The Way to Emmaus

The Way to Emmaus

Susan Heffron Hajec 3-31-18

How many times, Lord
have I walked
the road to Emmaus
like your disciples?
Distraught over what
has happened.
Afraid of what lies
before me.
Confused that things
didn’t work out
as I planned.

Many times, I
must confess,
many times.
How can I so
easily forget
It is you, yourself
who told me—
“Behold, I Am
with you always.”

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Glorious Immortality

Well, it is Holy Thursday, and in this holy season from this day until Easter Sunday, I get pretty quiet inside. I ponder the mysteries of Christ, his Passion, death and Resurrection, and like the apostles of His time, I can’t really say I understand it.

My clock points to about the hour I imagine Christ is asking his apostles to stay…and pray with him an hour, but alas sleep overcomes and soon Judas and the Roman soldiers are upon them all.

Now, shocked, the apostles are going to rise to Jesus’ defense, but Jesus, himself, tells them to calm their effort. Just as at the Last Supper, Jesus was telling them, they would not see him in a little while…yet he would be with them always…..

They didn’t “get it.”

In his short life Jesus lived and taught these three things over and over again: Love one another, forgive one another, and oh, by the way “You and I are One, just as the Father and I are One, and I’ve come to do His will.”

“Destroy the temple and in three days I will rebuild it again”? Speaking of life everlasting in so many ways. Yet, it couldn’t be understood. Imagine their total devastation when Jesus would not save himself from the cross! Every year as I enter the sacred scriptures, I want to warn Jesus, “they are coming, they will be here soon. Leave, and save yourself from a torturous night and death.”

But the story never changes.

I understand their need to hide in fear and try to figure out what had just happened and what their next step would be.

Who, today 2,000 years later, understands immortal life — life unending and glorious, not destroyed but transformed. Really, who does?

Jesus did and he did his best to tell us and be a way-shower and show us.  But there is still sadness and silence and soul-searching from Holy Thursday night, through Friday, the day of crucifixion, and the Holy Saturday, commemorating the burial.

Then– Easter dawn; the women and the angel — “He is gone!” Arisen.”

Is this the act that can turn doubt and fear and “not hearing” into understanding or acceptance on faith? Is this the act that will be recorded and travel forward through history that humankind will ponder perhaps to the end of time?

Many other spiritual leaders of our time speak to us of Oneness, a Divine Source, not “out there” but within and speak of immortality as a transformation of some kind. Many people today are listening, trying to understand, finding more agreement even between inter-faith dialogues — that there are Universal Spiritual Truths that are to be acted upon just as there are Laws of Physics and Mathematics.

In fact, the Spiritual Principles, are showing up and being recorded more often now in the fields of Physics, Mathematics and other research arenas.

One of these spiritual leaders is Buddist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and I recently came across these words of his. Now it may be just me, but it sounds like he is speaking of the same immortality Christ spoke of. See if you agree:

“Some people might ask you, “When is your birthday?”
But you may ask yourself a more interesting question:
“Before that day which was my birthday, where was I?”

Ask a cloud, “What is your date of birth? Before you
were born, where were you?”

If you ask the cloud, “How old are you? Can you
give me your date of birth?” you can listen deeply
and you may hear a reply….

“Looking deeply, you do not see a real date of birth
and  you do not see a real date of death for the cloud.
All that happens is that the cloud transforms into
rain or snow.

There is no real death because there is always
a continuation.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

I think I will take these thoughts into quiet time with me, release them and open to the mysteries of life – and glorious life everlasting.

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