Staying on my theme from last Thursday of “God Is With Us,” below is an excerpt from the Gospel of Luke that describes an encounter of two disciples with the Risen Jesus. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible!

The disciples are making their way to a village called Emmaus. As they walk, the two disciples are discussing everything that has happened – the trial of Jesus, His crucifixion, His purported resurrection – when Jesus shows up alongside them:

“That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all that happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.

“And He [Jesus] said to them: ‘What is this conversation which you are holding with each other.’ And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas answered Him, ‘Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’

“And He [Jesus] said to them, ‘What things?’

“And they said to Him [Jesus], ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we had hoped He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find His body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb; and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.’

“And He [Jesus] said to them, ‘O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

“So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He [Jesus] appeared to be going further, but they constrained Him saying, ‘Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.’ So He went in to stay with them. When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished out of their sight.

“They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while He [Jesus] talked to us on the road, while He opened us to the Scriptures?’ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and the found the Eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon [Peter]!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” Luke 24: 13-35

I love this story because it fills me with hope. As I observe Jesus join His disciples on their walk to Emmaus, I realize the depth of Jesus’ empathy and compassion for humanity. Jesus knows how hard it will be for His disciples – and for all of us – to understand all that has happened throughout His life, trial, crucifixion and resurrection. He takes extra care to help them – and to help us – to understand.

Later on at dinner, the disciples recognize Jesus as He blesses and breaks the bread. As soon as He is recognized by the disciples, Jesus vanishes! What do the disciples do? They go running back to Jerusalem, to share what has happened with the other disciples.

Can you imagine the wonder and joy the early disciples feel, in discovering the Risen Jesus within their midst? This story reminds me to slow down – way down – as I move through my days, so that I don’t miss Jesus and the things He is trying to show me.

Jesus patiently reveals different pieces of the mystery of His life, death, and resurrection to each of us, as we are ready and willing to make time for Him. Why? Because He wants to help all of us to understand the depth of God’s Love.

Every single story of the Bible is an attempt to reveal God’s Love for us – and to assure us that God is still here among us.

No matter what our present circumstances may be, Jesus is here, calling us to move forward with Him into greater fullness with God the Father.  

Jesus is here right now, beside you and beside me.

As the week closes, my thoughts remain on Monday’s Mass, during which my friend professed his Final Vows, after 22 years as a Jesuit priest. I wrote about the experience earlier this week. Here is a broader excerpt from his closing comments:

“It is at the edge of our capacities that we encounter the Christ. It’s in coming to know our frailty that we come to understand the Grace, and that which is constantly calling us forward into greater fullness.”

I have been thinking all week about the places in my life where I am standing “at the edge of my capacities.” In talking with my youngest sister last evening, I described feeling really uncomfortable as I recognize and wade into some murky problems that are difficult to solve. My sister, who knows me well, observed that I seem to be having an “oh crap” moment – and as usual, she is right!

Despite my uncertainty, I do not want to turn back. Instead, I want to venture to the edge of my capacities, because I believe that Jesus is standing there. I want to venture out of my comfort zone, where I “think” I have all the answers, because I long to know Jesus more deeply. I am tired of the places in my life where I am stuck because I am afraid. I want to embrace, as my friend described, “the wildness and goodness of this wonderful life.”

I want to go forward, into greater fullness with God and with Jesus.

I want that for you too, dear reader.  

Early this morning, I was thinking about the Bible scene where Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden. I have read the Chapter in Genesis (Chapter 3) that describes this scene so many times. It’s easy to recognize the tragedy unfolding. We observe the power of doubt and fear to wreak havoc in our lives. We understand that evil is real and exists in the world. We witness the devastation that occurs when we choose to disobey God. We recognize the sense of loss that both humans and God experience when we separate from God.

However it’s easy to lose sight of the beauty of this scene. We witness the amazing and unbelievable gift of free will. We understand how much God cares for us, as we read how He stitches leathers to clothe Adam and Eve.

And we observe that no matter how we behave, God does not leave us. This last part is easy to miss. Look closely at the final verse of Chapter 3:

“When He [God] expelled the man, He settled him east of the Garden of Eden; and He stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3: 24

This verse tells us that when God expels Adam and Eve from the Garden, He goes with them. I think it’s easy to miss this point – I missed it for a long time! But remember that Moses wrote the Book of Genesis. Moses had such a close relationship with God! Anytime he wanted, Moses could enter the meeting tent that housed the ark of the covenant, and have a personal, face-to-face encounter with God. (Exodus 33: 7-11)

Consider the precision of Moses’ choice of verbs in that final verse of Genesis Chapter 3:

“He settled him east of the Garden of Eden.” The action verb “settled” indicates that God very actively and directly helped Adam and Eve to find a place to live, outside the Garden.

Moses goes on to write: “And He stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Moses’ use of the word “stationed” indicates that God left the cherubim there on guard, so that He could go into the wilderness with Adam and Eve.

God has never intended that we should find ourselves alone at the edge of our capacities, and in despair. Rather, this single verse confirms that, from the beginning, God has desired to love us and to be with us – and that He is with us, here in the wilderness.

