Life is filled with disappointments, but probably none was ever greater to Christian belief than between the death of Jesus and His resurrection. St. Luke’s Gospel of two disciples of Jesus on the road to Emmaus brings to light the frustration that follows the failure of expectations or hopes causing confusion about the future.
Jesus walking along with these disciples brought them back to hope and resolve of what living a Christian life is about. In essence, it is based on trusting in the Sacred Scriptures and in receiving the Eucharist.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], “Sacred Scriptures is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC) Page 26, Paragraph 81. Either we believe the Bible is a book written under the auspices of God’s spirituality or it is just one of many stories based on both historical happenings or stories related to them.
The Eucharist is another matter in that it is a Sacrament instituted by Christ that is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” (CCC), Page 334, Paragraph 1324).
It also “is the memorial of Christ’s Passover that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action.” (CCC), Page 355, Paragraph 1409).
For us, our journey is to understand the meaning and identity of Jesus and His mission in having the Scriptures fully explained. To do that, we need to read the Bible, both the Old Testament of Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament of Gospel and Epistles.
Likewise, Eucharist is a reminder of all what Jesus did for us through His suffering, death and resurrection. By participating in receiving His Body and Blood, we thank Him for all that He did and continues to do so that one day we may have eternal life as good and faithful servants.
The disciples on the road Emmaus were fortunate in that Jesus appeared to them and helped them to understand who He was and what He did. Their returning to Jerusalem was a conversion experience that brought them from unbelief to full faith.
We, also, when faced with disappointments in our life, especially in matters of faith, must allow Jesus to work through these times along with us. We need to trust that who He is and what He does are for our benefit as He proved when He walked the earth in His flesh.
Let us take this week to focus on any doubts we may have about the strength of our faith. If we think or believe that we are lacking, read Sacred Scripture that will refresh our memory of God’s work in our life and how much He wants to make sure we succeed as His disciple. In addition, go to Mass to remind ourselves that we are part of a community of believers who trust in God’s ways and want to be one with Him through receiving the Eucharist while we are in a state of grace.
We might be surprised by these two actions how times of disappointment, frustration and confusion become secondary as they are replaced by God’s love for us as true believers in His ways.
Reading 1: Acts 2: 14, 22-33
Reading 2: First Peter 1: 17-21
Gospel: Luke 24:13-35
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