KEEPING OUR HEARTS BURNING!!!

April 27, 2011 

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

By Lorenz S. Centino, Jr.

Luke 24: 13 - 35

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emma'us, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cle'opas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" 19 And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning 23 and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see." 25 And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, 29 but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, 34 who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:

A BLESSED WEDNESDAY TO ALL!

INTROSPECTION is a necessary internal activity of self-assessment that is necessary for a better understanding of oneself. It is an opportunity to evaluate the on-goings of one’s life to make some adjustments, improvements, reformation and restructuring of one’s priorities and concerns.  However, introspection be guarded not to end to self-absorption wherein the only concern and focus is the self. SELF-ABSORPTION is commonly described as preoccupation of oneself to the exclusion of others and the external world.

In the Gospel today it would seem that the two disciples journeying to Emmaus were absorbed within themselves as they discussed the recent happening about Jesus’ crucifixion and death. They were so preoccupied and engrossed with introspection, maybe to the point to self absorption that they failed to recognize Jesus walking with them on the way. Their introspection was so self-consuming that their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus. How often do we miss the presence of God in our lives too because we are so concerned with ourselves? Our eyes are often kept from recognizing God walking with us each day because we are so preoccupied and absorbed pessimistically with the “many events” happening around, especially the negative and disheartening experiences. The two disciples were terribly disheartened by the death and the disappearance of the body of Jesus in whom they placed their hope for liberation. They were questioning and doubting the credibility of Jesus as the Messiah. They doubted the credibility of the women testifying that Jesus is alive while they saw the tomb empty. As the TOMB was EMPTY with the body of Jesus was also their HEARTS became EMPTIED in recognizing Jesus’ PRESENCE among them. Mary Magdalene, in yesterday’s gospel, also initially failed to recognize Jesus because she was also preoccupied with herself grieving over Jesus’ death and disappearance.

However, Jesus INITIATED something for the two disciples and Mary Magdalene to recognize him. At times, we really need God to poke us up just for us to recognize him when we are so absorbed with ourselves. At times it is hard to get out of our self-absorption that it would take God to awaken us and open our eyes to recognize him. It took for Mary Magdalene to hear the Lord calling her name to recognize Jesus. When Jesus called her, her eyes were opened and ready to be close to Jesus. So also with the two disciples, it took them to HEAR Jesus explaining to them the whole import of his death as the prophet prophesied and the BREAKING of the BREAD to recognize that it is Jesus who was walking all along with them. Their HEARTS were already BURNING when they listened to Jesus conversing with them on the way but have not yet recognized him until Jesus break bread with them. Have we also felt our hearts always burning with the feeling that Jesus is always journeying with us on our way each day?

If ever we come to the point that we become “slow of heart” in recognizing the presence of God, participating in the Liturgical celebration of the BREAKING OF BREAD can be a special opportunity for us to make our heart to burn again. Let us listen to the Lord each day calling us to recognize his presence in our daily undertakings. Let us keep our hearts burning in whatever situation we are in and consider each moment a journeying with the Lord.