40 DAYS – EASTER TO ASCENSION
SATURDAY 6TH APRIL 2024
LUKE 24: 15 “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them”.
In the story of the Emmaus walkers, we see how Jesus opens himself up to the grief of others. He listens to their story, to their pain, to their doubts. He does not interrupt them. He does not judge. He just listens. And this is exactly what we need when we mourn when we struggle with grief and loss. We need someone who listens to us, who acknowledges our pain, who gives us space to express what lives inside us.
But Jesus goes one step further. After the listening comes the encouragement. But it starts with a correction. He points out to the Emmaus-goers that they have so little understanding and are so slow to understand because they do not believe in everything that the prophets say. He reminds them of the words of the prophets, of the promises that were fulfilled in His coming, of the path He had to walk to enter His glory.
PRAYER: We pray for the grace to learn to listen like Jesus, with an open and meek heart. Help us not to judge hastily, but to listen patiently to the stories and pain of others. Give us the wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen. AMEN