Fr Kevin Kilgore

***

Gospel: Luke 24: 13-35

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the poem, Footprints in the Sand. It’s an allegorical poem about the journey of life. A person falls asleep and finds themselves walking along a beach, looking back over their life. 

Along the way, there are two sets of footprints – one belonging to the dreamer and the other to God. But whenever the difficult or traumatic life moments came, the set of footprints dwindled from two down to one.

“I don’t understand why God, when I needed you the most, you would leave me,” the poet lamented. “My precious child,” God replied, “I love you and will never leave you. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

***

In today’s Gospel, two of Jesus’ disciples are walking along the road to Emmaus. Physically, their backs are turned away from Jerusalem as they journey into the sunset, into the night. Spiritually, they are trying to rid themselves of their grief.

Jesus, their teacher and master, had been brutally murdered. Now they felt lost; directionless; abandoned. So, they tried leaving it all behind.

Suddenly the Lord appeared to them as a stranger, sparking a conversation. Symbolically, this was when he began to carry them as the sets of footprints dwindled down to one.

***

The Lord attended to his friends in three different ways.

First, he inquired about the reason for their sadness. Although his disciples could not fathom how anyone in Jerusalem didn’t know about the death of their Lord, they began to open their hearts. Sometimes the simple act of sharing begins the process of healing.

Then the Lord opens the scriptures for them. While the bible does not answer every question we have about life and death, or good and evil, the Word of God does add a great amount of clarity. The Truth becomes a healing balm.

Finally, the Lord sits down and breaks bread with them. This removes the “cataracts” from their eyes, allowing them to see that Jesus was with them.

***

When looking back over our own lives, hopefully we can say the same. When our hearts were burdened by pain and grief, our faith kicked in as we allowed the Lord to carry us.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Medium (2) The Missional Network, Emmaus Road (3) Words of Hope, WordPress

***

Gospel: John 20: 11-18

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he had told her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Yesterday we read Matthew’s account of the empty tomb. Today we read John’s. Since no one witnessed the resurrection itself, it seemingly happened under the cover of darkness while all of humanity was asleep, the Gospel writers take some liberty in telling their story.

Both Matthew and John describe angels being present at the tomb. Often in scripture, when people encounter angels, they’re filled with fear at their glorious appearance. Some attempt to worship them. 

But Mary Magdalene shows no fear at all. John gives the impression she may not even realize she’s speaking with angels, as her eyes had been flooded with tears. Still, the angels would not have captured her devotion; Mary had fallen in love with a higher Being.

“They have taken my Lord,” she says.

Here Mary expresses her personal faith in Jesus Christ as her Savior. “My Lord.”

***

When Jesus, the one who’s stolen her heart appears, Mary still does not recognize him. This same phenomenon happens on the Road to Emmaus. It seems the Risen Jesus can appear to people without being recognized; one must have faith in order to see him.

“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asks her.

This is the fourth time Jesus uses the term “woman” in John’s Gospel, and in each case, he is redefining a relationship. Here, Jesus is pulling Mary out of the past, leading her into the future – into mission where she will be sent to share her faith with the disciples, and the world.

“Go to my brothers and tell them, I am going to my Father and your Father,” he says, “to my God and your God.”

Just as Jesus addresses Mary with a new title, “woman,” so he calls his disciples “brothers” for the very first time. Because of his resurrection, Christ has brought our humanity into the very heart of God, allowing us to share the same Father.

***

What a marvelous truth!

We are brothers and sisters, members of the same divine family, children of God.

***

***

Image credits: (1) First Baptist Church Greensboro (2) JW.org (3) Bits of Bread, WordPress

***

Gospel: Matthew 28: 8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, “You are to say,
‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

There are a few interesting details peppered into these verses, leading to the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel.

In the preceding chapters, Matthew refers to Jesus as the “Son of Man,” “Lord,” and the “Son of God.” Matthew wanted his listeners to be assured that, prior to Jesus’ crucifixion and death, he was divine. 

This would’ve served as a consolation to those who were hearing the Gospel for the very first time. But, after Christ’s resurrection, Matthew simply refers to him as “Jesus.” No other title is necessary. This man, Jesus, was raised from the dead.

***

To reinforce Christ’s victory over death, Matthew describes an angel rolling away the stone and sitting on top of it, showing God’s power over death. But Jesus was no longer there.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary see the empty tomb – fearful yet overjoyed – then Jesus appears to them. But he will not allow them to cling to him; whenever the Risen Christ appears to someone, it is to give them a mission.

“Do not be afraid,” he says. “Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see me.” The disciples must perform an act of obedience – even an act of faith – by trusting Mary’s account, heading not to the tomb but to Galilee.

There, they, too, will be sent out on mission.

***

And just as King Herod tried stomping out the news of Christ’s birth, so the chief priests try muzzling the story of Christ’s resurrection. Those who do not worship Jesus will do anything to get rid of him.

But they never win. The joy of the resurrection was so profound, so thrilling, so life-changing that nothing – not even death – could stop Christ’s disciples from sharing the Good News.

Death had lost its sting. The early Christians saw the grave as a type of second womb; although it claimed their mortal bodies, new life – eternal life – would inevitably come.

May that same spirit of joy and conviction come alive within us today!

***

***

Image credits: (1) Piero della Francesca, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (2) Christ’s Appearance to Mary Magdalene After the Resurrection, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (3) Southern Run Baptist Church