The Appearance on the Road to Emmaus

MORNING PRAISE | April 15, 2020

The Appearance on the Road to Emmaus | Luke 24:13-35

PERSONAL REFLECTION

I remembered Fr. John Hagileiram on the evening of Maundy Thursday, intoxicated as I was with the negativity that I had been brewing for myself over the days leading to the Triduum. The memories of Fr. John proved to be a very potent antidote against the toxic thoughts and ideas I was willfully poisoning myself with.

I remembered Fr. John for the way he always intently listened to me with a non-judgmental look on his face as I shared to him the many scandalous wrong turns I have made over the course of my life. I remembered how he would often smile and close his eyes as he nodded his head while I shared with him the fruits of my prayer and my experiences as a candidate here in Arvisu.

I remembered Fr. John and the words he told me on my last SD session with him last January, during his birthday. Seeing how distressed I was and how I rambled to articulate the fears and anxieties I felt, he used uncharacteristically direct words to assure me that God is always with me, and will give me the grace I need if indeed a priestly vocation is what He has in mind for me.

But most of all I remembered how Fr. John lived through his condition, accompanying people in their formation despite the physical limitations imposed on his body. I have always been edified by this – how one man can surrender a difficult, immobile life to God; constantly finding meaning in it when it’s so easy to fall into the clamps of despair and defeat.

When we remember someone who is no longer with us, we are more often than not reminded of them by the things they did, the words they said, and how they made us feel. That can be said about Fr. John and how much impact he has made in my discernment journey. It also holds true for the disciples in today’s gospel reading, who, beyond remembering Jesus in the breaking of the bread, had hearts that burned within them, even though their senses deceived them into thinking that it was a stranger who was talking to them and not Jesus himself.

Today’s gospel invites me and challenges me to revisit how I have lived, how I am living, and how I should live my life. It is a two-fold invitation to be aware and sensitive to the presence of Jesus in my midst, no matter how dire the situation may be; especially in moments when God’s movements are too hard to grasp and behold. But perhaps, just as important, it is also a challenge to embody the resurrected Christ in how I deal with others. It is to be the face that other people see as they journey towards their Emmaus. It is to make their hearts burn. It is to remind them of Jesus and how He journeys with them wherever their life leads them.

Fr. John passed those two challenges with flying colors. His actions, words, and how he lived his life will always be a reminder for me of how he accompanied me in this journey to my Emmaus, and more importantly, how my encounter with him has enriched my understanding of how it is to be fully dependent on God: of what complete surrender to His will and grace looks like. As he now partakes in the resurrection of Jesus, my prayer is that I may live my life as purposefully and faithfully as he lived his.

Amen. 

Thought for the Day          

“I don’t have any more wisdom in our courage for this journey than you do. Maybe less. But if you could use a travelling companion, I would come along. I would be only like one of those two men on the road to Emmaus, mostly confused myself, with a slow heart that burned within. Maybe together we could be able to discern Christ on the road beside us.” – Mark Buchanan

/sun