In these days filled with uncertainty, fear and the anger and ache of unnecessary deaths, the Easter Octave's Gospel accounts of the Risen Jesus' appearances to his disciples, filled with exquisite tenderness, calm and consolation, are just what we need right now. And in each one we have dawning recognition, as Jesus makes himself known; lovingly, earthily, even playfully. He gently calls one by name, wishes peace to others; asks one group for something to eat, then cooks an early breakfast for tired, dejected fishermen. He waits to reveal himself to the disciples on the road to Emmaus: first, he needs to set their hearts alight as he tells them the story of their salvation; then, he makes himself known in the poignant familiarity of breaking bread. And then there are his wounds, the ultimate, indelible proof of his love, and of his identity.
And as he did for his disciples, Jesus greets and reveals himself to us today, slipping in through our tears and our fears. Are we able to recognise him; within ourselves, in others, in our isolation and in our essential outings? Can we hear him blessing us with peace...? When he calls us by name, what does he say...? What are the stories he tells us; the scriptures he breaks open for us...? How does he feed us...? How does he invite us to feed him - in the poor, the hungry, those starved of love or companionship...? And what are the wounds - whose are the wounds - he invites us to look upon, and to enter...?
In the midst of a global pandemic, in which so many certainties have been swept aside, where and how do we recognise Jesus, and live in the sureness of his Resurrection, with the hope and promise it gives us...?
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