Homily, 3rd Sunday of Easter

Apr.23, 2023 -- Msgr. Joseph K. Ntuwa • May 10, 2023

Homily, 3rd Sunday of Easter, April 23, 2023 by Msgr. Joseph K. Ntuwa

Readings: Acts 2:14. 22-33; 1 Pt 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35

I think that many of you have been on a guided tour at one time or another. Maybe it was in a museum, at some historic site or just a place of natural wonder. Much of the way we experience in these guided tours is dependent on the one directing the tour. A good guide is someone who is engaging, enthused, and knowledgeable about the subject matter. But getting the most out of a tour takes more than just a good guide. The people on the tour must do their part too. Sometimes individuals get stuck in one place fixated on a particular exhibit or simply get distracted by something going on nearby. And yet the guide usually wants to make sure that everybody get the full experience, that they hear everything he or she has to say. So often on these tours you will hear the guide saying over and over, Guys, we are walking! ...We’re moving!

Today, we just heard a story about one of the most famous “walks” in Scripture, probably second only to the walk up to Calvary. We often call this story The Road to Emmaus. It is a great story that has been used at so many spiritual retreats. Jesus is walking with these two men, but they have no idea it’s him. Why or how this is possible is not really the point of the story. In one sense, the story is about the well-known ending, the final ‘reveal’. “Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

The Emmaus story is deeper than it might seem on the surface. In many ways, it teaches us truths about the spiritual life. First, our spiritual life is a kind of journey, a moving down a path toward a destination. Secondly, on this journey we are not alone --- we have each other, but most importantly, we have Jesus who is making the journey with us (whether we are aware of it or not). And thirdly, Jesus wants to commune with us, teach us, guide us and help us connect the dots of our own individual stories with his.

In other words, Jesus is like the perfect tour guide, wanting us to get the full experience --- the experience full of joy, meaning, purpose and peace. He knows that our lives will be so much richer if we can see him in our midst, truly recognize him at this table and in these holy texts, recognize him in the joys and sorrows, and most importantly, recognize him in one another.

But we have to keep walking with our guide. Too often we get kind of stagnant, lazy, or weary from the challenges of life. And we pause on our journey. We stop searching. We stop wondering about the mysteries of life. We stop asking the big questions. We stop following. Though, in the background, with a love for us beyond all understanding, God keeps whispering-----I am with you….. I have not abandoned you…. We’re walking... We’re moving!

Most of our journeys come to an end. But our spiritual journeys never end. Every day God invites us to walk with him, journey to Emmaus with him so that he can be with us and open our eyes to see the God in our midst ---see God in every person, in every situation and even in this sacred meal we share. And the journey doesn’t end in Emmaus, just like it did not end for the two disciples. Rather, having encountered Jesus, they couldn’t wait to bring that Good News to others. We should do the same- share our faith and strive to nurture disciples. Are we still walking with Jesus, or have we stopped on the journey --- distracted, tired, or caught up in the trappings of our day-to-day lives?

Life can be an incredible experience, filled with wonder, joy, and beauty if we have the right guide. So, let’s be people of faith and let Jesus be our guide, allow him to open our eyes to all the wonderful things he wants.

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17 th Sunday of the Year C Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13 Have you ever had conversations with people who have expressed a distaste for many of the beliefs and practices of organized religion ? Sometimes these criticisms come from people who have had “bad” religious experiences in their own families or have seen what they feel is an ugly side of faith. I understand that. Some others have been hurt and disappointed by the common failings and faults of some of the faithful in the pews. Many others have been particularly crushed by the serious sins of Church leadership. Yet, there are others who simply are trying to be intellectually honest --- people who have truly wrestled with some of the big questions of life and faith and have been relatively unsatisfied with the “answers” religion provides. They “want” to believe at some level but just find too many obstacles. And sometimes that “obstacle” is the image of God presented to them. One particular element of Christianity that I hear criticized so often is the way we seem to ask God for things over and over again. Many people assert that they just, don’t understand why it needs to be this way! They argue: God knows everything. God knows exactly what we need (and want). So why do we need to ask? God has infinite power . There are no limits to what he can do. We don’t have to try to get his “attention” because he is “busy” elsewhere. So why do we need to ask? God is immutable --- which means, unchanging and unchangeable . That means we kind of diminish God if we think we can somehow “ change” his mind. So why bother to pray if God has already written the script? Well, today, in both our First Reading and Gospel passage, we hear examples illustrating the power of pleading with God. In the story from Genesis, we see Abraham “bartering” with God --- seeing if he can somehow get the best “deal” possible. Apparently, Abraham is wise enough to not ask for everything all at once, as if he’s using his charm to coax God’s mercy out of him. God goes along with each of his requests. And in the Gospel passage from Luke --- Jesus tells a story about a man banging on his friend’s door at midnight trying to get some bread for an unexpected guest. The friend initially refuses, but then gets worn down from the persistence of the man and gives in. After relating that story, Jesus utters these “famous” words, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” So, what gives? Do we have to “beg” God to get his blessings or does God actually withhold good things from us until we “wear him down”? Do we have to be expert negotiators, or charmers? Dear friends, an authentic spiritual life is about none of those things. It’s about a relationship supported, strengthened and transformed in part by a holy conversation --- what we call the divine conversation. This is a conversation that has no beginning and no ending, but rather is one that has been continual from the very dawn of time --- a sacred conversation which enables channels of grace to remain open within every single person --- a kind of listening and speaking that helps each of us remain open to an outpouring of God’s life which has the power to change absolutely everything. And so, we bring our needs to our God because we believe he loves us more than we can imagine, because we trust in his wisdom and power, because we need to put into words the deepest longings of our hearts. And maybe most importantly --- we ask, seek, and knock simply because it opens us up to every good thing God wants for us (and from us). Prayer encourages dependence on God and today’s parable shows us perseverance. We do not “keep knocking” because God isn’t aware of our needs but, rather, because we need to remain constantly aware of our daily need for him – our daily bread. Whenever we turn to God in prayer, we put our minds and hearts in contact with the very source of life and truth. And that refreshes the human soul, just as rebooting your computer refreshes the software that makes the computer run. When stress, discouragement, and frustration start to clog our circuits, we don't need to jack up the voltage by working more hours or by distracting ourselves with even more exciting entertainment; no, we need to reboot, we need to pray with perseverance. When you pray say” “Behold, I am your servant, do with and in and through me according to your will” In happy moments, seek God, in hard moments praise God, in quiet moments, trust God, in every moment, thank God. Lord Jesus, teach us to pray.

Homily, 3rd Sunday of Easter