Lk 24: 35-48
“What a friend we have in Jesus…” Is it bright enough to believe in an unseen man and consider Him as our best friend? We can have a number of definitions for friendship. I believe a good friend is one who accepts you as you are, being with you in all the seasons of your life and nurture your being with his/her being. What about Jesus? Would he accept you as you are? Would He present with you in your moments of sorrows and happiness? Would He nurture your being with His being?
Disciples found it difficult to believe in the resurrection of Christ. During his lifetime He had raised the dead but how could he accept such a tragic death? A person who died so miserable and helpless, how could he rise again? These might be the questions disciples might have grappled in their mind. We cannot blame disciples for doubting the presence of the risen Christ. The disciples those who went to Emmaus recognized him only at the breaking of the bread. He was with them for a long time as a co-traveler yet they could not recognize him rather they could not even imagine Jesus in that person. Later Jesus appeared to all of them. The greatness of Jesus is that He never blamed or abandoned them. He always had compassion for their weakness. Jesus understood their difficulty to believe in his resurrection. He made himself available to touch and experience his glorious body and moreover he dined with them. Why? Did he hungry? A Person, who is beyond the dimensions of space and time, does not require food for his material sustenance. He wanted to prove that he is alive and nor a ghost. He conquered death and embarked the transformed body. Then Jesus gave them the light to understand all that is written about him in the scripture.
At times we too have certain difficulties to understand the mystery that we celebrate and believe especially the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Doubt is not a bad sign. It helps us to seek and find the truth. However, we need divine assistance to understand the truth. Let us seek this divine light that we may recognize Jesus in our earthly sojourn. A good friend never fails, So Jesus. He accepts each one of us as we are. He is present with us in all the seasons of our life, he stands closer to our heart than any human beings and nurtures our life by giving himself in the form of Eucharist.
“What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and grieves to bear
And what a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer…”