Sacramental Hospitality

Now on that same day, two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.  Luke 24:13-15

 

           "Emmaus"  Sr. Mary Stephens

We’ve read the “Footprints in the Sand” story and we’ve sung along to the song  "In the Garden” and we know “He walks with me and He talks with me,” but C’mon.          

There is a mysteriousness, an ephemeral impermanence to these encounters that can leave us feeling shaky – not quite sure of ourselves. And so we fall asleep with that nagging question, “Was that real, or did I just imagine it?”   

The disciples, still sad, glumly walking to Emmaus, were face to face with the Risen One, and didn’t recognize him.  And Jesus, it seems, was content to move on without ever revealing himself to them, until, the text tells us, “they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is nearly now over.’”

It was their hospitality, their urging, that drew the Risen One back into their midst and gave him opportunity to reveal himself. The question we must ask ourselves is whether there is enough room for him in our lives. Are we offering the Lord enough place in our hearts and lives that he will accept our invitation to come in? 

Faith and Doubt

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.  John 20: 30-31

         "On Faint and Doubt"              Nick Piiero

“So that you may come to believe…..” is one of the most hope-filled lines in all of scripture.

Most of us have questioned the reality of God, or whether the Resurrection really happened, or if being  part of a faith community is worth our time and energy. No doubt, some of us have tried to discover God while sitting on a mountaintop, or by walking a beach, or by sipping coffee on a Sunday morning while reading the New York Times.  Faith is a process, after all.

But grounded, mature faith takes community and relationships with others who are on the same well-worn path. Faith takes tending and digging and retelling the stories of Jesus’ life in order to make them our own.  Thomas would not have believed if his friends had not told him that Jesus was alive; nor will ours.

Who are we telling about Jesus? How are we supporting each other in community so that those who struggle may come to believe?

For that is Christ’s call to us.  

My God, my God....Why?

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
and are so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?   Psalm 22:1

This intricately woven cross of palm fronds was created by a Coptic Christian for their Palm Sunday celebration. It was an act of devotion and a statement of hope. Little did he or she know how it would all end; that blood would stain the cross, that 44 would be dead, that hundreds more would be injured.  I wonder if the creator of this palm cross knew that a homicide bomber could be filled with such hate. 

As Christians, we acknowledge that evil exists and so we cling to our Lord’s promise: that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. God was there in those two churches on Palm Sunday, blessing and comforting and God will continue to be there, even when only blood stains remain. The Easter message proclaims that God will always triumph over death and destruction.  Always.

Let us wrap ourselves in the love God as we seek to make sense of it all.

The Power of Denial

Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”  Matthew 26:34

                    "The Denial of Peter"     James Tissot

This is one of the most haunting lines in Scripture. Peter, desperate to prove his allegiance to Jesus, promises never to disavow his Lord, and yet Jesus speaks truth.  “Truly I tell you….”   Sadly, Peter believes to his very core that he would never deny Jesus, and yet, we know that on that very night, Peter does exactly that – three times. Our Lord always speaks truth.  

What of us? When and how have we denied Jesus? Is it when we turn a blind eye to injustices observed? Or when we “refuse to get involved” because something doesn’t directly affect us?  Or is it simply when we mask our allegiance to Christ in order to get that promotion or to be better liked?  Peter did it, and so have we all.  

This approaching Holy Week is a time to bring our hearts closer to God, a time to confess the times we have denied Jesus by our thoughts, words and deeds. Join me as we do the important work of transforming our hearts and minds before the cross.

The Lord has need of us.