A good time to reflect on the title of this blog

This is the time of year when the gospel of Luke relates the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.  It’s a good time to renew my reflections on why I chose this episode of the Bible as the title of my blog.

Jesus appears to us in mysterious ways. 

He appears to us subtly, in other people.  He can choose to appear in others through a smile, or a kind word or action.  For example when my mother’s neighbors cooked her a Thanksgiving Day dinner when I had to work and couldn’t be there with her.  He was certainly there.  When those same neighbors planted pretty flowers in the flowerbox outside her window, and then took the time to maintain them, it was an act of pure charity, in the example of Jesus.

Then there are times when Christ appears more clearly, as when Mom’s neighbor Rose stops by just to watch a little TV (EWTN, of course!) or simply chat to keep her from getting too lonely. 

And other times, we see Him outside of us in all creation, in the silence of a forest or the majestic beauty of the sky, when dawn breaks or when the sun sets.

While it is a great feeling to see Jesus at work in others, the most mysterious way is in the Holy Eucharist. Oh, how I love the Eucharist! Every time I receive Him in Holy Communion, my heart is bursting at the seams with love for Him! When Jesus appears inside of us, there is an immediate comfort, a sensation of love, a feeling of exuberant joy, from which we can finally become one of those through whom others recognize Jesus.

But then, there are the moments when we feel like we can’t recognize Jesus, when He “disappears from our sight.”  Just because we cannot see Him does not mean that He isn’t there. It’s just like on the road to Emmaus. In fact, it probably means that our eyes are closed, for some mysterious reason (most likely blinded by even the most venal of sins).  And when we can’t see, that is when we turn to hearing. When we can’t hear, we turn to feeling. When none of our senses work, we often turn to loving. And He is always there, waiting for the right moment to open our eyes and reveal Himself to us. He always helps us, coaxing and encouraging, until finally we wake up and see Him, and know that everything is okay. There are many ways to recognize the ones we love most; let our eyes be opened, and recognize Jesus!