jesus Christ for His incarnation, life, passion, and death, and for the love He manifests in this Holy Sacrifice. Implore Him always to be merciful to you, your parents, friends, and the whole Church. Humble yourself with all your heart and devoutly receive the blessing our Lord gives you through the ministry of His minister” (Introduction To The Devout Life, Image Books, p. 104-105).

A true relationship with Christ is evidenced in the breaking of the bread and should result in a changed life and behavior. It should make us sensitive to our sins, our faults, and failures. It should make us see them in the light of the tremendous price Christ paid to secure our redemption. As we gather together with our brothers and sisters to celebrate the Eucharistic meal, we should be conscience of our oneness not only with those who partake of the elements with us, but with Christ Himself. The Eucharist is a family meal, and the Lord of the family desires that His children love one another and care for one another. That we should be one in Christ and that oneness should be evident in everything we say or do during Mass and after Mass when we step back out into the world even if others fail to recognize us as such.

I can imagine Cleopas and his friend standing in amazement, perhaps embracing in great joy, asking each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?” Their world had finally come together again. With their hearts still ablaze they set off at once for Jerusalem. It matter not that darkness had fallen across the land and traveling at night was extremely dangerous, the joy that Jesus had placed in their hearts through the hearing of His words and the breaking of bread made the danger seem trivial. They were determined to share with the other disciples what had transpired on the road to Emmaus. And that’s the type of attitude that we should have.

May The Peace Of Christ Be With You!

ENCONTERING CHRIST ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS—PART FOUR

The Heart Burning Experience

As the two-hour journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus was coming to a close, they approached the village at which time Jesus acted as if He was continuing on further. God has given the world the greatest and most perilous gift that one can receive—the gift of free will. This gift that has been bestowed upon each of us to either invite Christ into our hearts or allow Him to pass on is the same gift that is offered in the Book of Revelation where we find the Lord saying, “Those to whom I love I rebuke and discipline…here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me” (3:19-20).

This was the very situation in the Emmaus story. Jesus had been knocking on the two disciples hearts throughout the journey and now as He acted as if He was going further the two men needed to make a decision to either invite this stranger to stay with them or to allow Him to continue on His way. They elected to invite Him to stay.

The three entered a dwelling where a basic meal was quickly prepared. As the meal was placed upon the table the moment came for Jesus to disclose His true identity. How did He do it? “He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.” It was through the action of the breaking of the bread that their eyes were opened to the stranger’s true identity. It was an action they had no doubt seen before. They no doubt saw His hands—that they were different from when He had last broken bread before their eyes. They were the nail-pierced hands of the Savior of the world. But it was in the act of the breaking of the bread that resulted in their knowing Him in an instant. And then in another instant, He was gone.

Each time we come to the Lords table, we witness the intimate act of the breaking of the bread. It is through this simple act that God has chosen to open our eyes—the eyes of our mind and the eyes of our heart in order that we may understand what He has done for all of us.

Why did the two disciples not recognize Jesus on the road? Had they not heard Him teach, had they not witnessed the miracles worked by His hands, and had they not heard Him tell them all that as the Messiah He would suffer, die and on the third day rise again? They had indeed. But the two disciples could not recognize Jesus because they had the wrong expectations concerning the Messiah. They had human expectations for fulfilling a divine plan. They had expected Jesus would deliver Israel from the hands of her oppressors as a military and political Messiah. So Jesus had to come to them as a stranger in order to fill in the gaps of their misconceptions.

If the Lords first disciples, who were first hand witnesses, needed to observe the Eucharist in order to recognize the Savior of the world then how much more do we need it? We need it not only to open our eyes so we too can recognize Christ but also to serve as a reminder of what Christ Jesus endured to pay for our sins lest we become so preoccupied with our lives and activities that we fail to commune with Him. The Eucharist is a touching memorial that should fill our hearts with gratitude as we partake of it with other believers. It should bring to our minds those scenes of our Lords suffering portrayed in the Gospels. Christ desires that we remember how He died. He desires that we remember because everything we have as Catholic Christians centers in His death. However, this memorial is not simply the recalling of historical facts.

To Be Continued...

ENCOUNTERING CHRIST ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS--PART THREE

The Relevance Of Scripture

As the two disciples spoke of what transpired on the cross, Jesus took hold of their bewilderment and sorrow and gave them a heart filling experience. How? By pointing them unto God’s self-revelation in the scriptures. Luke tells us, “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself.”

Jesus gave the Emmaus travelers the greatest Old Testament exposition in history. Through His words the shadows and symbols of the Old Testament revelation began to come together. He reminded them that back at the fall of mankind, the apparently victorious Satan, in the form of a serpent, was told that the seed, the offspring of a woman “will crush your head, and you will strike His heel” (Genesis 3:15). And so the story was foretold of the cosmic struggle between life and death, of the pattern of death and resurrection according to Old Testament revelation. It was clearly visible in the life of Abraham when he was willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac, only to get him back again. In the preservation of Joseph so he could become the benefactor of his brothers who tried to destroy him. In the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt after having been saved from the angel of death through the sign of the blood of the Passover lamb. Jesus recalled His own teaching of how the Israelites escaped physical death in the wilderness from a plague of serpents when they looked trustingly to a great bronze serpent which Moses raised on a pole, pointing out that He too would be lifted up on the cross, “that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life in Him” (John 3:15).

Jesus no doubt took the now speechless disciples through the Suffering Servant of Jehovah passages in Isaiah and recounted how the nation of Israel was taken into exile and brought back again to rebuild Jerusalem as a symbol of the greater redemption through personal salvation through faith in Him. Throughout His discourse Jesus offered proof that He had fulfilled that, which had been prophesied over the centuries. That the Old Testament anticipations of His passion and triumph of life over death was proof that He was indeed the long awaited Messiah.

