GROW AS A DISCIPLE
If I lived at the time of Christ and caught Jesus’ eyes while passing him in the streets, would I recognize him as the Messiah? You and I are made in the image and likeness of God. We are the adopted children of the Father. Would my soul be drawn to Christ as two magnets are drawn to one another? I believe that when we are in full and perfect communion with Christ, our entire being will be drawn to the Lord and instinctively rejoice in the glory of God. But on this earth – a world broken by sin – our eyes are clouded and we do not see clearly. In the Gospel today, as the pair of disciples encountered Christ, we read that “their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.” Christ had preached and worked miracles and died in faithful obedience to the Father’s will. He had been raised and was present again fully glorified. Yet, they could not see who it was before them in that moment. In our world today, it is easy to become blinded by sin and miss seeing Christ in our midst. But just as he walked the streets of Nazareth growing up and walked along the road to Emmaus after his resurrection, Christ continues to walk among us today.
GO EVANGELIZE
When we look at the example of the disciples traveling to Emmaus, we see a blueprint for how we might improve our vision to see the Lord’s presence more clearly. They listened carefully as Jesus reminded them of Scripture, they spoke to him and urged him to remain near to them, and they broke bread with him. After all of this, “their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” We can also come to see Christ more clearly by encountering him in Scripture, by speaking to him in prayer, and by encountering him in the sacraments – particularly by regularly receiving the graces offered in confession and receiving the Eucharist. In doing this, we not only clear our own vision, but we align our thoughts and actions to be more like those of Christ, participating in the Father’s mission to draw humanity back to himself.
WITNESS
After the disciples recognized Christ, they returned to the others and “recounted what had taken place on the way.” This suggests that when we encounter Christ, we are not meant to keep it to ourselves! This week, consider how you can humbly share with a friend or family member how you have encountered Christ.
By the Faithful Disciple