On recognizing Jesus

Dear friends, my latest article is up at Catholic Stand, called Recognizing Jesus. I began thinking about this topic at Easter, when the reading about Mary Magdalene at Jesus’s tomb was read. One time, when I was doing the spiritual exercises (the “19th annotation”), this was a passage for meditation and I remember feeling so deeply the sadness and grief expressed in this reading, and it stayed with me, and returns every time I read it. I mean, my goodness, Jesus himself is standing right in front of her and Mary Magdalene thinks he’s…the gardener? It’s almost silly. So I thought, why did this happen? And similarly, the disciples on the road to Emmaus, why couldn’t they tell who Jesus was, as he literally walked and talked with them, interpreting the scriptures about himself?

So, it is an intriguing idea. Here is my conclusion: in both the case of Mary Magdalene and the disciples walking with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, they were both caught up in a.) their own grief, despair and preoccupations, and b.) how they thought Jesus should appear. Both are equally important to consider.

Recall that the disciples on the road to Emmaus though that Jesus, as the king, would appear as other kings they knew - in earthly power, perhaps even violence, concerned with a material kingdom. They say,

“But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel.”

To which we, as modern readers, think, “He did! Didn’t you realize it?” Perhaps they thought God would physically restore the temple. Either way, they were looking for a certain type of God that looked like what they expected him to.

Apply this to your own life: when God seems far away - when you do not recognize him - is one stumbling block your own expectation of what he will look like?

“Their eyes were prevented from seeing him,” it says in Luke. As for Mary, she even sees two angels before Jesus himself appears. We are given no indication that she recognizes them, either. There is nothing that states how or why she does not recognize Jesus, but we later learn she clung to Jesus when she did realize:

“Jesus said to her, ‘Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.’”

We know, at least, that she was utterly grief stricken and we can imagine the effect her tears had on her vision. That is the literal interpretation. But I take it further, that her emotional distress - even, her lack of faith - prevented her from seeing Jesus.

Has this happened to you, where your preoccupation and worry clouded your ability to see Jesus in your life?

Lastly, I conclude the article with some thoughts on where, when, and how to “see” Jesus now. Of course we do not sit and dine with him (minus the Eucharist), or invite him to our house to chat. So, if Jesus as a human body is not really present here today, where do we find him? In others, of course. In our friends and family, in those we work with and serve, in those in need of our help. Corporal and spiritual acts of mercy are a great antidote to disbelief, sadness, and lack of faith.

Ii is possible there is some other interpretation here, or even an official church one, but this is the one that makes the most sense to me - because I have experienced it. When you are caught up in your own despair, you cannot recognize Jesus in your life and around you.

One more thing: I’ll be on the radio this coming Tuesday, 10/4 at 7:10 am eastern to discuss recognizing Jesus with John and Glenn on Morning Air. You can listen live here.

Praying you are having an excellent beginning to the fall season!