Scripture for Mass
Acts 2:14, 22-33
Psalm 16(15):1-2a, 5. 7-8. 9-10. 11. Response: 1
1 Peter 1:17-21
Luke 24:13-35
The sudden death of a family member, or the experience of betrayal by a spouse, not only causes our world to collapse but also shatters our faith in God. Faced with such a crisis, it’s not that we want to give up on God, but rather we become convinced that God has given up on us.
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus felt that they had been betrayed by God. Through his words and works, Jesus had shown that he was a prophet who was committed to making Israel pleasing to God. And they had backed him. It is unsurprising, therefore, that they felt bewildered when he died as a criminal. It seemed that God had let them down, shattering their world, their dreams and their faith in him.
God, however, didn’t give up on them. He sends the risen Christ, disguised as a stranger, to console them and help them see the big picture. Christ explains to them that, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so also God’s thoughts and ways are higher than those of humans.
Therefore, when faced with a crisis that shatters our world and leads us to think that God has let us down, God may in fact be calling us to enter more deeply into his mysterious plan and inscrutable ways. Moreover, in our darkness and doubts, the risen Christ will accompany us, comfort us, and enlighten us through people – and in ways – that we will probably only recognise with amazement and gratitude in hindsight.
All-powerful and ever-living God, through the resurrection of Jesus, you have shown us that darkness and death are conquered by light and life.
Open our eyes to recognise the risen Christ who comes to us through friends and strangers, through the Christian community, and through the commemoration of his death and resurrection in the Eucharist.
Whenever we feel overwhelmed by difficulties, weighed down by suffering, or tempted to succumb to doubts, help us to trust that the risen Christ walks by our side to console and strengthen us while illuminating the path ahead.
We ask this through the risen Christ, our ever-faithful guide and friend.
Amen
Fr. Tim Mulroy
