I'm walking on sunshine, oh, oh and don't it feel good! Now that's just one of the myriad of songs I came up with this past week preparing for today's homily. This was an oldie from the 80's generation but I also was reminded to Walk On By, Walking in Memphis, Walk a mile in my shoes, Walking to New Orleans and yes, Walk like an Egyptian.
One of the best ways to relieve stress and get some good exercise is to go for a walk. Even here on the Northshore we see evidence of walking if we maybe are at the Mandeville lakefront or anywhere along the Tammany Trace. Some of us maybe work in New Orleans and it would not be unusual to walk many blocks downtown from office to appointment and back. Walking!
As people of faith, we are called to walk on, in and with son shine, S-O-N-shine!
We hear today the well loved Gospel story commonly called the Road to Emmaus. Talk about some walkers, we are told that two disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, the assumption, they were walking home. Did you catch the distance of such a walk? It was seven miles, seven miles! Now that's a walk. One of the disciples is named Cleopas; that we know for sure. Is this Cleopas the one referred to as Clopas in John's Gospel? It appears this is very likely. We then may be able to conclude the other disciple on the road with Cleopas is his wife Mary. Scripture tells us that she was at the cross when Jesus died and at the tomb early on that first Easter Sunday morn. Remember, the Gospel we have just read, this road to Emmaus, takes place Easter afternoon/late evening.
We may wonder, on this day of such Resurrection joy, on this day when Jesus was still to appear to the Apostles in the upper room, why was he walking with Cleopas and Mary on this long road to Emmaus? Perhaps Jesus needed to strengthen a follower, to help bring a believer back to his senses and abilities to recognize the Resurrected Savior! Sense the mood of Cleopas, his very words. It didn't work out as we had hoped, our plans are dashed, this Jesus we hoped He would be the one. But they killed Him, our dreams are over and now just today, they have stolen his body, a fact perhaps shared directly by Mary the wife of Cleopas.
Patiently, lovingly and with determination, Jesus walked and talked with these two, opening up all of the Old Testament Scriptures, all of which pointed to Him, including His Passion and Death and Resurrection! All the while, as Jesus is walking and talking, their hearts burned, because Jesus was with them. Still, Scripture tells us clearly that not until Jesus agreed to stay the night with the two and share a meal, not until he took bread, blessed bread, broke bread and gave bread to them were their eyes opened. He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread!
This is an all important message in today's Gospel; the breaking of the bread. See, the earliest days of the Church, the Eucharist was called different things, primary of which was the breaking of the bread. Early Christians, those who never heard of Jesus until the Apostles fanned out across the Roman Empire, walking and talking, then they too took, blessed, broke and gave bread; not ordinary bread anymore, the Body of Christ. Jesus was made known to thousands by the breaking of the bread! The Eucharist! His Body & Blood!
For each us, in this Easter season, on this day when we hear this beautiful Gospel passage, we are called to reexamine our personal relationship with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Yes, perhaps we indeed receive Holy Communion every Sunday or every time we come to Mass. Do we do so worthily? Are we in right relationship with Him to experience something so intimate, so personal as to receive His precious Body & Blood? This is a question we answer this week with deep prayer and reflection, and all of us can do this!
Jesus joined the two on their walk to Emmaus but Jesus joins us often, very often on our own walk toward eternal life. He also comes to walk with us when we are simply experiencing all our trials and tribulations that life can offer and yes, even in our hopes and joys too. He walks with us. Are we aware of our Lord, walking by our side, encouraging us, caring for us, loving us, walking and talking with us all the way to the Father?
All we need to do, and let's start this week, is say the words of these two disciples: stay with us! You know he will always stay with us, but we realize how important Jesus really is in our own lives when we ask Him, stay with us, walk with me, talk to me, never let me be separated from you!
Walk like an Egyptian, nope. Walk on by, never. I'm walking on S-O-N-S-H-I-N-E and don't it feel good!
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