EASTER THURSDAY

On a dusty road on the very hot day, two men were walking to Emmaus. Downtrodden, they had recently lost a great friend of theirs. Suddenly, a stranger comes by and walks with them. When they arrive in the town and sit to eat, they realize that the stranger is not a stranger at all, but their friend who had been crucified—it was Jesus, the Christ. But how could it be? This same man had been tortured, crucified, and buried! How could he possibly be alive and before them? No wonder these men believed they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus asks them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself." So, why are we troubled by things that occur in the world? Why do we not see Jesus in everything? Why are we sometimes tempted to doubt God’s existence? Why do we not look at the Cross, see the Lord’s wounded hands, feet, and side, and believe?

A teacher once told me that it was the Resurrection of Jesus that validated all we believe. And it’s true. Everything in the Church year—and in our spiritual lives—all leads up to believing and knowing that the little baby born in a stable in Bethlehem is really the Son of God who came to save the whole world. And Jesus didn’t just walk with the two disciples. He walks daily with us, feeling the same emotions and fears as we do.

Will you join me in walking with him?

Catherine Lowe