+ In nomine Domini.  Amen.

Let’s review. 

Easter lasts for 49 days until the Feast of Pentecost on the 50^th day of the season, which this year will be May 11^th.  During the Easter Season in this Year A of the Three Year Lectionary[1], for the six Sundays of Easter all of the Gospel Readings are from the Gospel According to John … with one exception, and that is this Sunday, when the reading is from the Gospel According to Luke.  Both John and Luke were composed at the end of the 1^st Century, John … at least 60 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and Luke about 10 years before John, but itself 50 years after the event.

Last Sunday the story (from John) was that of the appearance of the risen Jesus to his followers, first without Thomas and then with Thomas.

I said last week that the teaching from this story is made up of the following sequence of words from Jesus as John tells the story:

Peace be with you.

Be filled with Spirit.

Tell the story (the Mission)

Forgive one another.

These are the orders, if you will, for being a follower of Jesus, they are the requirements, they are what Jesus believed, would heal the wounds of the world and bring about what he called the kingdom, the rule of God in which all of creation would love each other, not kill each other, would care for each other, not dominate each other, would free and help each other, not oppress each other, would make sure there was enough to go around and especially for those to come, and not use up everything in sight as if it didn’t matter what happened in the future.

And then, I said that the question that comes to us from this Gospel is “What might the world look like if this were so?  And how might we, taking seriously this Jesus who comes into our midst with a message of Peace, Spirit, Mission and Forgiveness … how might we make that happen, what can we do and what are we called to do?

And finally I said that the discussion would be continued this Sunday.  And so here we are.

Here we are with another resurrection story, this time from the Gospel According to Luke.  It is called “The Road to Emmaus” (or, if you grew up in the northern part of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where there is an Emmaus, near a place called Bethlehem, which is near Allentown … if you grew up there, you would say, ‘The Road to EE-mouse’ … but that is another story).

The story is a wonderful story, especially so in the hand of the author of Luke’s Gospel.  Two people, it might be two men, although some scholars have suggested it was a man and woman, a couple perhaps … but two people are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus after the crucifixion.  As they go, they talk.  They talk about the things that had just taken place.

As they are walking, Jesus appears and joins them.

He asks what they have been talking about.  They stop their walking and with sadness look at Jesus and ask him if he’s the only person who doesn’t know what has taken place?

And he says, “What?”

It’s right here that we are drawn into the story.  We know that it’s Jesus they are talking with, and so we want to tug on their shirtsleeves and say, “Look, it’s him; don’t be so … ‘foolish and slow of heart’.

So they tell him what has been going on.  They talk about their hope, they talk about their belief that this prophet Jesus was going to be the one to free them from the occupation of the Roman army. 

And then Jesus does Bible Study with them.  As they continue their walk, he goes over everything from the Torah that speaks of promise and hope and keeps mentioning that these things are not just words but, shall we say, “words made flesh.”

They come to the village, but Jesus moves on and they tell him to stop because evening is coming, and to say with them, which he does.  Inside their place, around the table, at the meal, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them … and in that Lucan Eucharistic Moment, their eyes are opened, they know who he is, and just then Jesus disappears, moves on.

They look at each other and say that wonderful line as the author of Luke wrote the story:

Οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν καιομένη ἦν [ἐν ἡμῖν] ὡς ἐλάλει ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ὡς διήνοιγεν ἡμῖν τὰς γραφάς;

Or as St. Jerome would have it translated:

et dixerunt ad invicem nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis dum loqueretur in via et aperiret nobis scripturas

And now in English,

Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?

I was struck when reading this text in the Latin by that word “burning” … ‘ cor nostrum ardens ...erat’   Were not our hearts burning/ardens … we get the word “ardent” from it.  It’s a word we don’t use much any more, but which in this gospel account truly captures something, perhaps the core of the story. 

The definition of ardent means, characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity. 

A burning desire to do something, to make it happen.

I think it captures the Gospel, what we are to do with the Gospel.  We are to be ardent followers of Jesus. 

One of the episodes in the TV Series M*A*S*H has Fr. Mulcahey helping with a particularly anxious wounded soldier who knocks over a nurse in his anxiety.  Fr. Francis Mulcahey responds by decking the guy with right cross.

The story continues as the chaplain is in great remorse about doing this, the soldier after surgery and in recovery asks Mulcahey, “Were did you go to Seminary, Father, Joe’s Gym?”  It doesn’t help.  Mulcahey is sobbing with regret for what he has done.  Hawkeye tries to comfort him, but the priest replies, “You don’t understand.  I’m not just supposed to talk about peace, I’m supposed to do it!”

That’s the Emmaus Story.  Followers of Jesus are invited into the following.  Not just to talk about it … but to do it.

It is what Martin Luther called: “Faith Active in Love.”  Or, let us say, “Faith acting out in love.”  Followers of Jesus are those who act out their faith; they do not keep it to themselves, hiding it in safe places.  With “hearts on fire” followers of Jesus move out into the world with Peace, Spirit, Storytelling, and Forgiveness.

… more next Sunday.