Killing the Terrorist Within!
Luke 24:13-35
Our gospel reading today is multi-layered. We can read off hope in its narratives; deep fear is on its surface; joy and trust conclude the ordeals it narrates. It is, indeed, a gospel—good news—because of its happy ending. Its plot is very common place and routine. The admixture of fears, joys and laughters are human experiences that resonate with us all. But there is a difference in our gospel, it is a broken relationship, dashed hope, and dreams short-lived. It is not a déjà vu, it is a “jamais vu”—never seen before. Yet, not a fairytale, it is a reality. In our gospel today, a stranger becomes a family member—a God. The Word of God transforms a stranger into a prophet and a consoler. A meal reveals the identity of a stranger and partakers in the meal rediscover their relationship, which fear – terrorist-fear – had taken away from them.
Fear grips Jesus’ disciples! Different people react to fear differently. In every reaction to fear are risks, because it is not rational and well coordinated. “Reaction” is like a drowning person’s efforts to keep alive, anything and everything becomes an anchor. But coping with fear is a return to one’s roots to find tools with which to confront fear. In the context of our gospel, hospitality to a stranger, a Christian virtue, helps the disciples on the road to Emmaus to cope with their fear. They were ready to listen to a fellow traveler along their path. Journey becomes an opportunity to develop friendship with a stranger, with an expectation of sharing sorrows together. Rather, the stranger has a different take on issues. He takes the disciples back to their roots, a return to their faith formation—the Bible.
The road to Emmaus is the journey of life. No one journeys alone, except when one chooses to be alone—an individual. The other person on our path in life, may be the only person whose perspectives would change the course of our journey. This unknown person or stranger, may be the God on our path. In biblical terms, strangers are mostly angels or those God sends to us to help us weather the storms of life. They only appear, when we are in need—barrenness, sadness, poverty, ill-health, in prison, lonely, afraid, etc. They make outlandish proposals, they talk about el dorados. We need more than intelligence to understand them—we need faith, in fact, God himself.
On the road to Emmaus, the effect of words in the heart is the start of a new experience. A stranger’s words awaken something deep down. There is curiosity and enlargement of appetite for more. It is not a new tale, but a familiar one—foundation story, told as if already heard before in other contexts. There is gratitude on the part of the disciples, for the encouraging words offered and received. Their Christian hospitality pushes them to offer their traveling companion an accommodation for the night, perhaps some supper to eat as well—their turn to offer arguments of encouragements and persuasion to get the stranger to stay the night with them—“the day is far spent,” they said. At this point, he is no longer a stranger, his words make traveling easier and lighter. Well, only family and friends share meals together. The apparent stranger takes the head of the table, in a familiar fashion. He breaks bread and gives to them. The deed is done, and he vanishes from their eyes—it is the Lord!
The journey to Emmaus comes to an abrupt end. When the disciples thought that they had returned home, that they had arrived at their comfort zone, a new journey started. There is always the unexpected part, when one travels with God. Human destinations are not usually God’s. The fear that made the disciples to abandon Jerusalem to head home or to search for a comfort zone has a surprise in store for them. Their comfort zone is actually their starting point. They abandoned the same comfort zone in order to seek out Jesus. In fear and despair, a homeward journey seemed inevitable. It is now time to return to Jerusalem—a sequel of beginnings!
Memory is very important—it stores up our experiences. Only one person speaks and inflames the heart that way! One person alone breaks bread this way—Jesus. Appearance, disappearance and reappearance are the trademarks of Jesus. Now it adds up: Jesus is risen from the dead, they concluded. Now, a new beginning of a long-night journey; a return to Jerusalem. With joyful hearts, forgetful of the fear that lurks in the night, the disciples abandon their comfort zone, their home, once more. The death of Christ took place in Jerusalem, they return there anyway, ready for whatever Jerusalem holds in store for them—even death!
Every real and authentic encounter with God in his Word and Eucharist are dynamic. The explosion of a dynamite takes out the obstacles that obstruct the attainment of the treasure we seek. With bobbling joy in their hearts, they shared the good news of the resurrection with fellow disciples. They retell the story of their encounter with the risen Lord. Their hope is back, and their lives back on track. Jerusalem becomes their new home, no intentions to return to their old home. Indeed, when the going gets tough, Jesus comes to journey with his disciples to get them going. By remembering their roots, the stranger they thought was a companion on their way becomes a family—their Savior, Jesus-Christ.
This is how hope works. When troubles come our way, we need to lean on our faith. Like the human memory, the Bible documents our faith, our origins. The Word of God remains a powerful dynamite to break open all that hinders us from seeing God, even in a stranger. Every Eucharistic table has a head—Jesus-Christ himself. We must see in this unknown presider at the Eucharist, the Jesus who travels with us. In our spiritual communion, our hearts must burn from the Word of God broken for us. If the Lord is Spirit as well, who appears, disappears and reappears, then he can come into us spiritually. Yes, he does come to us, but can we make him a family not a stranger?
The journey to Emmaus is the killing of the terrorist within our heart. The fear of death and dying is the terrorist that must not keep us away from Jerusalem. The encounter with the Victor and Conqueror of death – Jesus – kills the terrorist-death.“Stay with us” is Killing the Terrorist! The man they saw killed and buried comes to visit with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Death is neither a place nor an evil. Death is a terrorist that only resurrection hope and joy can kill. The joy of the resurrection must lead us back to Jerusalem to face the terrorist-death and conquer it. It must be killed within us first, before we can dislodge it from our cities, towns and communities.
Only fear keeps terrorist-death relevant. You and I are the killers and assassins of terrorist-death. Our Lord and Master shows us how to kill the terrorist in his resurrection – immortality trumps death. At Emmaus, there is no death, there is only life. Life is immortal, so it defies terrorist-death. At each table of the Eucharist, life and resurrection co-mingle because the Lord-Jesus is at the head of the table. Each Holy Communion received kills death and releases life – life everlasting! Indeed, when Lord-Jesus “stays with us”, terrorist-death dies in every heart that welcomes and keeps the stranger-God within itself!
Assignment for the Week:
Free yourself from the fear of death by a sacramental Confession of your sins.