Immediately

Two were bound for Emmaus, 

Disheartened and lost, 

All their hope for the future had been nailed to a cross, 

Love unknown then, walked beside them, 

Come back from the dead, 

And they knew he was risen, in the breaking of bread. 

- Bob Hurd

Today's gospel on the two disciples on the road to Emmaus needs no introduction to most of us, and it speaks of the joy of the disciples upon seeing the risen Lord. However, on the contrary, we are told in the gospel today that the disciples were downcast, disheartened and lost, when they were walking to Emmaus. We are told in the gospel, “They stopped short, their faces downcast.” 

And why were they disheartened? Well the song, and the gospel tells us, that their hope for the future had been nailed to a cross. Their hope had died. And the reason why they were so upset about this was probably because of what they believed in, their own unique and personal beliefs. They personally believed that Jesus was a good man. They believed that he was a great prophet because of the great things he did in his life. They believed that Jesus would be the one, the chosen one, the Messiah that the prophets spoke about in the old testament, who would rescue the people of Israel, and set them free. But that didn’t seem to be the case. It seemed as though their hope had died. It seemed that all they believed in, what they stood for as his disciples, had all been a lie. It seemed as though death had the final say. 

But in the midst of them being so upset, the risen Jesus came to them. He came to them and he reassured them, as we are told in the Gospel. He walked with them on the road, he explained the scriptures to them, which foretold that the Christ would suffer and enter into glory. He explains why the Christ had to die in order to rise again. In other words, the risen Jesus came and assured them that they were not living a lie. Their personal and unique beliefs were not a lie. Their personal and unique beliefs were indeed real, and they were what made the two men unique, special, set apart from the rest of the world that nailed him to the cross. 

What about us? What are some of our beliefs and values which set us apart from others? 

In the journey towards Emmaus, the two disciples made known to Jesus their beliefs. But they also invited him to stay with them. They invited him to be with them. And through that, Jesus revealed to them who he was. They encountered Jesus personally, and they recognised him in the breaking of bread. And this was because they invited him to stay with them, to be with them. 

How about us? Do we desire to invite Jesus into our lives to stay with us?

Many of us seek a personal encounter with the Lord. But in order for this to happen, we are invited to be ourselves, because Jesus meets us where we are. More importantly, we are called to invite Jesus to come into our lives. And through this, he will encounter us uniquely, and personally. 

Finally, one more thing that struck me in today's gospel were the two words: “that instant”. When the two disciples recognised Jesus in the breaking of bread, they set out to tell the others about their encounter risen Lord at once, immediately. How about us? Is there urgency in sharing what God has done for us? Do we do it immediately? I’m not so sure about myself to be honest. 

The truth of the matter is that its scary to do things for God immediately, and many times we don't know whether the promptings in our hearts come from God. It’s also terrifying to talk to others about God and what he’s done for us, especially in our world today. But as much as it’s scary and difficult, that's the call of each of us as disciples of Christ, and it's the primary mission given to us at the end of each Mass. And it's possible. Just look at the saints. I think of St. Francis of Assisi and how he just went immediately when the cross spoke to him and asked him to rebuild the church. Perhaps the challenge for us today, even if we can’t testify now, which is perfectly alright, is to let Jesus in today! This instant! Immediately! Don’t wait.

As we enter into the third week of the Circuit Breaker, let us take heart in the fact that our God is alive indeed. He walks with us, he wants to be with us, and he loves us. But he needs us to let him in, and he needs us to make room in our hearts so that he can enter. Let us do so, immediately.