Reflection
The baseball announcer Mike Shannon was famous for his frequent malaprops and misuse of cliches. When describing an exceptional play, he often said, “You have to believe it to see it!”
In this Gospel story, we have two disciples who presumably followed Jesus for quite some time. How do they not recognize Him when He joins them on the road? And what causes them to finally “see it”?
Instead of revealing his resurrected glory, Jesus chose to present Himself as a common man and fellow traveler. He must have been amused as the two disciples brought Him up to date on His own life and death. They had been believers, and now their hopes were dashed.
Jesus then did what He did so well: He taught. He presented and explained all the relevant scriptures pertaining to himself, so the disciples finally understood why the Messiah had to suffer and die. Still, even with their ears burning, human reasoning alone did not allow them to see Christ for who He truly was. I
Jesus did not force himself upon them. He waited until He was invited to join them for a meal. Then, with the breaking of the bread, they finally understood.
It was divine revelation, the Holy Spirit, that allowed them to recognize the presence of their resurrected Lord.
In our lives, Jesus Christ presents himself daily in the guise of our fellow “travelers”. He often appears as one of the lonely, sick, poor, or persecuted. Empathy may move us to occasionally reach out to them. But it is through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, that we begin to see him in the people around us.
Education alone is not enough to make us aware of Christ’s presence. We also need Faith.
You have to believe it to see it!
