In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is remembering Jesus, but his death, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob… has brought to fulfillment… that his son would suffer.” Peter uses Jesus’ death to encourage change, “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” Peter is not relating to Jesus from his life nor from his Resurrection. After the Resurrection, two travelers to Emmaus are also remembering Jesus, but his death too, “rulers condemned Jesus to death and crucified him.” They also are not relating to Jesus from his life nor from his Resurrection. While they “were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.”
Being focused on death keeps us from being changed, being resurrected, surprised by new life. Perhaps we fear change or new life and so we cling to what is old; old stories, old memories. It is like clinging to an old favorite doll. We cling to it for comfort and security. If ever we feel uncomfortable and insecure, we can pick it up, hold it close, and know our place. We do so theologically. We pick up the old, comfortable, and secure story of personal salvation through Jesus’ death. Without the old story of Jesus’ death, told and retold, we might be resurrected. We might open ourselves to new life. Doing so would likely have us asking questions and feeling uncomfortable and insecure. We might ask how we can change this world of rulers who want to dominate us and coerce us to worship them? How do we change all their inflicted suffering against us and stop believing it is deserved? How do we change all their violence and not ourselves practice violence as salvific? We do so by being open to new life. We create that new life together in community. It is a good way to live in a world that keeps regurgitating what is old and what is deadly. We live free in communion without domination or worship. We love one another knowing inflicted suffering is abuse and we end it. We act as a community of creative healing power realizing violence is diabolical and we transform it. Communion, love, and creative healing power is our freedom. It is all a challenge. It is not like an old doll. It will not keep us feeling comfortable and secure. We cannot pick it up to hold it close so that it tells us our place in the world. It will open us to adventure. We shall be surprised by new and challenging adventures and we and the world will be changed by it all.
“It was said that, one year before his death, Franz Kafka was walking through Steglitz Park, in Berlin (where) he found a little girl crying heartbroken. She had lost her doll. To calm her down Franz first helped look for the doll. Eventually, realizing they would not find it, Franz told the little girl that the doll was probably away on a trip but that she should not worry, as he was a postman and the doll would have sent her a letter. He arranged to meet her the next day at the same spot, to deliver the letter. (He) read it to her when they met the next day, “Please do not mourn me, I have gone on a trip to see the world. I will write you of my adventures.” This was the beginning of many letters… he read her… (of) the imagined adventures of the beloved doll… When their meetings came to an end, Kafka presented her with a doll. She obviously looked different from the old doll, but an attached letter explained: ‘my travels have changed me.’” (Kafka and the Traveling Doll – Jordi Sierra I Fabra)
Prayer: Spirit, surprise me !
Question: How has my openness to resurrection changed me; how have we changed the world?
April 18, 2021 Gospel Luke 24:35-48 Third Sunday of Easter