As we listen to the Gospel today it may be very easy to identify with the two disciples of Jesus as they walk on the Road to Emmaus. They were confused and were questioning all that had happened in the past few days in their lives and in the life of Jesus. They really did not know what to make of things. I imagine there are many of us who are very much confused about what is happening in the world around us. The wars, the violence, and the confusing things that are said by our leaders. I believe that the Holy Father has many people at the heart of his preaching and we must strive to listen to him since he is the Vicar of Christ on earth. He is striving to teach us the truth of the Gospel even though it is hard to understand in light of what is going on in the world.
At the same time our President is really trying to lead us in a way that is secure and peaceful. A country like Iran should not be permitted to have nuclear weapons given their history of sponsoring and promoting terrorism throughout the world.
Many people do not agree with these two leaders and that results in a lot of criticism toward one or both of them. It is unfortunate that so many people can express their opinion for everyone to see. Many of these so-called opinions are not passed on knowledge, but simply on feelings so they can often be misleading and inaccurate.
The answer to all this is simple and not complicated. The answer is PRAYER! Sincere prayer for all those of us especially for the leaders of peoples and nations. We must pray that these leaders open their hearts to the love and the wisdom of God and make decisions that truly open us to the love and the mercy of God.
We take our example from the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They listened to Jesus as He shared the scriptures to them. Then they invited Jesus into the place they were going and offered Him to partake of their meal. He took the bread and wine into his hands, and their eyes were opened to the presence of Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread. Immediately they went back to Jerusalem to the other disciples and shared the news with them.
When we go to Mass and acknowledge Jesus in the Eucharist with our “amen” at Holy Communion what do we do then? When we are sent to witness to Jesus at the end of Mass what do we do then? Do we ever mention to anyone what we have seen and heard in the Breaking of the Bread or do we just keep it to ourselves? What does Jesus want us to do with our encounter with Him? The answer is very obvious, but do we have courage and wisdom to use the grace that has been given to us by Jesus Christ our Risen Savior.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS. The Feast of the Sacred Heart this year is on Friday, June 12. Since the Feast of the Scared occurs on a Friday we are permitted to move the celebration to the weekend because it is our patronal feast. So, we will celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the weekend of June 13 and 14 at all the Masses. Following the 5 PM Mass on Sunday, June 14, we will hold our parish picnic. The Family Life Commission and the Parish Council will be working to plan the event, but more help and ideas would be most welcome. So, if you would like to help plan this parish gathering, please call the parish office as soon as you can. In the meantime, we can all pray for good weather.
