It was in the breaking of the bread that they saw Him, that their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. They realized how everything He had previously said to them was true, yet they didn't see Him until the breaking of the bread. 

How simple and how beautiful that they didn't recognize Jesus until He shared the Eucharist with them. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist should be the most important part of our week, but for so many of us it is just something we do out of routine on Sunday. When you stand in line to receive Jesus, is your heart on fire? Are you burning with the desire to receive Him? Do you know that it truly is the Lord as you approach the altar? The Eucharist is where Jesus reveals Himself to us, yet often our eyes aren't opened.

Jesus told St. Faustina:

“When I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, my hands are full of all kinds of graces which I want to give to the soul. But souls do not even pay attention to Me; they leave Me to Myself and busy themselves with other things...They treat Me as a dead object" (Diary of St. Faustina, 1385). 

Ouch. I hope that makes you rethink how you approach the altar, because it did for me. Jesus is truly alive and present. 

Jesus makes Himself alive and present, yet we don't break ourselves out of our routine to truly notice. Just like the disciples walking, busy talking about everything happening, and too busy to notice that Jesus was with them, we are too busy; we are overwhelmed with school, homework, work and our to-do list to recognize the real presence of Jesus before us. 

So often we look for God. That's one of life's big questions: where is God? We overthink it, and when we do we miss all the ways that God is truly present to us. When we miss it, it becomes that much easier to doubt and to separate ourselves from God. It can hurt our faith. But the truth is that God is with us, that He is always walking with us on our journey. Often He is present in a much simpler way than we could even imagine; and the most important one is in the breaking of the bread. 

When you read the story of the Road to Emmaus in today's Gospel, what do you imagine was happening in the minds of the Disciples as Jesus walked with them?

When you go to Mass, is it easy or difficult for you to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread? What distracts you from that reality and challenges you in your prayer?

How is God calling you to focus your heart and mind in order to more readily encounter Him at Mass? What can you do to see Him in the simple reality of the bread broken in front of you?

"In the breaking of the bread."

"I want to see You."

​"I long to know You."

The next time you go to Mass, get there early. Take some time to read the readings, quiet your heart, and be prepared for what the Lord wants to say to you. Then, in Mass, pray that He would speak specifically to your heart.

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

Last fall my cousin decided to take a canoe trip from northern Indiana all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico in order to raise money for a friend who was fighting an illness; it certainly sounded like it was going to be quite the adventure. Throughout the trip he kept us updated on just how adventurous and challenging it was. He wrote on Facebook on how the nights were often dark and scary when camping on the banks of the Mississippi; the weather often did not cooperate – rain, wind, and cold temps were frequent; and it was also exhausting because of the long distance he had to travel in order to reach his goal.

I tell this story of my cousin’s trip because it relates to the situation the disciples found themselves in today’s Gospel…they were in a boat, it was dark out, the sea was stirred up because of a strong wind and storms, and they rowed for several miles…Without a doubt it was scary, difficult, and exhausting; it tested their faith. 

Well, the reality is that we too go through challenges in our own lives; we are often surrounded by darkness, which can lead to fear and sin; we are blown around by the storms in life, whether family problems, interior struggles, or any events that rock the boat; and we are also busy, moving, and rowing from one thing to the next, it can certainly be exhausting. 

Despite the challenges, Jesus assures us as He did with the disciples, that He comes near to us during our dark, fearful, stormy, and exhausting adventures of life – trust in this. He reminds us, “DO NOT BE AFRAID.” Let’s just make sure we always include Jesus on our journeys. Have no fear for the Lord is always near!

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

What challenges are you currently facing? What are the storms in your life?

Where do you feel the Lord reassuring you to not be afraid?
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How can you help other people weather the storms in their life?

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today?

In the midst of the storms of life, conquer your fears and do not be afraid, knowing Jesus is there with you in the midst of the storm.

​I’m small. I don’t think I can make a difference. The Lord uses great saints to change the world, and I’m just me. We can feel lost in the shuffle, like there isn’t a place for us in the halls of heaven with the great saints. We can start to think about how we get angry quickly, or aren’t as consistent in prayer as we should be, or maybe we just see ourselves as ‘average’ on all fronts. 

Like all superheroes, the apostles come from humble beginnings. They had hardships making ends meet. They were normal. Andrew was just Andrew. Thomas was just Thomas. I can imagine that they didn’t have any idea the plan God had for them since the beginning of time. However, they followed Jesus. The Twelve dropped everything, so that they could say yes. Did they immediately believe then that they were ‘great’ and going to make an eternal difference? No. I can almost picture the conversations between the apostles, second guessing themselves and talking through how they think Jesus could’ve done better than them. Yet, they continued to say yes, even as they walked with our Lord to His sacrifice on the cross. (Yeah…They hid for awhile, but God was faithful and called them back to Himself.) Even as they encountered the risen Lord, they probably had self-doubt. Hey, even Peter wanted to go back to just being the fisherman. But they said yes. Over and over. Yes to God’s plan. Yes to being a part of the Church. Yes to being made a great saint. 

