March 26, 2008: Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

Acts 3:1-10
Ps 105:1-4, 6-9
Luke 24:13-35

Don't give up on God's plan

The journey on the road to Emmaus in today's Gospel reading was a trip made too soon. The two people who heading to Emmaus had been disciples of Jesus. They had followed him around, over a period of time, to learn from him. Nevertheless, they still lacked understanding. They thought of him only as a great rabbi, a prophet. They had hoped he would deliver Israel from the Romans. Like Thomas, they couldn't believe that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead.

There's a big difference, though, between Thomas and these two. Thomas stayed in Jerusalem to wait for proof that Jesus was alive; these two left town. They gave up on Jesus a little too soon.

How often do we quit when things don't seem to be working right, when all seems hopeless, or when a good plan turns into disaster? There's an old cliché that claims, "It's always darkest before the dawn." I think we should change that to: "It only seems dark, but the dawn has already begun!" The Son has already started to shine — but our eyes can't see his light yet.

When we feel like quitting — especially when that feeling is at its strongest — this is precisely when the resurrection light of Christ is about to make a difference that we can see! We are blind to what's just around the corner. One or two steps more, just a little farther, and we walk into the victory that Jesus has been preparing for us.

Gratefully, when we give up on Jesus and quit too soon, Jesus does not give up on us. Remember that he went after the two who were heading out to Emmaus. They didn't ask him to come. They didn't even know that they could! So HE went to THEM! And he does the same today.

Notice the timing of when Jesus interrupted their story: It was after they mentioned that Peter and John had not seen Jesus at the tomb. And notice the timing of when he revealed his identity: It was only after their hearts recognized the truth of what was being spoken and their minds yearned for more of it. Only then did Jesus visually confirm what he was explaining. He revealed himself as the Messiah in the breaking of bread (the Eucharist that he had instituted on the previous Thursday) and they quickly returned to God's original plan for them.

We are blind until we understand. Our eyes are opened by Jesus only when we yearn to learn more about the truth. Until we gain that understanding, we should persist on the same path we've already been on — praying for his guidance as we walk in blind faith. Jesus has already arranged for victory, and it might be just around the corner. To give us confidence, he reveals himself at every Mass when the bread and wine become literally his body and blood. Since he can do that, he can surely transform your tragedies into triumphs.

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