Jesus Himself Grew Near and Walked with Them…..

Awhile back, the angels asked me to dedicate Sundays to the Gospels. With Love and Peaceful Gratitude, here is the Gospel of Luke 24: 13-35 LK 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes our hearts can feel heavy, weighted or burdened with sadness, despair, grief, worry; which is something we can overcome with Jesus Christ. The first apostles here were saddened with great grief after the Crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ whom they loved. Jesus, appearing to them was not as one would expect, as he appeared in the physical in front of them. This is something that, as we believe in Jesus, we can see in ourselves and in others. The apostles were walking with Jesus and as Jesus explained the scriptures, their hearts still did not believe this was the Risen Lord.  Jesus, in breaking bread, was revealed to them. Their hearts turned to joy as the Savior was indeed risen! 
Jesus can mend all hearts, as can God who sent Him. In lifting our hearts to the Lord, we too can receive a spiritual communion as did the Disciples of the Lord here in this reading.  Jesus does not want our hearts to worry or be fearful, or saddened for any length of time. Grief is normal of course, but even in a state of grief and healing we can receive the Risen Lord in our hearts and mend all grief and heal all sadness. Trusting in the Lord is recommended! As we celebrate the Risen Lord together, we can all share in His Eucharist today! 
Something that was brought to my attention by a priest named Fr. Mike, is that the Way of the Mass is really celebrated here, in this Gospel Reading. As Jesus is proclaiming God’s Word, which testifies to Him as the Living Word, to the first Apostles, and breaking bread to receive Him in the Eucharist, Jesus is offering a way to lift us all in today’s Word, in the Word of God, which is everlasting and rejoiced over in Heaven. The first Mass of the Lord is guiding us all to lift our hearts to God Himself, to listen to His Word and act upon the Word of God. Lifting our hearts to the Lord, we can receive Jesus and God in our hearts, as just as the first Apostles were able to, during the Resurrection of Christ Himself! 
 In Jesus Name !

~channeled with God’s angels and in  the Living Eucharistic Celebration of the Lord; with insight of God’s Love from Fr. Mike in Albuquerque, NM.