“So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.” (LK 24: 30-31)
“They recognized Him” through the Eucharist when “he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.” The Eucharist still represents the most significant way in which we can recognize Him. The Eucharist is a special place where we can meet Him and His love. It is not only a memory of what He did for us, but it is also a moment of His special presence among us.
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.” (JN 11: 54)
It looks like we have a similar situation in our day—Jesus’ teaching, protected by His Church, is eliminated from the public square: no right for crosses in public buildings, for Christian monuments or for signs of His presence outside the parish. Christmas and Easter have become “Holiday Seasons” and times for crazy shopping, but below this surface, there is a deeper life—the mystery of His love and what He did for us. He is so happy when He can “remain with His disciples.”
“Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” (JN 10: 32)
Our Lord came to us to reveal God’s love for us. All His “good works” came from His Father. All of His miracles and His teaching are about the same thing—how much we are loved. In response to these “good works from the Father,” they try to stone Him. What we can do is to answer with all our love for His love and do even something small to compensate for the pain He experienced. For example, during every Friday of Lent, we can assist Him on His way of the Cross with our love and gratitude.
“Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we would like to see Jesus.’” (JN 12: 20-21)
They were Greeks, not Jews, but “had come to worship.” Without coming to worship, they would never have asked to see Jesus. The less we pray, the less we see the need to be with Him. The more we pray, the more we see the importance of Our Lord’s presence in our lives, homes, work and relationships. When He is invited into our homes, worship becomes part of our lives too.
“Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord; and where I am, there will my servant be.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.’” (Jn 5: 6-7)
This is the saddest message: “I have no one to put me into the pool.” He was ill for 38 years and was totally alone, even surrounded by many like he: “a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.” Maybe, in the beginning of his illness, there was someone who took care of him. Maybe friends visited him regularly, but now—he is alone. Jesus’ love is always with us; we are never alone, and He is never tired of asking us: “Do you want to be well?” Did you answer Him?
“A clean heart create for me, O God; give me back the joy of your salvation.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.” (J 2: 24-25)
We are known to Our Lord, and He knows our “human nature.” There is no need to apologize to Him because He is conscious about it, and “He himself understood it well.” He is our Hope; He is our Savior, and He is our Redeemer–God who knows us and loves us.
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; you will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” (MI 7: 19-20)
God is first in love, first in compassion and first in forgiveness. He is not afraid of our limits because His love is wider; He is not afraid of our weaknesses because His compassion is bigger; He is not afraid of our sins because His forgiveness is stronger. We can come to Him in all our circumstances, remembering His faithfulness not only to Jacob, Abraham and “our fathers from days of old,” but also to us.
“I will get up and go to my father and shall say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” (Gospel Verse)
“So the LORD said to Cain: ‘Why are you so resentful and crestfallen. If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.’” (Gn 4: 5-7)
From the beginning of our creation, we were invited to be masters: “Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.” As we see, not only do we have mastery over the creatures but also, after our fall, we have mastery over sin. Sometimes we feel like we are under heavy attack, the “demon is lurking at the door, his urge is toward us,” but God’s promise and grace always support us—“yet you can be his master.” It is good to remember that we alone are weak, but with Jesus we are so strong.
“I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the Blood of the eternal covenant, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13: 20-21)
Our Lord, the “Great Shepherd of the sheep,” helps “furnish [us] with all that is good,” helps us “to do His will” and carries “out in us what is pleasing to God.” Our role is to keep our eyes on Him, to follow Him, and to listen to His voice. He knows how to furnish us with good, how to do God’s will and how to bring glory to God.
“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you. Thus we may say with confidence: ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’” (Heb 13: 5-6)
Our Lord’s protection and presence with us is unlimited: “I will never forsake or abandon you.” It is about all the aspects of our lives, including when we are afraid about our financial situation. When He is the center of our lives and when we pray to understand His will and to follow His commandments, He will take care of us. When we put our trust in money, not in Him, we could be in danger, especially because of “love of money.” So He reminds us: “be free from love of money… I will never forsake you.”
“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart, and yield a harvest through perseverance.” (Gospel Acclamation)
