The Third Sunday of Easter (Cycle A)

The tie in between today’s readings: Guided Mysteries

Psalm 16:1-11, Acts 2:14;22-33, 1 Peter 1:17-21, Luke 24:13-35

Growing up, my favorite puzzle was the hidden picture. If you’ve never done one, a large picture is drawn on a page and you are challenged to find a list of smaller items: a cup, fish, bird, etc., drawn and hidden within it. Some you pick out quickly, but there are always a few that are hard to find. It can take some time before you see them and while you’re looking, you’ll swear that there’s nothing there…there must have been a misprint. The fun is the surprise that you get when you finally discover those elusive ones hidden in plain sight. Christianity is full of paradoxes and puzzles. God has not left us on our own to solve them. We never could. He specializes in guiding us through the mysteries. A good example is in our gospel reading, Luke 24:13-35, where we go on the road to Emmaus with two guys who just can’t figure it out.

Jesus joins our downtrodden companions, who apparently knew the Apostles and most likely, Jesus, very well. The Lord asks them, “Why so sad?” They answer; but, oddly, Jesus keeps them from recognizing Him. A principle of God-guided discovery is at play here. The Lord won’t give you what you’re not ready for. Imagine the mind-blowing shock if Christ had just walked up behind them and said, “Hi guys, it’s Me!” There is a vast ocean of truth available for our thimble sized minds to comprehend. It’s the Lord’s prerogative to decide what you get and how you get it. It’s for us to have the humility to accept that God reveals and conceals truth as He sees fit.

Having asked the question, Jesus leads them to the answer. He starts with Moses and guides them through the prophets. No doubt He includes our reading today in Psalm 16:1-11. There in verse 10, God provides one of His proof texts that His Christ will be resurrected. Here is a second principle. It’s important for us to study and be well grounded in scripture. The Lord uses our knowledge of His word to direct us in discovering faith’s mysteries. If you know little, you get little. If you know more, you get more. Read your Bible! You’ll never know Jesus, if you don’t know Jack!*

It’s getting late. The companions insist that He bunk with them that night. There at dinner, the Lord takes bread, blesses, breaks, and gives it to them. Now, their eyes are opened and they recognize Him. As soon as this happens, Jesus disappears. Here we have God revealing Himself through the mysteries of the sacraments. Faith, words, and substance combine to compliment scriptural knowledge to give us a deeper insight into the Lord and ourselves. Sacraments illustrate mysteries in a timeless and universal manner. The miracle of salvation and the resurrection are seen in Baptism. The mystery of the church shows in Matrimony. Reconciliation speaks of our celestial family relationship. We are His miracle people whom He’ll never forsake. Even though these men were not at the Last Supper, Jesus still uses the Eucharist as a sign of His presence. He disappears…but He is still there.

What do miracle people do with the discoveries that God has given them? They tell others. Our two travelers immediately went out into the pitch-black Judean night to tell the Apostles that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead and how they recognized Him through the breaking of the bread. Weeks later, when the Holy Spirit is poured out on Pentecost Sunday, our reading in Acts 2:22-33, has Saint Peter preaching the Gospel in Jerusalem. He uses our reading in Psalm 16 to explain the resurrection of Christ. Three thousand believe that day and receive Baptism. The three principles of God- guided discovery are on display: God the Holy Spirit opening hearts to the truth, Peter teaching from the text of scripture, and sacramental testimony to the reality of our spiritual relationship to God and each other.

Our last reading in 1 Peter 1:17-21 urges us to live our lives in holiness with reverence to God. More precious than gold, the Apostle goes on to say that only Christ’s blood can take away our sins. That mystery is the cosmic challenge to anyone’s understanding; angel or man. Scripture, sacraments, and sanctified people, the hidden things of God are everywhere in plain sight. Let’s draw closer to the Lord in study and worship. He will draw closer to us and open our minds to exciting new discoveries about Himself. This is the Christian adventure! This is what we were made for! Embrace it! Be surprised! After all, isn’t enjoying the deeper things of the Almighty what heaven is really about?

*The expression, “You don’t know Jack!” means to be ignorant or stupid. I’m using it as a modern version of St. Jerome’s quote that “Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ”.