Did you ever feel like you were heading in the wrong direction? I’m not talking about taking the wrong road when you decide to ditch your GPS and rely on that inner sense of direction you thought you had. I’m referring to that feeling of fear that an idea, a choice, or a relationship was not going where you thought it would go. The sense of impending failure sparks self-doubt and hopelessness. The remedy for this kind of flawed navigation is to re-set, re-group, and check-in with the ones who can show us the better way – the people we love and in whom we have faith, the ones who know us better than we know ourselves. They are the ones who guide us by truth to where we are meant to be.
The two on the road to Emmaus (which translates to “Nowhere”) are feeling lost because they believe that Jesus had not risen from the dead. They are walking away from Jerusalem disappointed and forlorn because they assumed that the promise of Resurrection was broken. Slowly they come to realize that the stranger who begins to walk with them is the Risen Lord. They begin to understand that he is the one promised in Scripture, they are drawn to his story and don’t want him to leave. But it is in the breaking of the bread that they finally recognize that it is Jesus. Their hearts are fired up, and they proclaim the Risen Lord! They are back on track and filled with the joy that comes from an encounter with Christ.
We need Christ to walk with us as we face misdirected thoughts and actions. We need Christ to listen as we pray for the peace that only He can give to the world. We need Christ to calm the heat of hurtful rhetoric that is directed toward our Holy Father and the Church. We need Christ to show us how to live the Gospel in love and in truth.
Lord, walk with us each day. Help us to recognize you in word, in sacrament, and in one another. We know you are the way, the truth, and the life. Show us the way – every day.
Amen.
