Readings:

Acts 2:14, 22-33; Ps. 16; 1 Pt. 1:17-21; Lk. 24:13-35

Today, we continue to focus on the awesome reality of Jesus’ Resurrection. In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter gives powerful testimony to what he and the disciples have witnessed with their own eyes, linking it to the prophecy of David, which we heard in the Psalm: “You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.” And while King David remains entombed, the crucified Jesus has been raised, thus fulfilling the aforementioned prophecy. St. Peter’s letter reinforces the sacrificial nature of Jesus’ crucifixion so that those who accept the testimony of the apostles may continue to hope in God. That hope comes to us in the form of the Resurrection, but not without our own form of sacrifice. St. Peter reminds us that we were ransomed from our sins by Christ, so we are to conduct ourselves with reverence during our journey of faith. And what better portrayal of our journey of faith in Jesus' Resurrection than today’s Gospel passage of the disciples on the road to Emmaus?

One of the great contrasts in today’s Gospel is the unbelief of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and their utter astonishment when they recognize Jesus at table. What they recognized in the breaking of the bread is what they had failed to realize as they were walking along the way. That is why they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” Their hearts were burning because they were acknowledging the truth in what Jesus had spoken to them; not only the truth, but the fulfillment of that truth in Jesus' Resurrection. And so, their hearts burned because Jesus was with them. Jesus walks with his disciples throughout their journey, even when they do not seem to recognize him. Jesus walks with us, too, most especially when we are distressed.

How does Jesus walk with us? Well, in one sense, Jesus is with us in the Spirit, which knows no bounds; in another sense, Jesus is with us in the liturgy, our works of worship and prayer; in another sense, Jesus is with us in the ministers of the Church, the priests and deacons; in another sense, Jesus is with us in the proclamation of his Word, which, if you are anything like the disciples from today’s Gospel, causes your heart to burn too. Of course, most importantly for us, Jesus is with us in the sacraments.

I was reading from the Book of Revelation this morning, which is full of apocryphal imagery, and one of the images of Jesus described by John is a lamb that was slain. And this lamb had seven horns and seven eyes. John tells us these eyes are the seven spirits of God, sent to all parts of the world. Now, at the time John was writing, the seven spirits of God were very likely the bishops of the seven major territories of the world. These were the overseers, hence the eyes. And Jesus sees what these bishops see. But, then I got to thinking about another way in which Jesus sees the world: sacramentally. Clearly, we have many more than seven bishops today, so what else might the seven eyes be about? Well, we have seven sacraments, all of which are instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church so that they may continue to impart the Divine Life to believers throughout the world. In the Bible, the number seven often refers to completion: God made the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day, God rested: It was complete. But, in the Ressurrection of Jesus, we see the recreation of the world. Jesus rises on the eighth day, and therefore makes all things new, including the ways in which Jesus is present to us. A major part of that newness includes the sacraments, the way in which we participate in the Divine Life. Whenever sacraments are celebrated, Christ is present.

Obviously, the Eucharist is the sacrament par excellence, but in this time of shut-in, we do well to draw upon the other sacraments we may have already received, namely our Baptism and our Confirmation. Remember, our baptism is an ongoing reality. We might say that baptism is the starting line of the great race we are running towards heaven. And those who have been baptized have received from the Holy Spirit, multiple gifts such as faith, hope, and love, as well as a few others, patience, courage, wisdom, perseverance. But, these gifts are not yet perfected until Confirmation. Once confirmed, we received an influx of grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, courage, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. These special graces give us what we need to support us on our journey. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are what enable our hearts to burn within us as we walk along the way. They also enable us to recognize in faith that Jesus is with us.

So, during this time of shut-in, when we may feel like the disciples on the road to Emmaus–depressed, unable to see Jesus standing next to us, unable to receive Holy Communion–I would like to encourage everyone to be mindful of the gifts we have already received from Jesus through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. These gifts enable us to see things more clearly, with eyes of knowledge and understanding, to trust more deeply, with hearts of courage and wisdom, and to love God with our whole heart, through acts of piety and fear of the Lord. When we live our faith in this way, we will always be aware of Jesus' presence in our midst.

Given during the COVID-19 pandemic.