I am very grateful for a proposal from a parishioner to make a procession of the Blessed Sacrament around the town last Sunday which is probably a favourable time to celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy. It is definitely a symbol of God being a Father not merely waiting for the return of His children but more of a Father longing so much that He went out into the wilderness searching for His children. It is the very essence of God’s mercy. Second, it is an opportunity for our parishioners to receive God’s blessing since it has been exactly six Sundays that we do not have public Eucharistic Celebrations. As I was holding on the monstrance while a generous parishioner provided me with a ride, I can feel the real presence of God journeying with us. People were gladly waiting from their verandas, waving, kneeling, bowing, making signs of the cross and ringing bells as each received the Eucharistic blessing. There was great reverence, excitement and ardent desire to welcome the Lord in their lives. Afterwards, a parishioner texted me “Father, the blessing was awesome. It felt like the community was enjoyable to sit and anticipate the coming blessing. Truly, the Lord is all the way journeying with us”.
We are now on the Third Sunday of Easter and the readings that we have are inviting us to reflect on Christian life: Our journey with the Risen Lord. We are not alone in our journey on earth. The gospel tells us about the story of two disciples who were walking away from Jerusalem wherein they had witnessed the gruesome death Lord and Master. They felt all alone while walking back home to their native town Emmaus. They could not believe that Jesus Christ who is always with them on their previous journeys was no longer and will never be with them for the rest of their journey in life. Nevertheless, Jesus proved them wrong with regard to their assumption. He was with them all the way on the lonely road until they reached home at twilight. It is only during the breaking of bread that they recognized the person who explained to them the sacred scriptures. They realized that their hearts were burning while on their journey. Their experience is teaching us a very significant lesson which most of us are definitely yearning for. The bible and the Holy Eucharist are essential vehicles in our Christian life journey. Life in quarantine can be boring but our hearts can keep burning when we spend the best time to pray. The experience of the two disciples is telling us that in the Holy Eucharist we encounter the very person of Jesus which gives us renewed spiritual energy just like the disciples who were filled with joy at the table with the Lord.
The presence of the Lord makes our spiritual journey fruitful and dynamic. The First Letter of Peter says “you were ransomed from futile ways with the precious blood of Christ”. The effect of the word of God moulds us into a brand new being which transformed into the very likeness of Jesus Christ. In the Lord it is no longer a life of selfishness but selflessness. The presence of Jesus in our life makes us fruitful that we think not so much about us but more about others. The more we digest the word of God and receive the Eucharist, the miracle starts to unfold, we became companions in the journey of other people. We ought to become light and break our bread to share our life for others.
Christian journey includes storytelling about our spiritual journey. The Acts of the Apostles tells us how the apostles courageously and diligently spent their life after confirming that Jesus' resurrection. They became itinerant preachers telling time and again the good news of Jesus in its simplest way. We too are being encouraged to tell stories about our spiritual journey. Awesome life stories of how the risen Lord affected our lives. As we were evangelized, we ought to be evangelizers. The church certainly is not closed because our homes are actually domestic churches open once again. Let us rise up and tell the world of His love.