The WORD in Other Words by Fr Joseph Miras SVD
Wednesday Octave of Easter
Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10
Luke 24:13-35
The story of the two disciples of Jesus on their way to Emmaus is a microcosm of a situation of what people experience whenever they lose someone dear to them. People experience a sense of loss of meaning. They hit rock-bottom.
The two disciples were walking and could not figure out the meaning of Jesus’ death when they were joined by Jesus as they walked. Then their conversation became more engaging and focused on what was troubling them – the very person who made an impact on their view about life, people, and God and died – without realizing much about what they were talking about. Then everything made sense.
From this episode one could sense the importance of talking to someone, especially after a devastating loss of a loved one. Prince William visited the Child Bereavement Society and shared his grief when his mother died. For the first time, according to the news (dailymail.co.uk, 15 Jan 2017), Prince Williams admitted how angry he felt during the death of his mother. He gave the advice that anyone who’s in grief needs to talk to someone. He was quoted to have said, “Life is altered as you know it, and not a day goes past without you thinking about the one you have lost.” The two disciples hadn’t gotten over Jesus’ deathand they continued to discuss it along the way.
Unburdening one’s achy thoughts and feelings is cathartic and even liberating. The unburdening part does give one a better perspective. Having experienced the lightness that the conversation had brought, the two invited Jesus for a meal, but Jesus disappeared.
Once their eyes were opened they realized that being contented with the present was not to do enough. They must search now for the unseen Jesus.
