Third Sunday of Easter

Today’s Gospel has some surprises for the disciples going to Emmaus. The first is that Luke tells us Jesus appeared to them, “but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16).

More likely, they were prevented by their lack of faith. They knew that Jesus had died, so this man who looked familiar couldn’t be him. All they had heard was that Jesus’ body was missing from the tomb. That leads to the second point. They were amazed at how Jesus explained the scriptures. Even the disciples had not thought of them as predicting Jesus’ suffering and death. Yet they seem to know the truth of what Jesus was saying. Their story can help us, too. If you find you are not always able to see Jesus in the people or events of your life, you may need to stretch your faith. One way to do that is to discuss it with others. The two disciples were stretching their faith as they discussed what they had heard. Your faith will grow as you learn to express it. Another way to stretch your faith is to read and pray over the scriptures. Ask what God is trying to tell you in them. The disciples on the way to Emmaus began to see how Jesus fulfilled the promises found there. Ask God to help you see Jesus in other people.

Receive Jesus in Communion as often as you can (at least once a week).

Trust him and expect to see Jesus both in people around you and in the changes that come into your life. The more you look for Jesus, the easier it is to see him.

Saint Anselm (1033-1109)

April 21st

For anyone disheartened at how easily contemporary discussions of disputed Church-State issues escalate from civil discourse to shrill polemic, Anselm provides perspective. Grounded in the Benedictine Rule’s balanced “prayer and work,” this monkscholar, called from his Abbey to become Archbishop of Canterbury, was thrust into firestorms of political intrigue, himself the target of warring bishops and nobles, kings and popes. Yet from depths of inner peace, Anselm wrote this moving exhortation by which today’s Liturgy of the Hours celebrates him: “Rise up, insignificant man!

From your preoccupations, flee a while. From your turbulent thoughts, hide for a time. Your crushing responsibilities cast aside. Your burdensome business lay down. Free a little space for God. Rest a little while in him!” “Faith seeking understanding” was his strikingly contemporary motto; and though renowned as an erudite philosophertheologian, Anselm also left personal letters, profound for their insights on Christian friendship. Along with those, he composed “A Prayer for My Friends” and “A Prayer for My Enemies,” reminding us that those who love God most passionately are also those who love others most humanly.