Sometimes we are blind to glory

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Our Lord God Jesus Christ has risen and given us great graces to do his work. In today’s reading (Acts 3:1-10), we see Peter and John going to pray in a temple when they come across a beggar, a man crippled from birth. The crippled man cried out to Peter and John for alms. But Peter responded, “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.” So Peter and John picked up the man, his legs and ankles were strengthened and he was healed. The beggar celebrated in the grace he had received as a gift from God through Peter. God gives each of us this same saving Grace so that we will believe in him. Believing in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savoir is not always easy. Sometimes we are blind to glory. We fail to open our hearts to hear the scriptures. This is what happened to the two men in today’s Gospel reading (Luke 24:13-35). They were on the road to Emmaus when Jesus appeared to them in disguise. He asked the men what they were talking about and they responded to Jesus, “Man, where have you been, only the greatest profit that ever lived was crucified and buried; only we were hoping that he was the guy that was going to save Israel .” These two men recognized Jesus as a great profit, but not as their Savior. And so Jesus said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Even after explaining all the signs which had been fulfilled from Moses through his own trial, crucifixion and the resurrection, these two men still were blind to who he was. It was during diner that they came to believe after “he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.” With that their eyes were opened to full glory of God and they recognized Christ. What does it take for us to recognized Christ? He is with us every living moment we are on earth. He is with us when we are awake and when we are sleeping; when we are praying and when we are sinning. Christ never leaves us. We may not recognize Him, but he is there. He is most revealed to us through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Once we take the Eucharist, it does not leave our body. It stays with us as the Bread of Life; the spiritual nourishment that stokes the fire of the “Holy Spirit” within us. This is why Holy Communion and the Eucharist are so important to Catholics. The Eucharist is not a representation or reenactment of the last supper; it is the transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. A Simple Prayer “Lord, Jesus, Savior of Israel, give me the Grace to see you, to share in the Daily Bread, the Bread of Life which you provided so freely. May I see you today in my journey as I walk to Emmaus.” Yours in Christ Michael F. Marcon