Jesus, through his life and death, confirms even more explicitly the desire of God to be with us:

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1: 14

The wonder and depth of God’s love for us is truly magnificent.  

We are not alone, at the edge of our capacities. All is not lost, when we feel afraid and vulnerable. Jesus is standing there, waiting for each one of us to call for Him:

Please show me the way, Jesus. I do not know what to do. Take the gifts You have given me and show me how to use them more powerfully, and for Your Purpose. Lead me to the people in my world that You want me to love and make me not afraid to love them. Let me walk with you Lord, beyond the edge of my capacities, and into the life You have dreamed for me.

With Jesus, those places that may seem like endings are merely new beginnings.

God loves us so much.

Some moments will remain in our memories forever. Last night is certain to be one such moment for me.

I had the opportunity to witness my friend profess his Final Vows as a Jesuit priest. This joyful milestone in his spiritual journey was observed through an ordinary, daily Mass celebrated within a campus chapel.

The chapel was filled with hundreds of faithful friends and family members. Seated in the pew before us was an old man, praying the rosary. He was there for daily Mass. I heard him lean over to a nun seated next to him and ask, “What is the occasion this evening?” His eyes widened at the news of what was in store.

The officiating priest and Jesuit Rector welcomed us warmly and noted the diversity of people gathered. His voice softened as he encouraged us to look around at one another and said –

“This is a glimpse of what heaven will look like.”

There were people of all ages and ethnicities and walks of life present – all of us touched, somehow, by the life and faithful witness of my friend. The talented musicians were led by a young Jesuit priest. Overall, I counted nearly 30 Jesuit priests in the chapel, as well as nuns of different orders – some wearing street clothes, and others wearing long habits and flowing robes.

The Mass was moving. Our voices echoed off the walls and ceiling, growing louder and louder as we prayed and sang from our hearts. All of the Jesuit priests participated in the Act of Consecration during the Eucharist, invoking the grace of the Holy Spirit to change the substance of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

As my friend prepared to receive Holy Communion, he knelt humbly before his Jesuit Superior and recited his Final Vows. He paused in the midst of his Vows, visibly overcome with the Spirit and emotion of the moment. I can still see him standing on the altar, after his Vows, his eyes fixed on the precious gift of the Blessed Host he was holding in his hands.

Before Mass ended, my friend spoke a bit of his journey. His words remain on my heart this morning:

“It is at the edge of our capacities that we encounter Christ.”

A stunning observation made by a remarkable soul.

Come Holy Spirit; fill us with Faith to believe wholly in God’s Promise. Fill us with Hope as we meet the trials of life with steady purpose and courage and joy. Dearest Jesus, shower us with the Love we long for, as we discover You, standing in all Your Glory and Mercy, at the edge of what we deem possible.  

And Loving Jesus, please continue to deeply bless and guide all faithful priests and servants, here on earth:

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be … And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” 1 Peter 5: 2, 4

Dear God,

Please guide our every thought and word and action – in every moment of every day. When we respond in ways aligned with Your love, encourage us to open widely our hearts so that Your Love and Grace can flow freely through us to others. When we lose our way, please redirect us, and draw us nearer to You.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.

There is no end to God’s love for us. His mercy is always there, ready to be poured out upon us. No matter how much we love someone here on earth, God’s love is deeper and broader. He loves us in a perfect way that is always patient, always kind, and always forgiving.  God’s love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. His love always protects and perseveres; and never fails us. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)

God’s majesty is reflected in the way that He loves. His love has the power to transform us.

Our God is the God of second and third and fourth – and forty-ninth – chances! And yet there are times when so much fear builds up in our hearts that we begin to worry we are not good enough for God. We doubt the depth of His love, and we separate from Him. If only we understood how much He wants good things for us. If only we understood that His mercy and love are real and always available to us.

Dear God, help us to ponder Your great majesty. When our fear rises up, help us to trust in Your great love for us.

“Today, the majesty of God enveloped and transpierced my soul to its very depths. The greatness of God is pervading my being and flooding me so that I am completely drowning in His greatness. I am dissolving and disappearing entirely in Him as my life-source, as in perfect life.”¹

¹Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Massachusetts: Marian Press, 2020), Verse 983, pg. 378.

“Let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4: 7

There is a beautiful hymn – “The Wideness of God’s Mercy” – that was composed by Frederick W. Faber in 1854. We sang the hymn at mass this past weekend. I will share a few verses with you here:

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea; There’s a kindness in His justice, which is more than liberty.

There is no place where earth’s sorrows are more felt than up in Heaven; There is no place where earth’s failings have such kindly judgment given.

There is welcome for the sinner; and more graces for the good; There is mercy with the Savior; There is healing in His blood.

Always know how much He loves you.

In a July blog post, I wrote that we are here on earth to seek Jesus. This search matters because it is only through relationship with Jesus that we are able to find and live out our true purpose in life.

