Bulletin Message to the Parishioners of St. Al's

Today’s Gospel (Luke 24:35-48) is a continuation of the story of Jesus’ two disciples who left Jerusalem to travel to Emmaus. Symbolically speaking, this is a journey away from salvation. Why? Everything was happening in Jerusalem. Jesus goes up to Jerusalem, that’s where he is crucified; that’s where the resurrection takes place, that’s where the coming of the Holy Spirit happens. Jerusalem is the center; it is where the early Church has gathered. But these two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem, from the Church and from salvation. Like all of us sinners, they were walking in the wrong way. Nonetheless the Lord disguises himself, approaches them, walks with them, interprets to them what refers to him in all the scriptures, and feeds them with the sign of his suffering and death— the very gift of himself. After that, their eyes were opened to see their Savior, and they started anew to walk back to Jerusalem, to the Church. Now, the Lord did not disguise himself out of desire to distance himself from them, rather to gradually lure them back into discipleship. This story sums up for us the entirety of biblical revelation. It is the story of transition from sin to grace, from wandering away to moving back to God and the Church. The good news here is that no matter how far we have wandered in the wrong direction, God is seeking us out. God wants to walk with us and bring us home. 

—Fr. Marcel 

Sunday, April 18, 2021