Journey to Emmaus

Yesterday we had First Communion. Forty-three children all coming to the 'big peoples' table for the very first time. The music was great, the children read the readings and the petitions, and everyone had a good liturgy experience. Sadly for some of the children the next time they receive the Eucharist will be at Christmas or even next Easter. There were those awkward moments of when to sit and stand. And these were the catholics. But the exciting fact that cannot be lost is that these children are starting a new chapter in their faith journey with Jesus.

This weekend's reading are excellent for Eucharist and the sojourn of faith - the Emmaus story. The two disciples are preoccupied in their grief and sense of hopelessness. Even as Jesus walks with them they fail to recognize Jesus. The great moment of revelation comes in the breaking of the bread. In this very Eucharist centered encounter, the fears, doubts, and anxieties of the disciples are removed, and they are left with faith.

In the late 1970s Pope Paul VI wrote a pastoral letter concerning Evangelization. In it he expressed the fact that evangelization comes out of conversion. That individual cannot simply have an intellectual knowledge of Jesus but must become transformed by the person of Jesus Christ. More so the Church itself needs to own its role in evangelization. As a Body of Christ we proclaim the Good News to all people in every place.

As I reflect back on these children it is really our responsibility to share the good news with them and their families. Sometimes I think we have bought into the mindset that the Church provides for Kodak moments. But really we want to be there with each other on the journey of faith so as to reveal the presence of Jesus Christ. There is a danger when we think that our catholic school, R.E., or our youth program, are simply places to get kids ready for sacraments and spew out catholics with an eighth grade catholic education. Where is the conversion and discipleship here.

In our broken community and in our breaking open the Bread and the Word, the risen Jesus stands in our midst. I do think that the Church is more like taking a hike together. On our way to the new Jerusalem we are encouraged to support and challenge each other. Evangelization is sort of the answer to the question, "What do I do after I say Amen."