Today’s reading the apostles are brought into a court for being Christians. They could’ve been crucified for teaching about Jesus. They must’ve been making a ‘great saint’ kinda impact to catch the attention of this court. Many wanted to end the apostles…But one man stood up, and in what seems to me an epic speech, explains that if these apostles aren’t who they say they are…they will destroy themselves. But even more pointedly says, if these men are of God, you couldn’t destroy them if you tried…and you just might find yourself in a fight with the Big Man Himself. The courts allow that warning to send shivers down their spine. They give the apostles the customary beating and then let them go without a further punishment. 

The apostles didn’t walk out, wiping the sweat from their brow, rejoicing that they left with their lives. They left rejoicing that they were able to suffer for the Christ! They left, continuing to sing the praises of Jesus Christ with no fear, because God had been faithful. The man who stood up to warn the court had been right, these men could not be defeated because in Jesus Christ, being average is a potential to be used to glorify God, quick anger can be tempered into zeal, and lukewarm prayer can be heated in the fire of the love of the Eternal God. 

In Jesus, you are made strong. We too should rejoice that we can suffer for Jesus. If we suffer in our ‘averageness’, our self-doubt, or any other weaknesses while following the Lord, we should rejoice because being in the army of the Lord, these weaknesses cannot and will not overcome us. To say yes with our less than perfect hearts is the yes to being a great saint. The Lord wants little ol’ you with Him forever rejoicing…and on that day when we enter the Kingdom we will see clearly that our weakness in Christ is made perfect. Say yes today. Say yes tomorrow. Say yes all the way to the gates. 

The apostles were ordinary men who made a great difference. How can you use your ordinary day to spread the love of God?

In the court, it is pointed out that if the apostles message is from God it won't be stopped. How have you seen the power of God act in your own life? 

Did you know what the Church looks for when they look for a saint? "Fidelity to the mundane duties of ordinary living for an extended period of time." -- The Congregation for the Causes of Saints. How can your ordinary life make you a saint? 

"I say yes Lord." 

"I need you." 

​"I choose ordinary greatness." 

The apostles even to the point of death did not stop choosing to praise the Lord and proclaim the Gospel. Today challenge yourself to proclaim God's greatness in everything you do. 

Every single action has various levels of reason behind it, whether we’re aware of it or not. I brushed my teeth this morning because it’s what I always do. It’s what I always do because I enjoy not hating my own breath…and I care about my health. I slept last night because I was tired and sleeping would fix that. I wanted to be more awake because I had class this morning, and I wanted to be awake for class to do my best and ultimately set myself up for success. 

We could take both examples further and further, but narrowing down each reason begs the question “what happens next?” “What’s the reason behind the next reason, the driving reason behind every other reason?” We hit a point where we need to make a choice, to decide on our main reason that drives everything else. For the apostles, that reason was clear: it was God.

Everything the apostles did, they did it because of Christ. They ate in order to better prepare themselves to serve and love God that day with all they had. They slept in order to be well-rested to do everything God had for them the next day. They refused to be quiet, even under threat of a very public and painful death, because they knew with every fiber of their being that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

And that changed everything for them.

So when Peter turned to the Sanhedrin, the ones supposedly appointed by God Himself over all the people, and told them point-blank “We must obey God rather than men”, he wasn’t excusing his actions: Peter was laying down very clearly the one foundation of the apostles, their driving principle behind absolutely every action. Jesus was so influential that He changed each of the apostles lives within 3 short years of ministry, to the point that they left everything and would rather die than fail to stand up for their new faith. By separating men from God and placing the Sanhedrin’s authority in the first category, Peter demonstrates this and stands his ground, clearly calling out the Sanhedrin on their corruption, while also proudly giving the one truth he knows to be true: Jesus Christ is Lord.

The dedication and steadfast love that led the original apostles to constantly live out the will of God even in the face of execution is exactly what God calls us to as well. Does it seem intense? Good; a religion centered on someone who suffered and died a brutal death out of pure and perfect love for you isn’t meant to be fluffy and feel-good.

So, what’s your one truth? What’s the defining reason behind every single action throughout every single day, big or small? If it’s not God at this moment, then be honest; take some time to figure out why and what you’re still looking for. Don’t be afraid to be honest with God, He wants nothing more than to meet you where you’re at. If it is God, what does that mean for your actions? How can you use even the small things in your day to give more glory to God?
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Please don’t be afraid or intimidated by this: God loves you more than you will ever know and He’ll never ever leave your side throughout it all.

AMDG.

What’s your "one truth"? What’s the defining reason behind every single action throughout every single day, big or small?

What is holding you back from having the radical faith the apostles did? If we believe this same one truth, why are we not living it the same?

Jesus Christ is Lord. What does that mean for you? How could your life change if you believed that more than you believed anything else in this world?

"Jesus Christ is Lord."

"For the greater glory of God."

​"I give you everything Lord."

AMDG. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. For the greater glory of God. Let this be your motto, your anthem today. Let everything you do be for the greater glory of God and watch your life change today.