Third Sunday of Easter
H. Vicente Toledo, L.C.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ, our King, Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Lord, enkindle my heart; I want to remain always in your presence and enjoy every word that you have prepared for me. Give me the grace to listen to you, to feel heard and to recognize you in every moment of my life.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 24:13-35
On the same day of the resurrection, two of the disciples went to a village called Emmaus, about eleven kilometers from Jerusalem, and they commented on all that had happened.
While they were conversing and arguing, Jesus came up to them and began to walk with them; but the eyes of the two disciples were veiled and they did not recognize him. He asked them, “What things have you come here talking about, so full of sorrow?”.
One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger who does not know what has happened these days in Jerusalem?” He asked them, “What?” They answered them, “About Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. How the chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and crucified him. We had hoped that he would be the deliverer of Israel, and yet it is now three days since these things happened. It is true that some women of our group have puzzled us, for they went early in the morning to the tomb, did not find the body, and came back saying that angels had appeared to them, and told them that he was alive. Some of our companions went to the tomb and found everything as the women had said, but they did not see Him”.
Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and how hardhearted you are to believe all that was spoken by the prophets! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer all these things, and so enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and going on to all the prophets, he explained to them all the passages of Scripture that referred to him.
When they were near the town to which they were going, he pretended to go farther; but they urged him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is now evening and it will soon be dark.” And he went in to stay with them. When they were at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from them. And they said to one another, “No wonder our hearts burned, as he spoke to us on the way and explained the scriptures to us!”.
They arose immediately and returned to Jerusalem, where they found the Eleven gathered together with their companions, who said to them, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon.” Then they told what had happened to them on the road and how they had recognized him in the breaking of the bread.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
It is the voice of Jesus that resounds in our heart, that wants to come out again, every day, every moment, and meet us. It is that sound that makes our heart burn, sets it on fire, and opens our eyes to the immensity of his love. It reveals to us the fullness of recognizing his presence in each of the people he puts in our path. It is he himself who visits us through others.
But as always, He gives us freedom, He does not force us to do anything, He leaves us free to accept His company and walk with Him. How difficult it can be at times to recognize Jesus. When everything is pleasant, when there are no difficulties, when I am with people I like, it is easy to recognize God's presence. What happens when something does not go as planned, what is my reaction when I have to live with people I do not like, what do I say to the Lord when I feel he is putting a very heavy cross on me? Yes, it is in those moments when his presence is great, when he is alive there, specifically, to live that moment with us. He speaks to us, sometimes through silence, but he is present.
The Lord does not impose himself, but it is we who must ask him. He listens to us, he knows what we need, he knows what is in our heart, but he lets us speak, he knows each of our words, but he allows us to be the ones to tell what is happening to us. And may those words come from our heart: «Stay with us Lord, we want to be always in your presence and enjoy your infinite goodness».
«Neither did the disciples of Emmaus want their “mysterious guest” to leave... “Stay with us,” they said, trying to convince him to stay with them. In other episodes of the Gospel this same sentiment also surfaces. Let us remember, for example, the transfiguration, when Peter, James and John wanted to make tents and stay on the mountain. Or when Mary Magdalene met the Risen One and wanted to keep him. But “his risen Body is not a treasure to be kept, but a Mystery to be shared”. We encounter Jesus, above all, in the community and on the roads of the world. The more we bring him to others, the more we will feel him present in our lives.»
(Address of H.H. Francis, June 22, 2019).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Jesus, how can I recognize You if I do not know You, help me to know You so that I may see You in the people You have sent me.
Farewell
We thank You, Lord, for all Your benefits, You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
