Today’s Gospel Story (Luke 24:13-25) tells about two of Jesus’ disciples walking on a journey to the town of Emmaus and they meet him along the way. At first they don’t recognize him, a common theme in post resurrection stories, and when they do he vanishes. They then return to Jerusalem and tell their experience to the other disciples. The majority report sees this as another important story of Jesus showing himself to his disciples after his Resurrection. As usual, the minority report can be quite different.
The Responsorial and Alleluia verses offer some inspiring thoughts as we prepare to pray the Gospel Story. Psalm verse: “Lord, you will show us the path of life”. Alleluia Verse: “Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us; make our hearts burn while you speak to us”. The impact these scriptures have on us depends on our openness to being surprised, as Jesus explains the Scriptures in the setting of our own living here and now. They can say different things to each of us on our journey. While each of us has our own journey from Abba, with Abba, and to Abba, we have our own particular circumstances. We have much more in common with others than we might imagine at first.
The disciples were upset because things had not gone as they expected: “we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel”. When I pray “Lord you will show me the path of life”, have I already decided what I want that path to be? Same with, “Open the Scriptures to me, make my heart burn while you speak to me”. Have I already decided what I want the Scriptures to say to me? In my case, probably I have, and this is not ideal. What really is dangerous is when I think my way is the only way for everybody. There’s a lot of that going around these days.
The current stone in my shoe, a little thing causing a lot of annoyance, is no internet service this morning. It’s amazing how something as simple as that can cause so much upheaval in me. Glad I saw the final episode of The Pitt before the outage happened. But here we are. The question remains , “what are you saying to me in this?”. It seems Jesus is saying to me yet again, “How foolish you are, how slow of heart are you to believe”. Guess I’m looking for things to get back to the way I want them so I can feel in control. Whether I am aware or not, I have my own plan of how I want things too go. Mike Tyson: ‘everybody has a plan till they get hit in the face”. Center for Army Lessons Learned: “the first casualty of battle is the plan”. Also, “improvise, adapt, overcome”. “What is, is”. I talk a lot about openness, but I still like things to go my way, to feel in some control. It’s interesting that the big things such as health issues, are no problem compared with the little things like internet connection. Perhaps some priorities realignment is in order.
The Welcome Prayer reminds me that “I welcome everything that comes into my life today because it is of you”. I believe this. It’s interesting that I feel more annoyed this morning about the internet outage than when I have to pop a few nitros because of chest pain, which also happened this morning (wonder if there’s a connection). Think there might be a learning experience happening here. Just don’t know what it is. Seems to be along the lines of, “How foolish you are, how slow of heart are you to believe”.
In the Story the disciples were walking seven miles to Emmaus. They were traveling light, except for their disappointment and fear at what had happened, so they were ready to be open to Jesus. So I ask ,”am I traveling light?”. I remember a few times a while back when the guys, looking at my ruck, said to me, “Chaplain, do you really need all that stuff?”. They showed me how to get rid of unnecessary stuff, just drop it and keep on walking. Somebody must have enjoyed my dry socks, but they took up room in my ruck. Wonder if they’re saying it again to me here and now. What am I holding on to here that I don’t need? What attitudes, biases, blind spots? I don’t want to carry a “shammer’s ruck”. I want to carry what I need so I don’t burden anyone else. Definitely hot sauce which was a big thing back then, a significant morale factor when our basic food was C-Rats. IYKYK.
Part of the “wisdom of aging” is our gradual recognition that everything happening on our journey so far has prepared us for where we are right now, and we are exactly where we need to me. A kind of continuum surrounded and guided by Goodness.. I hear this a lot where I live. There is wisdom here. We have an awareness of some kind of unity to our life journey and the people we have encountered as we’ve travelled. We are an important part of Something much bigger than we are, and this Something is good. Jesus shows us this Something is Someone, his, and our, Abba, who is with us in everything.
“Were not our hearts burning as he spoke to us along the way?”. Could be. Perhaps I’m beginning to be aware of my need to be appreciated, approved, seen as special, different, or unusual, and this needs to be dropped. I have to learn to trust the Spirit and go where She takes me. Who would have thought Abba uses the internet to get my attention, but it’s kinda clear this morning that he is. He’s offering me a whole different and unexpected connection. Now I need to learn it, and let go of whatever is keeping me from recognizing it.
None of this is what I thought I would be writing this morning, yet it is real to me, and has been an interesting experience. Think there is a lesson for me here, and I hope to be open to the Spirit as She helps me figure out what it is. I firmly believe in the Welcome Prayer as a way of living: “I welcome everything that comes into my life today because it is of you”. Now asking some insight to what all of this is saying to me. Just sayin . . .