Homily for the Week of April 26, 2009

Third Sunday of Easter, 2009
First Reading: Acts 3:13–15, 17–19
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 4:2, 4, 7–8, 9
Second Reading: 1 John 2:1–5a
Gospel: Luke 24:35–48

There is a story of a man who went to a restaurant for dinner. He called the waiter over and said: “I can’ t eat this soup.” The waiter replied: “I am sorry sir, I’ll call the manager”. When the manager came over to the table the guest said, “Mr. Manager, I can’t eat this soup.” The manager replied, “I will call the chef.” When the chef came over to the table, the diner said, “Chef, I can’t this soup.” The chef said, “What’s wrong with it?” The diner replied, “Nothing, I just don’t have a spoon.”

How often do we expect the unexpected? Listening isn't’ t always one of our gifts. Preoccupied with preparing a response, we are thinking ahead, anticipating what someone is going to say. We have answers ready and sometimes we miss the questions. Sometimes we even miss the answers. At times it is as if we are speaking a different language. Parents often feel this way when they speak to their children. And children feel the same at times when they speak to their parents. Often when our ears are blocked, we let our fears define the moment. Perhaps we need to listen with new ears to hear the voices around us and the humor that is in our daily lives. All of us at one time or other have experienced a closed mind. We can’t see outside the box. Those of you who take home our parish bulletin know that every week I place in it a prescription for a better marriage. Three weeks the perscription was: The first duty of love is to listen. Can you accurately repeat anything your spouse earlier today?

This in a sense is what Jesus is talking about today in our Gospel when he was on the road to Emmaus with his disciples. Jesus gave up everything he had -- even his life, in order to help others. But even those closest to him did not understand. They were preoccupied with the Jesus that they had imagined.

The disciples were told, and we were also told through them, that Jesus will change our body to conform with his glorified body. This is the Catholic message of life after death. Yet they did not understand, and we may not understand. On Easter Sunday night Jesus appeared to Peter and the disciples with his glorified body. He came through locked doors. He spoke to them PEACE BE WITH YOU. But they were startled and terrified thinking that they were seeing a ghost. He shows the disciples, who still were not believing, that he was really Jesus. He does this by showing them the marks on his hands and feet left by nails, and he ate some baked fish with them.

This Peter is the same man who three times denied Jesus, the same man who was too afraid to stand by his Master’s cross, the same man who experienced a dramatic conversion at the Resurrection, and the same man who is now taking to heart and to action the mission of reconciliation imparted to him by the risen Lord. Their abandoning of Jesus was forgiven, and that same forgiveness is now the subject of Peter’s preaching: “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” Peter knew what he was talking about. He had experienced it himself.

Many had left Jesus after the Last Supper. On the road to Emmaus Peter is showing the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is also showing us that the very early Catholics based their faith on the experience of the disciples. And our understanding of being a Catholic today is based on the unique experience of the first disciples as told in the Acts of the Apostles and our Gospels.

The Bible gives us a picture of real people meeting the Risen Jesus, and they did not do it easily. They had no point of reference for such a happening, only his words to them that this would happen, only his promise to them that it would happen. How is it that the story has continued for over 2000 years inspite of many challenges to it? In fact, for all of us the story is part of history. We have heard only our 10, 25, 50, 70 or so years of the story. But at every Easter time we are placed in the middle of the whole story.

Catholics are notoriously ignorant of the Bible and the teachings of their Church. Catholics have been very blessed by having exceptional schools and religious education programs and religious web sites. Mother Angelica years ago started the Eternal Word Network, known as EWTN to provide Catholics with religious formation. However, many Catholics have not developed a strong sense of on-going education and formation. Once they received Confiramtion many think they know all they need to know about Catholic teaching. Jesus believed in ongoing formation.
Like the people talking to the diner, at times in our life we can’t hear what Jesus is saying to us because our opinions about him or religion or the church are already formed. We have made up our mind and we stay stuck in that repeated tape playing in our mind. At time we just don’t hear what another person is saying because we have already decided what they are saying. Before we criticize the first disciples too harshly for their lack of recognizing Jesus, we must look to ourselves and ask: How do I expect Jesus to come to me? Jesus comes in many ways. Let us recognize him through faith whenever and however he chooses to come to us! The basic question of our Christianity is: HOW WELL DOES WHAT I DO REFLECT WHAT JESUS HAS TAUGHT ME? If this question is not asked then Jesus becomes nothing other than a ghost of the past with no real meaning for today. Instead, let us hear him tell us: PEACE BE WITH YOU!!