Daily Retreat 04/06/08
2008 Apr 6 SUN: THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 2: 14. 22-33/ Ps 15(16): 1-2. 5. 7-8. 9-10. 11 (11a)/ 1 Pt 1: 17-21/ Lk 24: 13-35
From today’s readings: “Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through Him in your midst.... Lord, You will show us the path of life.... You were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ.... Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Burning Hearts
Just a few years ago, during a home visit, I was teaching a family in my parish how to pray the rosary. After we had prayed together, one boy made an unforgettable comment. Trying to explain his unbelievable joy in sharing this prayer and meditating on God’s love in the mysteries of salvation, he blurted out, “I can’t explain it, but I feel that my heart is on fire for Jesus!”
Unintentionally and unknowingly, the boy had repeated the same sentiments that the astonished Emmaus disciples had stammered to each other when they realized how real Jesus was and how close He had deigned to come, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Only when the boy spoke his own authentically ardent words, did I realize how my heart was burning as well with the realization anew of how real Jesus is and how close He deigns to come to us. Whenever children line up to receive their First Holy Communion, clearly there are burning hearts, and we all share in the glow of the moment. Then too, when some soul starts to really read the Bible, and grasp even dimly that the Word of God is open before him, the heart is afire with that Word that needs to be shared. When a tortured sinner finally sues for peace in the Easter Sacrament of God’s forgiveness, and receives more peace than even hoped for, the human heart melts in the warm embrace of divine mercy.
Every one of us Christians can look back on similar moments in our own lives, moments of our own unmistakable encounters with the Risen Lord, and passionately ask anew, “Were not our hearts burning within us then while He spoke to us in His way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
A beautiful, heart-warming question, without a doubt, but, if I may suggest it, still, not really the right question for us now. For today is Sunday, the Lord’s day. Two again, and again, too many of us modern disciples find ourselves obstinately headed toward Emmaus and other earthly destinations, when really, today in particular, we should be with knee and head bent toward the heavenly Jerusalem! Today is Sunday, the Lord’s day, for on this very day, Jesus Himself again draws near us, though so many eyes still fail to recognize Him.
And the verbatim upbraiding sounds again, even more merited by our own modern futile conduct: “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” Words certainly meant for us, for you and me, just as much as for Cleopas and his companion, but we tragically tend to tune out Christ when He dares to speaks to us that way.
Two again, and again, too many of us modern disciples will sadly assume that Christ has more pressing things to do than to remain with us. Or is it more that we merely think of more pressing things for us to do than to remain with Him wherever He leads us on that path of life? But regardless, in the end, He is Emmanuel, “God with us!” That’s why He came - to remain with us!
So today, the day of the Lord, once again, the Word will be spoken, Bread will be broken, and for those whose eyes are opened, the so very real presence of the resurrected Lord is recognized anew, and thus, our own ardent question raised with believing joy in sharing the prayer and meditating again on God’s love in the mysteries of salvation: “Are not our hearts NOW burning within us while He speaks to us in this way and opens the scriptures to us?”
Acts 2: 14. 22-33/ Ps 15(16): 1-2. 5. 7-8. 9-10. 11 (11a)/ 1 Pt 1: 17-21/ Lk 24: 13-35
From today’s readings: “Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through Him in your midst.... Lord, You will show us the path of life.... You were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ.... Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Burning Hearts
Just a few years ago, during a home visit, I was teaching a family in my parish how to pray the rosary. After we had prayed together, one boy made an unforgettable comment. Trying to explain his unbelievable joy in sharing this prayer and meditating on God’s love in the mysteries of salvation, he blurted out, “I can’t explain it, but I feel that my heart is on fire for Jesus!”
Unintentionally and unknowingly, the boy had repeated the same sentiments that the astonished Emmaus disciples had stammered to each other when they realized how real Jesus was and how close He had deigned to come, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Only when the boy spoke his own authentically ardent words, did I realize how my heart was burning as well with the realization anew of how real Jesus is and how close He deigns to come to us. Whenever children line up to receive their First Holy Communion, clearly there are burning hearts, and we all share in the glow of the moment. Then too, when some soul starts to really read the Bible, and grasp even dimly that the Word of God is open before him, the heart is afire with that Word that needs to be shared. When a tortured sinner finally sues for peace in the Easter Sacrament of God’s forgiveness, and receives more peace than even hoped for, the human heart melts in the warm embrace of divine mercy.
Every one of us Christians can look back on similar moments in our own lives, moments of our own unmistakable encounters with the Risen Lord, and passionately ask anew, “Were not our hearts burning within us then while He spoke to us in His way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
A beautiful, heart-warming question, without a doubt, but, if I may suggest it, still, not really the right question for us now. For today is Sunday, the Lord’s day. Two again, and again, too many of us modern disciples find ourselves obstinately headed toward Emmaus and other earthly destinations, when really, today in particular, we should be with knee and head bent toward the heavenly Jerusalem! Today is Sunday, the Lord’s day, for on this very day, Jesus Himself again draws near us, though so many eyes still fail to recognize Him.
And the verbatim upbraiding sounds again, even more merited by our own modern futile conduct: “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” Words certainly meant for us, for you and me, just as much as for Cleopas and his companion, but we tragically tend to tune out Christ when He dares to speaks to us that way.
Two again, and again, too many of us modern disciples will sadly assume that Christ has more pressing things to do than to remain with us. Or is it more that we merely think of more pressing things for us to do than to remain with Him wherever He leads us on that path of life? But regardless, in the end, He is Emmanuel, “God with us!” That’s why He came - to remain with us!
So today, the day of the Lord, once again, the Word will be spoken, Bread will be broken, and for those whose eyes are opened, the so very real presence of the resurrected Lord is recognized anew, and thus, our own ardent question raised with believing joy in sharing the prayer and meditating again on God’s love in the mysteries of salvation: “Are not our hearts NOW burning within us while He speaks to us in this way and opens the scriptures to us?”
posted by FrPitstick | 4/05/2008
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