Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 15, 2020
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem 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.
And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”
He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.
“Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.”
Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
If I ask my husband, “do these pants make my butt look big?” he sidesteps the issue by reminding me that I am “a vessel of the Holy Spirit.” That pretty much puts things into perspective and keeps him out of trouble.
Like most everyone, I usually fall short as a spiritual vessel. But, also like most everyone, there have been extraordinary moments when I truly felt the Holy Spirit working through me.
After my sister-in-law, Annie, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I was compelled to help her pick out a wig, massage her feet, fill her home with the aroma of good cooking and calm music, stoke the fireplace, and spend hours with her on the couch playing Words with Friends. Where did this generosity come from?
It wasn’t me, it was the Holy Spirit.
Limping on blistered feet during a 60-mile Breast Cancer walk, I almost quit. But on the last day, I was there to weep with a young man who lost his wife to the disease. What gave me the audacity to push on and be present to him?
It wasn’t me, it was the Holy Spirit.
Onboard a plane, I learned the girl next to me was hoping to get home before her mom died, but just found out it was too late. For the next two hours, we talked about her mother. What drew me to comfort this grief-stricken girl?
It wasn’t me, it was the Holy Spirit.
Like the disciples who didn’t recognize Jesus on the road to Emmaus, we often don’t detect his presence in others. We may also miss the powerful possibility of Christ within ourselves.
In these unprecedented times, there are more opportunities than ever to bring the light of Jesus Christ to someone else.
Come Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Guide us, Lord, in your ways during these Easter days. Like St. Mark, may we share the new life you give us through water and the Spirit and so help others to know the blessings of your presence. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Saint of the Day
Anastasia and a friend, Basilissa, were Roman noblewomen who were converted to the faith when they heard the preaching of Sts. Peter and Paul.
When Peter and Paul were killed, these two women removed their bodies at night and provided for their burial. The authorities discovered their actions, and they were arrested and thrown into prison. When they were brought before the court, they acknowledged their faith without fear and were martyred.
The relics of St. Anastasia rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
St. Anastasia, you were the Roman martyr who was converted by Peter and Paul—pray for us!