Acts 2:24, 22-28 / 1 Peter 1:17-21 / Luke 24:13-35
The world that we live in is a fast and furious world, much like the movie of the same name “Fast and Furious”. And it can also be furiously fast.
Even the instant foods like instant noodles and instant coffee are not even fast enough.
Especially when we talk about speed, we are not so much interested in fast cars or fast food. We are more interested in fast Internet connections, going at 300Mbs or higher.
We don’t need our cars and our food to be fast and furious. But we want our Internet connections to be fast and furious.
Slow Internet connection is worse than no Internet connection because it is such a teaser, and we end up shouting at our mobile phones or computers and telling them to “faster, faster, faster!”.
It is said that before marrying someone, you should make them use a computer with slow Internet connection, then you will see who they really are.
But as much as speed is important, there must also be direction and purpose. Many people are going fast, but they seem to be going nowhere.
In the gospel, we heard of two of the disciples of Jesus who were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.
They were not in a hurry, and probably they were taking a slow, heavy walk. They were heading for Emmaus, but beyond that, it may seem to be nowhere from there.
They were downcast, as their hopes in Jesus were crushed by His crucifixion and death. It was like as if their computers crashed and no recovery was possible.
So with nothing left to hold on to, the only thing left is to walk away with empty minds and empty hearts.
There was no hurry, no purpose, no direction. There was nothing to look forward to.
But the good news is this: when we are down to nothing, then Jesus can come up with something.
Misery always needs company, and indeed Jesus came up and walked with them on their journey.
And after listening to them recounting what had happened during the last few days, Jesus had this to say to them:
“You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into His glory?”
Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, He explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about Himself.
Then finally when He was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing. Then He broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.
We can say that for the two disciples, the journey to Emmaus was a journey from nothing to something.
The journey of the two disciples is also very much like our own journey of faith isn’t it?
In our fast and furious world, we move with such high speeds that we lose our connection with God. And hence we come to Mass to get re-connected with God.
But do we experience what the two disciples experienced? Are our eyes opened? Do we recognize Jesus as we gather before the altar for the Eucharist?
There is this story of a wife who was preparing to go to church on a Sunday morning when she saw her husband in singlet and shorts and watching TV, and so she asked him why is he not preparing to go to church.
He replied: I’ve gone for 30 years now, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So, I think I’m wasting my time and the priests are wasting their time preaching. So I am not going to church anymore
The wife thought for a while and then said: I have been married to you for 30 years now. In that time I have cooked over 32,000 meals for you but you can’t remember any one of them. So I think I am wasting my time cooking for you and you are wasting your time eating my cooking. So I am not going to cook for you anymore.
The husband immediately got up and got dressed and went to church with his wife .
Most of us have been coming to church for the longest time. Some have coming to church for 10 years, 20 years or more. We have said countless prayers, and received Holy Communion till we have lost count.
Do we think that we are wasting our time? Is it doing us any good? Do we think that coming for Mass is boring?
We may want fast and furious results but like the two disciples, they had to walk that slow seven-mile journey with Jesus and slowly come to understand the scriptures before they finally recognized Him at the breaking of bread.
We too need to be patient as Jesus sows the seeds of His Word in our hearts and to wait for the harvest.
Let us not be afraid of moving slowly, but rather be afraid of not moving at all. With Jesus, we will walk slowly forward, but we will never walk backwards.
And may our hearts slowly start to burn as we listen to the Scriptures and as the bread is broken, may our eyes be opened to see Jesus with us and Jesus in others.