Divine teaser

After his resurrection, Jesus began to appear and disappear – to Mary Magdalen, to his apostles, to two of his disciples on their way to Emmaus. They were overjoyed by his appearances, but were deeply puzzled by his disappearances. What was the meaning of all that? What might he be trying to say, not only to them, but likewise to each one of us, on the way to our own Emmaus? Beyond the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, as well as our own personal passion, death, and resurrection – what more is the Risen Lord leading us to?

As those two depressed disciples journeyed on foot toward Emmaus, the Risen Jesus consoled them without being recognized by them. It was only later, after he accepted their invitation to dine with them, that they finally recognized him. But then, he physically disappeared! "…their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight." (Lk. 24: 31). What was that all about? Was the Divine Jester just playing hide-and-seek with them?

It is here that we can anticipate and integrate the ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit, as recorded in the first two chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. God is Father of all creation. God is Son, who shares with us the human HOW to live and love. God is Spirit who DWELLS in all of creation. "I am with you always, till the end of time." (Mt. 28: 20)

What a faithful and loving God indeed. And as we go back to those two disciples in today’s Gospel incident, we know for sure that Jesus physically vanished from their sight, but still very much present with them, within each one of them. A more powerful, sustaining presence than his physical presence, which is materially limited and confined. God as Spirit is omnipresent – limitless, timeless, boundless. But were they aware of this?

In the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola: "Ponder with great affection how God dwells in creatures… and makes a temple of me." Every time you become aware of God’s real, though non-physical presence within you, in your deepest heart, your mystical, contemplative self awakens. Your spiritual self becomes far more significant than your physical self. Until in God’s own time, your mystical self becomes habitually awake and aware, continually experiencing the Divine Presence - in your ordinary as well as your extraordinary activities, in your brightest as well as in your darkest moments, in your joys as well as in your pains, anywhere and everywhere. What really matters is your awareness of his loving and sustaining presence, and that makes all the difference.

What a singular, unique gift this is to you – your personal road to Emmaus. And it is this on-going experience that will propel you to love God in return, and to love all that He loves – his creation and all of humanity.

Our contemporary mystical guides keep leading us to this through their writings. Let me single out just a few.

Anthony de Mello describes God as the Dancer and creation as His dance. The dance has no existence apart from the Dancer. The moment the Dancer stops, the dance ceases to exist. "Be silent and look at the Dance. Just look: a star, a flower, a fading leaf, a bird, a stone… any fragment of the Dance will do. Look. Listen. Smell. Touch. Taste. And hopefully, it won’t be long before you see Him – the Dancer." (From the Song of the Bird).

In like manner, Elizabeth Dreyer, a well-known historical theologian, has made a major contribution with her book entitled Earth Crammed With Heaven. A Spirituality of Everyday Life. Dreyer quotes the mystic Julian of Norvich who reported what God had said to her: "See, I am God. I am in all things. See, I do all things. See, I never remove my hands from my works, nor ever shall without end."

For his part, Philip Yancey shares with us his award-winning book entitled Finding God in Unexpected Places. Lastly but not least, Anthony Ciorra invites us to be mystics in the marketplace with his book, Everyday Mysticism. Cherishing the Holy.

God invites. Shall we refuse?