A Reflection for Friday in the Octave of Easter

This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

This Gospel offers a deep, miraculous hope at the core of our faith: The resurrected Christ is present on earth and has appeared to his disciples not once or twice, but three times! But this Gospel worries me, because if the disciples cannot recognize the resurrected Christ after seeing him again and again, how likely is it that I will be able to recognize him in our world today?

I am comforted, however, by the fact that Christ, despite all the disciples’ flaws and confusion, continues to appear to them. He continues not only to make himself present but, in his endless generosity, to present the disciples with an abundance that they could never achieve on their own.

Every day we have that chance to recognize, again and again, the ways in which Christ works through those around us, often in unexpected ways.

When the disciples finally recognize Christ, they respond with enthusiasm and they share in the sustenance he offers. We, too, sometimes are unable to recognize Christ in our world. Often it is because we expect God’s presence to appear in our world in a certain way or on our own timeline. Sometimes, we see strangers, or even friends or family members, as obstacles in our path to Christ, rather than as an embodiment of his love.

The good news is that, just like he did for the disciples, Christ continues to show up for us today. Every day we have that chance to recognize, again and again, the ways in which Christ works through those around us, often in unexpected ways. It is our responsibility to pay attention, so that we will recognize this presence and respond with enthusiasm. We, too, should jump at every opportunity to greet him, and together to share in the bounty he offers.

Kerry Weber joined the staff of America in October 2009. Her writing and multimedia work have since earned several awards from the Catholic Press Association, and in 2013 she reported from Rwanda as a recipient of Catholic Relief Services' Egan Journalism Fellowship. Kerry is the author of Mercy in the City: How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job (Loyola Press) and Keeping the Faith: Prayers for College Students (Twenty-Third Publications). A graduate of Providence College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she has previously worked as an editor for Catholic Digest, a local reporter, a diocesan television producer, and as a special-education teacher on the Navajo reservation in Arizona.