Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Readings for Thursday in the Octave of Easter

First Published: Thursday, April 20, 2006

Back from Emmaus

Reflection:

Look at the Apostles Peter and John in the Acts of the Apostles just after Pentecost. They have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and, in a continuation of the story about the Cripple they cured at the Beautiful Gate; we see them bravely proclaiming the Risen Christ.

NOW-

Look at the Apostles in the locked room in the Gospel of Luke just after Christ was Raised. They cower there in fear of the Jews and are terrified when Christ comes to them. Jesus even has to eat in front of them to prove he is not a ghost.

What an amazing transformation. Think about it! Peter was a fisherman. And while I am not in any way detracting from the skill it takes to be good at doing that (based upon personal experience, the fish first test the perspective fisherman to see if he/she can be board to death), Peter has not demonstrated great eloquence since he has been associated with Christ. Great faith, yes, but not anything like what we see him doing with John in the first reading. Yet here he is, the man who denied the Lord three times, boldly standing at the very heart of the power that took his Lord and Teacher and essentially butchered him.

He is fearless and empowered to a point where we are in awe that he too is not taken and hung upon a tree. He stands in the place of Christ, not pretending to be the Lord but using His name like a weapon to dispel evil and to invite even those who extinguished the Light to come into the light and believe. John is with him (Remember the Son of Zebedee, brother of James), just last year he and his brother were arguing about who would be greatest in the Kingdom of God. Now he is quietly standing at Peters side as if in testament to the truth of what he says.

The Gospel, which links to the Emmaus story from yesterday (The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. Those were the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus when they ran into the Risen Lord.), is consistent with the frightened me we saw in the garden run away when Jesus was taken by the Temple Guard.

Does anyone need to see more graphic proof or the power given by the Holy Spirit? Can anyone who believes in our Triune God use the excuse that they cannot accomplish great things in Gods name because they are powerless?

This powerful demonstration is a great reminder to us of what Easter is about. It is a celebration of the Risen Christ, yes, but it is also about the empowerment of the Disciples of Christ, us. It is about what we are called to do and to be. It is an example of what we can be if only we reach into that gift of the Holy Spirit. Oh, did I mention its not easy? It isnt. As I told two close friends in the past two days Christianity is probably the most difficult faith to live of the major organized religions and Catholicism is the most difficult of the denominations because of its history and faithfulness to the traditions of Christ and the early Church. None the less, it is the path we are called to follow. Pax