The readings for this day include two passages that remind me that we "walk by faith and not by sight." In the first reading from Acts, Peter and John heal a man crippled from birth in the name of Jesus Christ. They take a great leap of faith performing that miracle, trusting completely in the power of Jesus Christ. All miracles great and small start with faith and trust. When the world tells us that we can't, Jesus says we can. Think of Mother Teresa, who traveled to India with nothing more than the desire to care for the most "untouchable" people on earth with the same love and compassion that Jesus taught throughout his ministry. How the Sisters of Charity grew from that first leap of faith is a miracle. To perform miracles in our everyday lives, we have to make the leap, even when we can't see the road ahead, trusting that God has a way.
In the Gospel reading, we hear the famous story of two men who encountered the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus. What touches me most about this story is that they don't even realize that they are walking with Jesus. How often would we feel the presences of Jesus in our encounters with others if we would just open our hearts? How often could we be the presence of Jesus for someone else with just a compassionate word or deed at the right time? We have to have faith that Jesus is with us even when we feel most alone. We need to listen for the ways that Jesus speaks to us through others as we walk the road. I believe that Jesus walks with us always even if we don't always see him.
Patty Mancuso
No comments:
Post a Comment