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Today I am going to suggest using a phrase from today’s gospel as something to think about as you settle into five minutes of silence with Jesus. “They had come to recognize him.” Think about that phrase for a minute. “They had come to recognize him.” It is the passage of the gospel that immediately follows the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus who did not know Jesus despite walking with him. You may recall they recognized them in the breaking of the bread.
Where do you recognize Jesus in your life? Certainly, we too can recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread, in the Eucharist. In fact, there is something wonderful as more people are able to go to Mass again. Maybe it created a little hunger for the Eucharist when we were unable to go. But where else do we see the presence of God?
The disciples on the road to Emmaus also recognized Jesus, even if after the fact, in the Word of God. Recall that Jesus interpreted for these disciples every passage of the Bible that referred to him. And so it is we can also recognize the presence of God, we can recognize Jesus in his word.
Saint John Baptist de la Salle, whose feast (if we were not in the Octave of Easter) was yesterday, wanted his students to remember that they are always in the presence of God. By this constant recollection of being in God’s presence, the goal is to realize that in every aspect of our lives God is present. Even in the most mundane moments, God is in our midst. Do we recognize God?
By spending 5 minutes with Jesus, we can become better at seeing the world through our faith. It becomes easier for us to remember we are never alone. It is easier to see what it is God wants us to do. And we discover that five minutes is not enough.
Today, remember how we got started with silence. Feet flat on the floor, slow breathing, focus. Sitting up straight, beginning with asking God to help us to pray, to give us grace so that we can become ever more ready for the encounter with Jesus.
Today, as you spend time in silence, ask God to help you to recognize him.
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