Third Sunday of Easter
I was to travel to India tomorrow. My eighty-eight-year-old mother is waiting to me. We have been talking about it for months. But then, the war has presented a total conundrum. My transit airport is Doha, Qatar. It is a hotspot in the war. Even though the ceasefire has brought some normalcy to the flights, the war is far from over. Any escalation can make my trip very risky. It is not merely about making it home. It is also about making it back for First Holy Communion Mass on May 16. After agonizing over all this for over a month, my family and I decided last Wednesday that it is best I do not travel. But I did not cancel my tickets. I almost did but I did. . But each day, amidst all the bad news, I was clinging to the faintest glimmer of hope. Finally, last night I rebooked my flight for June. I may not be going home tomorrow but I have not given up hope.
In this context, I think about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were leaving Jerusalem. They were downcast. But they were still talking about “all the things that had occurred” (Lk 24:14). When Jesus joined them and asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” not only did they share their anguish but said, “We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel” (Lk 24:21). They have not yet given up hope, especially because some woman has astounded them by reporting that they could not find his body. They went to the tomb. They did not find him or his body. They may be leaving Jerusalem. They may be downcast. But they were clinging on to the slightest glimmer of hope. Just a little later they would know that Hope had not given up on them either.
Seamless Ministry of Hope
Jesus’ appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus is not some new post-resurrection ministry. What Jesus did for the downcast disciples was what he had done all his life. To the blind, the lame, the sinners, the outcast, the hungry, and the lost – Jesus gave hope. Even in his final hour, a criminal on the cross found hope in him. And now, as the resurrected Lord, Jesus continues where he left off. As the disciples debated “all the things that had occurred,” Jesus joined them on their journey. In the midst of their despondency, Hope has joined the journey.
The two disciples represent the entire humankind. The two disciples represent every one of us. And the stranger in their midst is Christ, the hope of humanity.
All Enduring Hope
I want to share two notes that I got in children’s school Mass envelops. The first note says, “Dear God, there was a lot of police next to my house. I was scared to go to school today. But I still went because we have Church today.” The second note says, “I pray for my mom so nothing bad happens to her and for three-year-old sister. Also, that my dad does not fall off the roof.”
It is clear that the prayers are the prayers of the immigrant children. First of all, no child should have to go through this. For that matter, no one should have to live in such fear. But it is the hope that these notes carry that gripped my heart. The kid who wrote the first note, along with many others, is scared. But she still comes to school because she will get go to church. Kids are afraid of their parents being detained or falling of the roof. But they hope and pray. Christ, the hope of humanity is their hope.
Imagine a world without the hope that the risen Christ bring to us. He carries the hope of all of humanity. Today, amidst all the reasons to give up, two children cling on the Christ as their hope. There is something we can learn from them.
People of Hope
Nothing embodies hope than the empty tomb that first Easter morning. Even the darkest tomb, even a bloody crucifixion, even a bruised dead body cannot dim the hope of a people of faith. We are a people of faith. We believe that Christ is risen from the dead. This means two things:
First, that we live in never-ending hope. Life does not and is never going to stop presenting complex life situations. Life is a beautiful journey but it is also a complex journey. If life ever presents a conundrum, think about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Just like with the disciples, Christ is with us – walking with us, speaking with us, opening our minds, giving us a reason to return back to Jerusalem. When you struggle, think about the two children hoping against hope. No matter what, never give up hope.
Second, Christ walking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus was him walking with all of humankind. If Christ is our hope, we are not only called to never give up hope, but also give that hope to those who struggle. Look around. There are children, there are adults; there are those struggling with addiction and those with terminal illnesses; there are those who have lost someone to death, to deportation, or to a broken marriage; there those whose finances are a mess, whose mental health is a burden, or whose employment is at risk. In these days, there are those who dash people’s hopes and there are those who build people’s hopes. May we be like Jesus.
The disciples on the road recognized Jesus at the “breaking of the bread” (Lk 24:35). Today, at this breaking of the bread, the same Christ is with us. He is our hope. He is our peace. He is our life. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph