Is That You, Lord? - Weekday Homily Video

We are still celebrating the Easter Octave. We give these special days the same weight or attention that we give Easter Day itself. We spend much time during these days reflecting on what happened in the immediate days following the resurrection of Our Lord.

We heard some days back that Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and they could barely figure Him out. We also heard that He appeared to the disciples in the upper room and He had to introduce himself and tell them who He was. In the Gospel of John, He appeared to the disciples who were out fishing. He was standing on the shore, and they could not figure Him out at first, but when He started giving them instructions to cast their nets, and they did as He instructed, they started recognizing Him. They had a great catch. He prepared breakfast for them and invited them to have something to eat.

The gospel said that none of the disciples dared to ask Him who He was because they realized it was the Lord.

Journey of Faith

In these resurrection appearances, we witness the evolution of the faith of the disciples. From disbelief, to misrecognition, to doubts, and eventually to maturity in their faith where they no longer questioned whether it was the Lord or not.

The very first lesson here is that faith in the Lord is a journey. We are all at different points on that journey. Do not rush to judge other pilgrims on the journey of faith; we can pray for them that the Lord grows or renews their faith in Him. The maturity can happen tomorrow, or it can happen five years down the road. Faith is a gift, and it is the Lord who grants it and grows it. We keep praying for other pilgrims, curbing our criticism or judgment.

Recognizing the Lord

The second lesson is about how we know whether we are maturing in our faith or not. That happens when we start recognizing the Lord in so many different circumstances in our personal lives, our families, or in our community. It is when we look at circumstances or insights we gained, the changes that have happened in our lives, and we no longer need to ask whether it is Jesus or not Jesus. We know it is him behind it!

Do you recall a time when you realized that Jesus was ministering to you through another person or some unusual circumstance? You had no need to ask, “Who is doing all of this?” or “Is that you, Lord?” because you knew the answer—it was the Lord behind it all. It was Christ the Nazorean, in whose name and power that all was happening!

Some of you have heard about the community development stuff I do back home. These are several rural community projects that benefit many economically challenged families. We have programs for children, youth, and women. These efforts didn’t become what they now are overnight. For years everything depended on me. I saved every little stipend I got to support this child, help this family, or help that person get the healthcare she needed. Doing charitable work is stressful. I spent many sleepless nights alone and a lot of time in prayer asking God to do something about the weight I carried.

The Lord's Work

Then out of the blue I shared the story with some people. A team of them came and provided so much relief to me. They built the school, they built the Church, they set up a scholarship program, they supported the women’s group and the youth group. Looking at how everything unfolded, I did not need to ask, “Who is doing this?” or “Is that you, Lord?” I did not need to ask, “under whose name or power has this been done?”—I knew the answer. It was the Lord behind it all. It was Jesus Christ the Nazorean who did it.

May we ask the Lord to increase and mature our faith. May he give us sharper spiritual eyes and ears to recognize him easily and no longer have to ask “Is that you Lord? In whose name has all of this been done?”

• Today’s Readings

• Father Fred's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page. 

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