What Do You See?

3^rd Sunday of Easter (April 26, 2020)

Acts 2:14, 22-33

Psalm 16: 1-2,5,7-11

1 Peter 1:17-21          

Luke 24:13-35

What do you see? This can be a very deep and profound question if we take the time to really meditate on it. Now, I’m not talking about just looking around the room and seeing stuff… “Hey I see a chair, my phone, there’s the kitchen where I eat too many quarantine snacks and there’s my razor that I got tired of using a few weeks ago.” No, I’m talking about really taking the time and looking around to see the hidden opportunities right in front of our faces in this very moment.

First, let’s take a look at the scripture passage that was just read from chapter 24 of Luke’s Gospel. It is commonly referred to as the “Road to Emmaus” story. Most of us have heard this story several times before. It begins, “Two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village…” As the story goes, they were conversing and debating everything that had just happened to Jesus regarding his teachings, crucifixion and burial. They were really concerned that it has been three days since his burial and now Jesus’ body is missing from the tomb. Furthermore, an angel announced to some women visiting his tomb that Jesus was indeed alive. During the disciple’s journey, the risen Jesus, out of nowhere, joins them along the road and engages them in their conversation. But oddly enough, the two disciples don’t recognize Jesus and talk to him as if he was just a regular guy.

Does that seem strange to you? These were two of Jesus’ disciples. From the story, we don’t know much about them except that they were disciples. One would think that Jesus’ disciples would have recognized Him, right? After all, He is the subject of their current conversation. So He was right on their minds in that moment. But for whatever reason, they did not SEE Him, even though He was standing right in front of them.

Imagine the opportunity. If we had the chance to speak with Jesus, face to face, in a real conversation. I’m not talking about prayer. I’m talking about having the opportunity to ask Him a direct question and get an immediate answer. Or to ask Him to explain something we’ve always wanted to know and get an immediate explanation directly from the mouth of Jesus. What an amazing opportunity… MISSED… by the two disciples. All because they could not SEE the opportunity right in front of them.

So I’ll ask again… What do you see? What opportunities are right in front of us that we are missing? Our lives have been thrown way off kilter during the COVID 19 quarantine. Nobody will deny that. But are we using this as an excuse to throw up our hands, complain, quit and be bitter? Or are we using this opportunity to see things differently?

The schools are shut down. For parents of school-aged kids who are not used to being the teacher, this can be challenging. Should we get mad and quit? Or do we see this as an opportunity to really get to know how the minds of our kids work. What if we find better ways for our kids to study or learn things so they can be an even better student when the schools open back up?

Many of us have been temporarily laid off from work due to this pandemic. This is an extremely stressful time regarding financials for the majority of us. I had to stop looking at my retirement account early on after I watched its value drop by around 30%. This is out of our control, but will hopefully one day bounce back. What if we now see this opportunity to get rid of some of the excess spending we’ve done in the past? Maybe this situation forces us to adhere to a stricter budget. This could be a good opportunity to become more frugal with our finances when the economy opens back up.

There are many workers that were deemed “essential” and continue to work through this pandemic. What opportunity can we see in this? Maybe this will allow us to better appreciate the first responders, military, medical personnel, food workers, truck drivers, and many, many more that continue to work so our basic needs can be met. When we see these people, will we take them for granted or do we now thank them?

Now for the really hard one. Our churches are closed right now from having in-person services. We Catholics are used to going to Mass every weekend and receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion. It’s so important to us that it is actually a sin to not attend Mass without a valid reason. It is ingrained into our very being to “go” to church. But what if… what if… we’ve been taking that for granted… Even just a little bit. How many of us have thought at one time, “Uggg… do I HAVE to go to church today?” And now, how many of us are longing for the day when we’ll all be together at the Lord’s Table instead of watching from a laptop or phone. To receive Him in the Eucharist with our church family, side by side, worshiping and praising God together.

By now, we are familiar with the term “spiritual communion.” But to be honest, as good as that is, it’s just not the same. As a Catholic Deacon, I can still receive the Eucharist currently. It’s something I do not take lightly. Not even for one second. Mainly because I realize how many people would love to trade spots with me during Mass. That is why when I receive the Eucharist at Mass, I offer it up for all of my family and friends who long to be here, but can’t.

In the Road to Emmaus story, it was in the breaking of the bread that allowed the disciples to recognize Jesus. Since we can’t physically be together at church right now, we need to use our time to prepare. Unlike the disciples in the story, use this time to SEE all of the opportunities right in front of us. Use this time to SEE the things that need to be changed and do it. Use this time to SEE how much we mean to each other so that we don’t take them for granted again later.

What do you see? For me, it’s simple. I see opportunity. I see a church community that has been forced down a solemn journey, one that will make us all better Christians. But only if we take the time to SEE and ACT on the opportunities we face day to day.

And if we can use this time to get closer to God now…

Imagine how much stronger we will SEE Him… when we can once again break bread together… as His church family.