Readings: Acts.2:14.22-33; Ps.16; 1Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
HAVING AN ENCOUNTER THAT RESTORES HOPE
The Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 1817, defines Christian hope as: "the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit”
So, the virtue of hope is a necessary vehicle for Christian faith and in the journey of life. We can only understand the value of this virtue when we find ourselves in a hopeless situation like the two disciples of Jesus on their way to Emmaus, as we heard in our Gospel passage today.
These two disciples were sad because their hopes had been dashed. They had placed their hope in Jesus, believing that he would be the one who would redeem Israel. They said in Luke 24:21: “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”
They were hoping that Jesus would become a political leader who would once again bring Israel into freedom from Roman oppression, just the same way Nigerians were hoping that the present government would bring restoration and confidence to our country, only to wake up and realise that we have been deceived and things have been worse than ever.
So, like these disciples, we were hoping. But our hope was gone and now we are sad and confused. Most of us are now going back to Emmaus to continue with our old ways of life. This is the reality of life, for in this journey of life, we may see ourselves journeying back through the road to Emmaus, walking and looking so sad, hopeless and confused.
Yes, many things in life can make us sad and hopeless. Sometimes, we suffer humiliation and disappointment from family members and friends. At times we lost our jobs, our properties, our friends through quarrels, divorce, abuse, addictions, and other natural and supernatural disasters. And these inflict pains and hopelessness in our hearts as we walk sad and hopeless through the Emmaus road of life.
And here comes Jesus journeying with us, letting us know that hope does not die! Because he is alive today and can walk into our lives and restore hope, for his presence is hope personified. He wants to have a deep conversation with us, he wants to remind and instruct us about his promises. He wants to reveal himself to us in a personal and collective manner just as he did with his two disciples today. The hope once lost will be restored by his presence through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Little wonder, Pope Francis, while defining Christian hope, said that: "hope is much more than simple optimism for Christians, it is a constant expectation, it's a gift from the Holy Spirit, it's a miracle of renewal that never lets us down”.
This will help us to understand what happened in our first reading today, where we heard how Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice speaking about their personal experience of God, how God raised Jesus to life and how he received from the Father the Holy Spirit, and now they are witnesses to this through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Similarly, St. Peter in our second reading, wants us to remember that the ransom that was paid to free us from our useless and ugly ways of life was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ. Here, we see how God chooses to carry out His plan.
This awesome nature of God is well demonstrated in the story of the mysterious presence of Jesus before his two disciples, who were disappointed and were going back to their old ways of life. These disciples recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread and returned to bear witness to their encounter.
Dear friends, the setting of this story of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, portrays the structure of our liturgical celebration more practically. At our liturgical celebrations, we journey with Jesus along the way of faith, where he unites us with himself, though separated by sin, as he reconciles us with ourselves through the penitential rite. Then he feeds us with his word, as he prepares us for a special encounter at the Eucharistic table where he manifests himself in the Eucharist for us to recognise him.
Friends, happy are we who encounter and recognise our risen Lord in the Eucharist, where he constantly invites us to come and be restored.
Therefore, as we continue our journey of faith, we may find ourselves on the road to Emmaus with all hope seeming lost. The road which represents disappointment, failure, sorrow, grief, bitterness and confusion. So like the two Emmaus disciples, we should know that the risen Lord is with us in our journey of life, even when we cannot recognise him.
In the same way, he is journeying with us in our liturgical worship even when we don’t recognise him. Jesus is journeying with us today. He wants to hear us discuss him, he wants to enlighten us, he wants to open our hearts and minds through the scriptures, and he wants to address our daily challenges. He wants to reveal himself to us at this Eucharistic celebration. Are you ready to encounter him?
LET US PRAY: O God, as we journey with You, especially at this difficult moment in human history, may Your presence strengthen our faith and constantly renew our hope, give us the grace and courage to dedicate ourselves, our time, and energy in serving You, as You fill our hearts with the Joy of Your kingdom. Amen. May God bless all our Mothers.
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