Homily: Third Sunday of Easter (B)
Luke 24:35-48
14 April 2024
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez
One time, Pope Francis had the opportunity to speak to a group of children who were candidates for confirmation. The Holy Father advised them that “it is important to encounter Jesus, who loves us, who has saved us, who gave His life for us.” He however, acknowledged with regret that “In our increasingly digital age, it can be easy to forget the living presence of the risen Lord in concrete human lives.”
In today’s gospel reading, the two disciples who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus had immediately returned to Jerusalem to share their experience with the rest of the disciples. While they were sharing their story of their astonishing encounter with Jesus and how they recognised Him in the Breaking of the Bread, Jesus suddenly appears to the whole group and greets them: “Peace be with you.“ His disciples are startled and terrified. Wouldn’t we be? Just imagine one of our closest friends, though wrongfully accused, was sentenced to death for heinous crimes and because of our association with him, we go into hiding, fretting for our life. We are afraid for ourselves but we are also mourning the death of our dear friend. Then all of a sudden, he is standing beside us, alive and well, and he speaks to us… Would we not be frightened and think that we are seeing a ghost?
These disciples were likely the same people who abandoned Jesus during His passion. If this had happened to us, FO na! (Friendship Over, right?) But Jesus did not sulk (tampo) nor was He angry with them. Earlier, He joined two of them on the road to Emmaus, sharing in their grief, sadness and anger over the crucifixion that had transpired. He walked with them and helped them to understand how everything that happened was foretold in the scriptures. When He appeared to the disciples in hiding, He offered them some comfort by reassuring them He is not a ghost. Jesus even invited them to touch Him so they could see His wounds are real and that He has flesh and bones. In their presence, Jesus ate the fish He was given and He spoke again about what was foretold in the scriptures about His passion.
What is important to note is that Jesus does not overwhelm them with a supernatural experience or a vision of His glorious countenance. He does not magically transport them somewhere awesome to show off. He does not seek to impress. He simply meets them where they are and presents Himself as they know Him. It is funny that in the ordinariness of the encounter, the disciples are still paralysed by fear and disbelief that they initially do not recognise their friend and teacher. It is the same for us today. It is easy to recognise the Lord’s presence in miraculous and supernatural events but it is not easy for us to realise when we encounter Jesus in the ordinary events of our life. Like the disciples, Jesus often meets us where we are, in our grief, in our difficulties, in our boredom, and in the messiness of daily life. When we are troubled and distressed, we tend to be so consumed by sadness, anxiety and fear that we develop a sense of hopelessness that numbs our senses to His living presence in our lives.
Easter season is the perfect time for us to renew our conviction in the Resurrection of Christ. If we believe that God the Father raised His Son, Jesus, from the dead, we must always have that readiness to encounter Christ as a living personal presence. Drawing inspiration from his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Pope Francis points out three places to meet the living Jesus as Catholic Christians. “First, Jesus is alive in His Word, the inspired Gospel stories and the living tradition of our church. Second, we meet Jesus in the sacraments, especially in regular participation in both the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation. And third, we meet Jesus in our loving service to those in need, those who live on the periphery of society.”
Admittedly, it is a challenge to be fully aware of moments when we encounter Christ. Catholics are not known for reading the Bible. Sometimes, those who attend mass are not even paying attention during the liturgy of the Word. To check how attentive everyone is, in what book does our First Reading come from? What about our Second Reading? Our Gospel? If we do not make time to read and listen to the Word of God, how will we ever recognise moments of encounter with Jesus there? In the same way, if we shy away from the sacraments like the Mass and Confession, or if we are mentally and emotionally absent despite our physical presence, we are sure to miss opportunities to encounter Jesus. He is often in the unexpected places and situations… among those who need us like the poor and the sick, those who treat us with love and care and yet we take for granted, and possibly even in those who irritate us and challenge us to be more patient, understanding and compassionate.
My friend’s family regularly gives hot meals to the street dwellers in the city. He shared that he once encountered a woman whose own companions taunted as “baliw”. My friend observed that when he gave her the box of food, she immediately went to share her food with her husband. My friend was so moved by what he witnessed. He said “Love is the only sanity left for these two mentally-challenged persons.” He said that even in her questionable mental state, Christ was alive in that woman. We must be open to finding Christ in everything. Here in the parish, some say the only reason people come to mass is because of the monthly ration of rice that is distributed. If that is true, then I would like to believe that eventually people will recognise the Living Christ’s love and care for them because of the generosity of others. There are simply no limits as to how the Risen Christ can be present to us.
Lastly, it is important to emphasise that an experience with the resurrected life cannot be contained. Just as the two disciples returned to Jerusalem to tell others how they met Jesus on their journey, we, too, who have encountered Jesus in our life are called to be witnesses. Let us attest to the living presence of Jesus by the way we live and we will encourage others to be more sensitive to the presence of Christ and to welcome opportunities to meet Jesus. God bless us all.
Sunday Gospel Reflections 