Homily for 3rd Sunday of Easter by Msgr. Jameson
On the 3rd Sunday of Easter, April 26, 2020, Msgr. Jameson delivered the following homily at the 11:30am Mass, livestreamed from the Cathedral's St. Anthony Chapel.
"Sometimes, on the darkest days, all we can do is stand still and look sad. Life as we know it has ended. Such is the case with the disciples on the way to Emmaus. They were sure that Jesus was the one sent to redeem Israel, they had placed their hope in him. Now, three days after his crucifixion, their hearts are torn into pieces and their minds are confused by reports of his missing body and visions of angels who say that he lives. Do they have the strength and courage to pull themselves out of despair and dare to hope again!? Do they have the wisdom to look at the same facts in a different light and see a whole new world? They DO. Thrust into chaos by the crucifixion, they emerge a prayerful people. The story of the road to Emmaus is a testament to the power of prayer.
Prayer begins as an honest, heartfelt conversation between ourselves and God. The disciples are on the road away from the events in Jerusalem. They enter into conversation with a stranger and are unafraid to tell it like it is. The crucifixion has broken them open and hollowed them out. Their hopes are gone; their Savior murdered; all is lost. There are times when it is much the same for us. Life breaks us open and hollows us out. A loved one dies; an illness strikes strikes; a relationship ends; a pandemic turns our world upside down. Do we have the courage of the disciples? Can we enter into an honest, heartfelt conversation with God?
The disciples have spent the days since the crucifixion meditating on their experience with Jesus. This probing reflection is helping them to clarify and deepen their questions. We do the same when we pray in times of anguish. Cleopas knows that Jesus was a prophet in word and deed, and he knows that he placed his hope in Jesus as the salvation of Israel. When you pray, how do you identify Jesus? What is your hope?
Conversation is both speaking and listening, and prayer is no different. Telling God our story prepares us to listen to God‘s response. The disciples show us how to do this. After describing their situation and their feelings to the stranger, they listen intently as he explains the Scriptures to them. They allow themselves to fall into a receptive, contemplative state. In essence, they leave space for God. This space enables them to hear the word of God in a new way. Their hearts burn within them. Their world, so recently shattered by grief, is now broken open again, but by joy.
We do not have to look far to find the same invitation to pray. For the past month we have experienced the dreadful effects of the coronavirus. Compelled to experience lock down in our homes, perhaps to be furloughed, to continue to work in areas considered essential for the needs of the people, or to find ourselves with people who now have the virus. This situation has drawn the whole world into a time of self examination. Many today are struggling to pray their way through this tragedy. Much like the disciples, people today reflect deeply about all who are suffering in one way or another. As they share their stories with others, they show great courage and help the rest of us to find our own way forward to new resolve, insight and courage.
The instinct to pray is natural and within every heart. When suffering comes, Jesus will be with us and will invite us to tell him about our pain. The decision to pray, the courage to face our deepest losses and sorrows in the light of Christ's death and resurrection, will help determine whether or not we emerge from hopelessness to glory.
As Saint John Paul the second reminds us: 'Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song!'”