8 April 2015 - known to us

Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

LORD Jesus, we want to see you but we can't. Our eyes are prevented from recognizing you. What prevents it? We can't see past "a sentence of death". This whole world is under that sentence. The whole world is in "the power of death, that is, the devil". We are all those "who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (cf. Heb. 2:14-15). This fear makes us afraid to hope. Even when we hear from the women of our group that...

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.

It hits us more as an abstraction. We know that you are at least "prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people". It doesn't make sense to us that you are gone, dead, and crucified. But at the same time we can't raise our hope beyond the horizon of death. You are walking with us and we miss you. We miss you because it can't be you, because that would be too good, because that is not how this death bound world works.

Indeed it is not how the world works. But you have overcome the world (cf. Joh.16:33). You don't leave us blinded and enslaved by fear. Through your Church it is you yourself who speak to us and call us to recognize you.

But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, “Look at us.”

You yourself speak through the Scriptures.

Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.

You show us that this hope is the culmination of your plans for us. You show us how your love has been with us all along. You show us how your fidelity to the covenant does not waver.

He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—

Nothing, not fear, not sickness, not injury, not even death, need keep us from you any longer.

“I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you: 
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”

You raise us up. You enable us to stand and to walk with you in the freedom of the sons of God (cf. Rom. 8:21), no longer slaves to sin and death.

He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.

You do this by giving us your very self, saying "what I do have I give you". You give us all that you have to give. This is the most precious gift imaginable, the antidote to sin and the remedy for death. It is your own life. It is the only thing which lasts. It is the only source of peace. It is your own life which animates us and makes our feet and ankles strong to follow you.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.

It is the culmination of your effort to enable us to truly see you. You begin with the first covenant and never ever abandon us. But now, at last, our eyes are opened to your love.

With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.