The two disciples couldn’t have possibly expected that the sharing of their problem with the stranger on the road to Emmaus would bring them toward a solution. But there was more to it than that. Christ wasn’t merely walking beside them to help them find a solution—He was in the problem itself. Jesus asked His two listeners, “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things?”

The problem for the disciples as it is with many in our time was making sense of the cross, how to accept it. Jesus helped them through that by showing them how the cross itself was the creative act of God. St. Paul would later write that, “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). The cross of shame and suffering had become the Cross of Redemption for all who would come to Christ in repentance and faith.

The most vital instrument used in the proclamation of the Gospel and evangelization is the use of scripture. As apologist Jeff Cavins once stated, “Catholics must proclaim the Word—what Christ says about our situation, what He is offering us, what He says about the Church and the beauty of the Church.” The underlying problem is however, “Many Catholics don’t know the bible. They don’t know it enough to talk about it. What kind of position does that put one in if we are supposed to be out there changing the world—proclaiming the good news?”

Another problem that arises over the scriptures is the fact that many Catholics that do read and know scripture have not studied apart from proving Catholic doctrine. They have not read scripture in the sense that Pope John Paul II recommended, and that is to read it and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to ones heart. To see what the Holy Spirit has to say to us as individuals.

The written Word of God is the one place we can definitely hear the voice of God. Therefore it is imperative that we pay close attention to the readings at Mass; that we give them our undivided attention. For it is through the proclamation of the Gospel reading that Jesus begins to intrude into our lives, probing our thoughts, for the purpose of blessing us and helping us grow. What matters here is how we respond. Do we, like the two disciples welcome His initiative and let Him minister to us? Do we want Him to keep talking and explaining what previously baffled us? Or do we merely desire that the Gospel proclamation be over because the things He reveals are too uncomfortable as He encroaches into our conscience?

Jesus rebuked Cleopas and his companion when He said, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Perhaps the key word is “all.” It wasn’t that they hadn’t read or heard all that had been proclaimed by the prophets of old, but perhaps they had read or heard selectively like so many do today. The passages that spoke of a suffering servant didn’t fit with their expectations of the Messiah, just as many today cannot accept or follow a Messiah that calls us to suffering. Many have a tendency to skip over or ignore such biblical passages that reference to such a thing. If one truly opens his or her mind, spirit, and soul when given an exposition from the scriptures they will react positively, and in fact will want more.

To Be Continued…

ENCONTERING CHRIST ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS—PART TWO

A HEART FILLING EXPERIENCE

As the three men walked along Jesus asked the two disciples, “What are you discussing together as you walked along?” Quickly the men realized they were amongst someone who was willing to listen to their sorrows and troubles so they poured out their sad story.

How wonderfully kind and compassionate is our Lord. He could have very well become angry with these two men for their lack of faith in Him. After all hadn’t He said, “Unless a seed dies, it abides alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit?” (John 12:24). But no, Jesus doesn’t berate them but rather as someone once stated, “In His infinite courtesy, Jesus remembered the frailty of over-strained nerves and bewildered minds and came, not too suddenly or overwhelming upon them, but with gracious signs and tokens, and messages from one to the other.”

Cleopas (one of the two disciples) expressed surprise at the stranger’s inquiry so he asked: “Are you the only one living in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?” Despite the note of incredulity in the voice of Cleopas, Jesus continues patiently and innocently asks, “What things?” To which they eagerly replied, “About Jesus of Nazareth.”

The two men then told the stranger that this Jesus “was a prophet, powerful in the word and deed before God and all the people.” Notice the use of the past tense, which strongly implies that He wasn’t relevant to the present or otherwise they wouldn’t have been in their downcast state of mind. Their experience concerning Jesus was in the past. The cross-had taken Him from them, and their minds hadn’t yet made sense of the changed situation, or adjusted to it. At the time the cross was just a great negative to them.

We’ve all heard exciting stories of what Jesus has done in the past—but what about the present? Too often we get fixated on all the bad that has occurred in our lives to the point that we forget that all of that is history. We must ask ourselves if Jesus is a present, bright reality in our lives today or is He something in the past? Do we recognize what He is doing in our lives; that he is walking beside or with us? Or is He just another stranger on the road?

Life has many distractions—hard work, routine, tiredness, and at times ill health, that can grind us down to the point where we carry on mechanically, never lifting our eyes or minds from the dust of the earthly road we travel. We thus become unaware of the glory and strength of His presence with us. When that occurs life then looses its meaning and leaves us washed out. But this story gives us hope.

Jesus is just as real among us today as He was 2,000 years ago on the road to Emmaus. He is the “unseen stranger” walking with us, listening to us, and if we are willing to listen for His voice, He will reveal Himself to us. He may not reveal Himself to us today as He did in the past. He won’t appear in a burning bush as He did with Moses or an audible voice in the middle of the night, as was the case with Samuel. We aren’t likely to receive a physical heavenly vision, as was the case with Isaiah. But nevertheless He still speaks to those who seek Him. Jesus speaks in the silence of the waiting spirit, forever impressing His will and call upon those who are willing to listen.

The voice of the Holy Spirit speaks to the inner shrine of the heart and it’s the same voice that called Peter, Andrew, James and John away from their fishing nets, Matthew from his tax booth, Zacchaeus out of a tree, and called out from heaven through a blinding light that knocked Paul from his horse. It’s the voice of Christ Himself perpetually calling all of us to “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty” (Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34, 41; 2 Samuel 7:14; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

Have you not heard His voice? If you profess to serve Christ and His Church, it is strange if you have not.

To Be Continued…