In reading the Acts of the Apostles, you’re reminded of the newness of the teachings and life of Jesus. Where do you fit in the story?

The disciples who departed from Jerusalem after the tumult of the Crucifixion and the confusion of the Resurrection reports made the mistake of choosing isolation at a time when community mattered most.

He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.

A road trip story can be humorous, suspenseful, or romantic, but as BBC reviewer Jordan Hoffman says, “Its essence is always the same: an outward journey that triggers and signifies its characters’ inward transformation.” 

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Recognition may take a little time, may be a process, but in the end there is little excuse for it not to happen. Get better at it!

Jesus offered his disciples two forms of knowledge, one through his words and the other through experience of his physical presence.

If . . . I were asked for the most important advice I could give . . . I should simply say: in the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you. —Leo Tolstoy