Third Sunday of Easter (Lk24:13-25) “Do I Have Eyes to See?”
We all observe life as it unfolds around us. But how many of us perceive things in the same way? Where some people see success, others might see failure. Where some see sadness, others see joy.
On Thursday the Space X starship was launched. The rocket is the largest ever constructed. When it is perfected, it is supposed to carry dozens of people into space at the same time. The rocket is much larger than the Saturn Five which carried the shuttle into space. The Space X starship, it is said, will enable human beings to travel to Mars and beyond. Millions of dollars have been spent to construct this spaceship. One advantage to the delivery system is that it is supposed to be reusable.
At the appointed hour Thursday, the mighty rocket roared to life. And it lifted off the ground with a mighty blast of fire and smoke. Cheering could be heard from the many people who were present who had worked on the project. The spacecraft was supposed to orbit the earth. After that it was supposed to return. No satellites or people were on board. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. Three minutes into the launch, when the first stage was to separate, the huge rocket turned sideways, tumbling. Eventually, it blew up.
When it blew up the people who built it had a strange reaction. All of them cheered loudly like the launch was a success. Some said, “We just wanted to see if it would get off the ground. If the launch had been flawless that would have been a plus, but this gave us what we needed.” The scientists involved used an interesting phrase for what happened, the rocket explosion was a “controlled deconstruction.” Yes, people can have different perspectives on the same event. For us the launch of the spacecraft seemed like a disaster. For the engineers involved it was a success.
Perhaps we could see a parallel with the story we read today. Two apostles were walking away from Jerusalem after Jesus’ death moving toward Emmaus. As they travel, they share sadness because it seems like the Messiah, they had trusted in, had died a failure. Jesus had to offer a different perspective.
The apostles were judging things from a worldly perspective. The two disciples were looking for a political leader who would guide Israel to a place of prominence. Israel would become the dominant power in the world. But Jesus points out that this was the wrong expectation.
The two apostles needed to look at the final events of Jesus’ human life from a spiritual perspective. Jesus told his followers what was going to happen. His death and resurrection were predicted. The scandal of the cross was necessary. Out of failure came triumph. From death came everlasting life. The message is something that needs to be reinforced because everyone finds it hard to believe.
In scripture there is a literary trick that is often played on readers. We see that trick when John speaks constantly of the “beloved disciple” in his Gospel. Who is that person? No one’s name is ever given. The beloved disciple is the Apostle that runs to the tomb ahead of Peter, the beloved disciple sees and understands the message Jesus’ empty tomb gives to the world. Perhaps the Apostle is supposed to represent what we are supposed to be (people who see and understand new life in Christ). We have a similar literary device employed when Thomas is introduced as a twin. Who is his twin? Are we supposed to be that person? At the beginning of the Emmaus story, we have the same type of riddle. We have one disciple named while the other is not. Could that unnamed disciple be us? Do we have the wrong set of expectations when it comes to the person of Jesus? Maybe we do? Could we look at things differently?
How we struggle with our understanding of the Resurrection!
Many think, for example, that Resurrection only affects us at the end of our life. Salvation becomes a gift we try to earn each day until there is a pay off at the end of our life. But the Gospels teach us that we are beloved. We are seekers like Thomas. We need not live in despair. The Eucharistic meal is a reassuring sign. When we break the bread, we encounter Jesus. Jesus is here, now, always reassuring and guiding us. Life is a gift not a constant testing. We just need eyes to see. Blessed are we if we see the Jesus as he truly is the one who came to be our brother as well as our savior.
Reflection Questions:
Do I understand what the Paschal Mystery is? How would I explain it?
How does the promise of the Resurrection impact my life?
Do the rewards of believing touch me today?
Dear Parishioners,
On Sunday April 30th there will be a financial report in the Bulletin. You will see, we are behind in our budgeted income for the year. The first part of the year was hard because we were still struggling with the COVID pandemic. We were also dealing with the end of the construction process which made it hard to gain access to the church. Things are better now. We have seen attendance increase over the last couple of months. If you haven’t sent in donations or have started attending church again, please consider making up the contributions you might have forgotten to make.
Electronic donations are a good option. Just call our office and ask for DeAnn and she can help you get started. If you are TECH savvy, you can also go to our WEB site and start to donate.
I would like to thank all those who helped with our Confirmation the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd. This was a great celebration. A list of those who were confirmed will be in the bulletin. I would also like to thank our gardening committee who have worked so hard to landscape around our building. This has saved us thousands of dollars.
May Our Lady watch over us this week,
Fr. Mark