Thursday in the Octave of Easter 2020

After their encounter with the Risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus, the two disciples have returned and recounted their experience to the others. While they are sharing their story Jesus appears and speaks to them. This is not an event that should be consigned to history, but it should be something that we experience in our own lives as followers of Jesus. We need to have moments of encounter with Jesus, and then share them with others to hopefully bring about their encounters with Jesus.

So, I ask all of you: Have you had an encounter with the Risen Jesus Christ in your life? Are you aware of God’s presence or how the Holy Spirit has worked in your life? To hopefully inspire your encounter with Jesus or to think more deeply about your relationship with Him, I want to share a simple story from my own life.

When I was a diocesan seminarian in 2014, I was visiting a nursing home. I came across an older Hispanic gentleman, who I could tell was extremely lonely. He spoke minimal English, and he did not have any nearby family. Due to my lack of knowledge of Spanish, all I could do was pray the Our Father with him. After finishing, I felt this great sense of peace come upon me. The only thing that was in my mind in these moments of peace was Jesus’s line, “Whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did it to me.” I knew that Jesus had been present with us in our prayer.