MERCY IN DISGUISE

We are in the third Sunday of Easter. It’s been a month or so since, we attended Holy Eucharist in the churches. The Holy Eucharist is the central part of every Christian’s life. Holy week events are the centrality of every Holy Eucharist. This year neither we are able to attend our weekly Sunday Eucharistic celebrations nor keep the Holy Week observances. Against this background today’s Gospel; on the way to Emmaus presents to us the importance and the treasure that is hidden in every Holy Eucharistic celebration.

The situation around us is not that encouraging. We have no surety of ease of lockdown. We have no certainty over the developments of the virus at different nooks and corners of the world. Every day, there is a fluctuation in number of new cases, recoveries and dead due to Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, we are anticipatorily panic stricken about post-covid-19 situations such as job security, life-style, poverty, hunger, and other commitments those are at threat. Great danger is waiting for the humanity which we can infer already. With the rise of all these we feel miserable, depressed, desolate and perplexed. We are in a state of misery. It is not only our generation which is going through this miserable situation. It was same with two disciples who twenty centuries ago were going to Emmaus with their hearts and souls desolated. They were depressed about things that had happened to Jesus in the past days. They were frightened about their future stability. They were perplexed about hearing the news of Jesus’ resurrection. They were in utter misery. They were in need of guide to restore their hope in Jesus.

There comes a face of Mercy: Jesus in disguise. At first instance, Jesus did not reveal Himself to those two disciples; probably to avoid His encounter with them to be counted as mere another miracle. He attended to their miserable situation. He dealt with them in a humane way. He explained to them the scriptures especially things that were about Himself, necessity of His suffering, validity of His resurrection (Lk 24:27). He assisted them in their state of perplexity. He reinstated their hope in Himself (Jesus). Today, we may also lose our hope in Jesus amidst above stated miseries. We feel helpless, unable to comprehend the current situation and are in dire need of a guide to reason out. Yes, we have no Jesus in disguise but the Holy Spirit. In the first reading of today (Acts 2:14, 22-33) Peter affirms to the men of Israel that all that he had spoken to them about Jesus, salvation and scripture are outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which is in him. We have Holy Spirit in us as baptised Christians and confirmed faithful. Let us seek His assistance to see God’s will in the present situation.

During this lockdown many people are suggesting different activities to carry out. As true Christians our first and foremost activity is to read the WORD OF GOD. It is there we find answer and meaning to our worries about current developments. Holy Spirit will assist us in this activity. But our understanding will take holistic shape only when we take all our feelings, readings and reflections to the Lord in the fruitful participation of the Holy Eucharist. It is at the breaking of the bread that two disciples realized Jesus; “their eyes were opened” (Lk 24:31). Let us surrender ourselves to the Lord that he may stay with us in disguise, during these days of uncertainty to reinstate in us the hope of new life to come after covid-19 pandemic.