As we seek to know Jesus, we begin to understand how deeply Jesus desires to know us – both our minds and our hearts. At some point, He asks each of us to answer this question:

“”But what about you?’, He asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” Matthew 16: 15

Jesus poses this question to His disciples in the region of Caesarea Philippi, shortly before the Passover and His subsequent Crucifixion. Simon Peter immediately replies: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16: 16

Why is Jesus asking this question of His disciples? These men have walked away from their lives to follow Him. Doesn’t this outward behavior confirm that they believe Jesus is the Christ? Have the disciples not already professed their faith in Him? Yes, and yes!

But Jesus wants to go deeper with His disciples – and with us. He is keenly aware that while some people may honor Him with their lips and by following the Commandments, their hearts remain far from Jesus. (Matthew 15: 8-9)

Consequently, Jesus wants to know what each one of us believes about Him, deeply and privately within our minds and our hearts. Hence His very personal question, “Who do you say I am?”

Jesus was completely human – religious and non-religious scholars agree that He physically existed on earth. But Jesus also claimed to be the Divine Love of God made flesh:

“’I and the Father are one.’” (John 10: 30)

And Jesus proclaimed to be the resurrection:

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11: 25-26

It is His Divinity that Jesus asks each one of us to contemplate. Do I believe He is the Son of God?

As the venerable C. S. Lewis observes, Jesus intends for each one of us to answer this question with decisiveness:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that door open to us. He did not intend to.”¹

If you are unable to decisively answer Jesus’ question today, let this be the moment that you resolve to find your answer.

Jesus tells us that our eternal destiny hinges on how we answer His question:

“But He [Jesus] continued, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.’” John 8: 23-24

Stay near to Jesus and make time to answer His question. This will change your life in unexpected and profound ways.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may draw ever nearer to Jesus. Breathe into us, O Faithful Holy Spirit, a full comprehension of who Jesus is, and enable us to receive the precious gift of eternal life that Jesus offers to each one of us.

¹ C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (California: HarperCollins San Francisco, a Division of HarperCollins Publishing, 2001), 52.

Given this week’s Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the Mother of God, into Heaven, Mary remains on my heart in a special way.

In particular, I have been thinking about when the archangel, Gabriel, first appears to Mary. When Gabriel arrives on the scene, Mary is a faithful and chaste young woman, living a quiet life, and betrothed to a man named Joseph. Gabriel’s news changes the course of Mary’s life, and of all humankind:

“And the angel [Gabriel] said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there will be no end.’

“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no husband?’

“And the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God’ … And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1: 30-35, 38

Mary’s faith and bravery in this moment are staggering. For starters, Gabriel is a powerful archangel – a heavenly messenger from God who makes appearances in both the Old and New Testaments. Archangels are supernatural spirits and forces who help to bridge the gaps that exist between the realities of earth and heaven. When they show up, their first words are usually, “Do not be afraid!” Mary remains with Gabriel and listens to what he has to say.

The Bible tells us that Mary was betrothed (or espoused) to a man named Joseph, but the marriage had not been consummated. (Luke 1: 27) In a culture that did not take kindly to espoused women becoming pregnant by someone other than their spouse, Mary’s decision to say “yes” to God’s plan places her in mortal danger.

As quickly as Gabriel arrives to speak with Mary, he leaves her side. Mary is now alone with the knowledge that she will conceive, through the Holy Spirit, and give birth to the Son of God.

Mary’s faith and bravery are stunning. Her love for God and for humankind is equally stunning, as she humbly agrees to fulfill this ancient prophecy of Isaiah:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel, [or God with us].” Isaiah 7: 14

For most of us, God does not send angels or archangels to reveal His plans. And yet we know that God has distinct plans for each of us and for humanity overall:

“The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.” Psalm 33: 11

Spending time alone with Jesus each day helps us to understand the plans God has for us. The decision is ours then to trust in the Lord’s plans, and to work with Him in ways big and small, to create goodness in the world.

Thank you Mary, most Blessed and Admirable Mother, for bringing Jesus into the world.

Please pray for us, O most faithful and holy Mother of God, that we too may say yes to the plans God places on our hearts. Glorious Queen of Heaven and Immaculate Queen of the Angels, fill us with your love and grace and courage, so that we too might joyfully live out the dreams of goodness that God has for our lives. In your Son Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Today, Catholics around the world celebrate the joyous Assumption of Mary, Mother of God, into Heaven.

At the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken up (assumed) into heaven, body and soul. Pope Pius XII, in defining the Assumption, explains that, “Just as the glorious resurrection of Christ was an essential part and final sign of this victory [over sin and death by Calvary], so that struggle [Calvary] which was common to the Blessed Virgin and her Son, had to be closed by the glorification of her virginal body. [As a result, just as Jesus is now King of the Universe, Mary is Queen of the Universe.] … And her kingdom is as vast as that of her Son and God, since nothing is excluded from her dominion.” (Pope Pius XII, Radio Message to Fatima, “Bendito Seia,” May 13, 1946)

Dearest Mother, we love you. As we contemplate your assumption, body and soul, into Heaven, please strengthen and renew in all of us the desire to be made worthy of the promises of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Enlighten the uncertainties of our minds with your wisdom. Strengthen the weaknesses of our hearts with your power. And fill us with greater faith, hope and love. Amen.