Easter, 3rd Sunday (A) You are driving home from church one day when you suddenly realize that someone is riding in the back seat! You panic, until he introduces himself as none other than Jesus Christ. "I've always been with you," he says, "but you were never able to see me until now." You spend the rest of Sunday together. Monday morning he is still with you, and he plans to join you at work.

As strange as this may sound, the Christian faith is built on this very idea. Jesus is with us, first, because God is everywhere. But secondly, the very same Spirit that connected Jesus with his Father also connects you to Jesus. And third, you became a member of the Body of Christ. You volunteered to reveal Jesus' presence in the world.

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus had left the Christian community. But Jesus didn't stop walking with them. Eventually they have a "Jesus experience" and they turn around and run all the way back to the community. It sometimes happens that people who have given up on regular Sunday Mass encounter Jesus in a profound way. They return to church but sadly only a few parishioners have seen Jesus for themselves. Pray that you can see Jesus, and be Jesus, this week.

(23 Apr 2023)

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Image Maximino Cerezo Barredo (Spanish, 1932–), “Emmaus,” 2002 | Over 12