Catholic Mom Daily Gospel Reflections Logo with gold outlineToday's Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

“While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’”

The disciples, gathered in secret, had reason to be afraid. They gave up their lives and their careers to follow a Teacher because they believed in him. The movement to which they had devoted themselves came to a sudden, violent end. Their leader and friend was arrested and executed right in front of them, and then his body disappeared. Fearing for their safety, the disciples scattered, disillusioned and afraid. Some claimed to have seen him and even to have spoken with him. How could this be true? What were they to think?

Hiding together, they were telling the story of how Jesus had appeared to two of them on the road to Emmaus, recounting how they recognized him in the breaking of bread at the meal they shared together. Yet when Jesus appears again, they are startled and terrified, believing he is a ghost. He speaks peace to them, yet they react with fear.

It is hard to imagine exactly how the disciples felt in these moments, but perhaps we are not so different from them. We have our ideas of who God is and how God operates. We know how we expect the Spirit to work, and we like things to look the way we expect. Believing God’s purpose is unfolding according to our expectations, we go about our lives. When Jesus shows up, though, with His words of peace and comfort, ready to meet us where we are, we might not be ready to accept it. We are so focused on our expectations that we aren’t ready for him when he arrives, and we are scared and reluctant to believe that He is who He says He is.

Ponder:

Are there places in my life where I am hiding, afraid to accept Jesus’ words of peace?

Pray:

Help me to be ready to trust you, Jesus, even when you aren’t what I am expecting you to be.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Abbey Dupuy