I am struck by several things in these readings we have today. One is the fact that the gospel writers never tell us the things I want to know: who is the disciple whom Jesus loved? In today s Gospel, I do not want to hear from long winded Cleopas explaining to Jesus about who Jesus was. I want to know what Jesus had to say as he explained what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets. I want to know the name of the other disciple on this journey to Emmaus. Most importantly I want to know why these two disciples and Mary do not recognize the risen Jesus? Secondly, I am struck by the difference between our first reading we heard from the book of Acts and the behavior of the risen Jesus. In Acts we heard that Peter says to the crowd: "Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!" Easter 3, 5/4/14 Page 1
To me this sounds very different from the descriptions of the encounters with the risen Jesus. Jesus appears to the women and then the apostles and there is no reproach in the way he relates to them. At least the women had been at the crucifixion but Peter had denied him, and the apostles had abandoned him. Yet when you read the appearance accounts, there is no recrimination, not even a hint of I love you despite He goes out of his way to meet them where they are. Thomas, put your hand in my side There is an acceptance of them: warts and all. I believe there is a similar acceptance of us with all our imperfections, with all the things we have done and left undone as we say in the Act of contrition. This thought of the resurrected Jesus as being Love incarnate comes from a small book I have been reading by Rowan Williams: Resurrection Interpreting the Easter Gospel. WIlliams says that Jesus is the perfectly innocent victim who returns to the people who abandoned him and to his Jewish brothers who called Easter 3, 5/4/14 Page 2
for his crucifixion and he returns to them as if they had done no wrong, without his seeking any retribution, as if no rebalancing is necessary. Archbishop Rowan emphasizes that in the risen Jesus we see what we hear in Matthew 5:38-39 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; Williams equates original sin with the ease with which we react to small and large slights by counterattacking. I know I consciously curtail my anger and my urge to get back at the offending driver when someone cuts me off when I am driving. Our society thinks capital punishment is the correct response to some murder cases. With which part of the quote from Matthew do we identify? An eye for an eye or the invitation to turn the other check? Williams says the risen Jesus presents no such revenge response. In none of the resurrection appearances is He the avenging judge. Love is his answer to everything. Easter 3, 5/4/14 Page 3
Let s get back to the question: Why did they not recognize him? Several sources I read suggested that they were so caught up in their own grief and disappointment that they could not see him for who he was. I can identify with that. I think I miss His presence more that I recognize it and I dread ever hearing the words from John 14:9 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? I believe the Risen Jesus was different from the pre crucified Jesus. And I believe that recognizing him in ourselves and in our neighbors does not come naturally. In order to turn the other check we need to learn to see as Christ does and we need to learn to love as God does. A few weeks ago I shared that I was working on something called the Breath prayer. You take a petition for which you hunger and link it with an activity you perform often. Every time you do the activity, like washing your hands or turning on your Easter 3, 5/4/14 Page 4
computer, you say your prayer. My prayer is to see as Christ sees and love as He loves. I think the amount of work I have to do on this prayer may guarantee me a very long life span. I hope it will help me to recognize the Christ that is before me every day. I want to end this sermon by recognizing the fact that we are celebrating the confirmation, reception and recommitment of 31 people here tomorrow at 4:00. As part of that service we will recommit ourselves to our own Baptism promises and commit to supporting these people in their life in Christ. That responsibility to our own growth in Christ and each other s growth in Christ takes reflection, conscious effort and a commitment to change. May we all receive that grace this week end. May we all come to see and recognize the Risen Christ. Easter 3, 5/4/14 Page 5