04-09-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 9, 2026
Many people are eager to pack up Easter the day after, much like Christmas. While I understand the desire to anticipate May Day, for those who know what it is, the Christian Calendar includes an entire Season of Eastertide. We transition from Eastertide on Pentecost Sunday, which falls on May 21st this year. Throughout this current season, there are numerous stories, both from the scriptures and within tradition, that recount encounters people had with the resurrected Jesus. One of the best known comes from Luke 24:13-16, where the resurrected Jesus encountered two people along the road to the village called Emmaus. The two men did not recognize Jesus, yet he opened the scriptures to them. In the end, the two men extended an invitation to Jesus to join them in a gesture of hospitality. As the stranger broke the bread, the eyes of the two men were opened, and they recognized the stranger as Jesus. My hope for each of us is that this season will offer us more than just a fleeting moment of joy and celebration. Wouldn’t a genuine and transformative encounter with the Living Christ be more beneficial to our faith and, consequently, to the world we inhabit?

Make yourself known, Lord Jesus! Open my heart to your presence this day, a presence that embraces me with love and calls me to live that love in the world. Amen.