The story of Emmaus is the longest and most elegant appearance story in the gospels. In the afternoon of the first Easter Sunday we encounter two discouraged disciples walking away from Jerusalem, away from the place where their hopes had been shattered. The gospel affirms what many of us know by our own personal experience. Like Cleopas and his unnamed companion, some venture away, convinced that they can find God elsewhere outside of what was their faith community.
One mother prayed for years that her two sons would return to the faith they had left behind as teenagers. One Mother’s Day, they surprised her, showing up for Mass. Filled with joy, she asked them afterwards what prompted their return to the faith.
Her sons had been vacationing in Colorado. One very rainy Sunday morning while driving down a mountain road, they came upon an old man without an umbrella. Thoroughly soaked, he was walking with a limp alongside the highway. The brothers stopped and offered him a ride.
The old man told them he was on his way to Mass at a church three miles down the road so the brothers took him there. Since it was raining so hard and they had nothing else to do, they decided to give him a ride home after Mass. Rather than wait in the car, the brothers decided to go inside the church as well. As they listened to the readings and sat through the Mass, they were deeply moved. As one son said, “You know, Mom, it felt so right. It was like getting home after a long trip.”
That, I believe, was how Cleopas and his companion felt when they finally recognized Jesus after their long walk home from Jerusalem. Failing to understand the meaning of the Last Supper and disillusioned by what happened on Good Friday, they had left the community of disciples behind in Jerusalem, perhaps intent on returning to their old ways.
Jesus was gone and their dream of a new Israel was shattered or so they thought. Then they met this mysterious stranger on the road who offered them new insights, “Beginning with Moses and the prophets, he interpreted what referred to him in all the Scriptures.” They listened but still did not recognize him.
Not until Jesus took bread they offered him and said the blessing did Cleopas and his friend see the light. He was no stranger; this man was Jesus, whom they thought was dead but now was very much alive! All that he had said in the past, especially at the Last Supper began to make sense to them! “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us?”
The brothers on that Colorado highway had a similar experience. Growing up, they had followed Jesus, believing him to be the Son of God but in the stormy days of their adolescence, they left their faith community behind and ventured on their own way.
Years later they met this stranger on a wet Sunday morning. He spoke to them not with words but with his heroic example and they began to listen. With their hearts burning, they rediscovered the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
I think of Emmaus as the first celebration of the Eucharist after the Last Supper. (Maybe this was Cleopas’ first communion!) Every Sunday since then, that is what we as Catholics have done, recognizing Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Are our hearts burning within us when we come forth to receive the Eucharist? For some, the answer is no, so they forgo this most precious gift. I wonder if they have ever seen the parallel between our Mass of today and the first one in Emmaus. Cleopas and his friend listened to Jesus, and then they offered him bread which he then blessed and broke. We are encouraged to do the same. We must listen to what Jesus has to say to us through scripture and the homily. Secondly, we must give something of ourselves so that when the gifts of bread, wine and the collection are brought forth, they include our gift to God.
In one of his earliest talks, Pope Benedict said, “The Eucharist makes the risen Christ constantly present: Christ, who continues to give himself to us, calling us to participate in the banquet of his Body and Blood.”
Today’s gospel is a story of how Jesus’ followers moved from expectant wishing to being grounded in true hope. Like Cleopas, his friend and the apostles, we thrive on a future full of hope. They had been wishing for someone who would rescue them from bondage and transform their situation for them. For that to happen, Christ would first inflame their hearts with hope.
Now more than ever, in these changing economic times, the Church of Western Washington needs your support. The Annual Catholic Appeal enables pastoral care ministers to visit the imprisoned and the sick offering them hope, sustain the 9th largest school system in our state, which serves over 23,000 students, and prepare men to serve us as priests of tomorrow, along with 60 other crucial ministries. Closer to home, the appeal allows us to offer counseling here at St. Hubert. The goal this year is $10 M. Our parish goal this year is $42,724. Help us to build a future full of hope with your gift.
I know that not every family will be able to support the appeal financially, but if you can, please consider doing what I do, that is, pledge a $1 a day ($365). That is less than the cost of a latte. Know that every gift, whatever the amount, is valued. You have enabled the parish to exceed its goal every year that I have been here and until recently, our rebate has equaled our annual goal. In the past, the rebate has gone toward a pet project, such as the generator, but as you heard me say last weekend, our rebates are now being used to pay our bills.
Five years ago, before we built our new addition, our Sunday collection surpassed our expenses. That is no longer the case. The collection now averages $6K less per month than it did five years ago yet it cost more to run the parish, now that we have a larger facility. Consequently a month ago, we were in the red by nearly $33K. Last year’s rebate has helped to narrow the gap down to $10,556.
Last year, 214 parishioners contributed to the Annual Appeal with an average gift of $249. Join me now in completing a pledge envelope, if you haven’t already done so. Keep in mind as you fill out the envelope that your pledge can be paid over a period of ten months or with a one time gift. You can use plastic or electronic fund transfer. You can even donate on line or donate stock. You might even be able to multiply your gift! Some companies have gift matching programs that would double your gift. Check with your employer to see if that is the case for you.
If you are unable to give, please fill out an envelope and write, “I am offering a prayer.” This will let us know that you are participating so that we will not send you any follow up letters.
Join me now by taking the next few moments to complete an envelope and committing yourself to this year’s annual Catholic appeal. No parish or individual can accomplish the mission of the church, but together as the body of Christ, we can build a future of hope.
The choice to make a difference in the lives of others is ours.
On behalf of Archbishop Sartain, the chancery staff and the many who benefit from the Annual Catholic Appeal, thank you for your generous response. Thank you for your pledge; your gift, whatever its size, helps us to build a future full of hope.