Homily of Fr. Paul Panaretos, S.J.
Mutual, Lest We Forget
Peter and John worked a miracle in the name of Jesus the Messiah the Nazorean. The man who had been crippled from birth not only was able to walk, he went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.
The people there recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. This is one more instance of a real person in a real place who was affected by the power of the risen Jesus.
The beautiful encounter of Jesus and the two disciples on their way to Emmaus is that again: real people in real places. Nor was risen Jesus a phantom or a ghost. The disciples both marveled and recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
In Luke the appearance of risen Jesus combines matter-of-factness with mystery, as my teacher put it. Discussing, grieving, hospitality, eating and drinking mesh with the disciples’ difficulty to recognize Jesus. Here they mistook the Lord for a stranger on a journey. Others are incredulous with joy* when risen Jesus appears.
Unconstrained by space and time risen Jesus appeared to many, and they hastened to tell each other. This mutual experience and sharing are no mere natural result; they form the community of the risen Lord.
Most of all, the consequence of meeting risen Jesus is action. In particular, experiencing the risen Lord led to proclamation. Each of us is to discern how we meet the risen Lord during our lives in order to proclaim him at home and away. Proclaiming Jesus makes us more alert to his presence and sharpens our vision of him.
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* This phrase in chapter 24 verse 41. The two hastened to tell the Eleven. While they were speaking, risen Jesus appeared among them, and the Eleven and those gahtered with them were incredulous with joy.
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