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. (LK 24:13-15)
At times we might feel alone, abandoned, neglected, even forgotten by God. The truth is, God is always with us. He will never abandon us, he will never neglect us, he will never forget us. He never has. He never will. The sad reality is, we more often than not, walk away from Christ. We run from him. We hide from him. We run in the opposite direction because we do not really know him. We do not have an intimate knowledge of the profound love he has for us. We do not understand all he has done for us. We just do not know how to be loved. We do not know how to be loved because we have been hurt so many times – but never by God. Yes, it is true. God has never hurt you. God’s will is our happiness. His desire is to love us. He wants to be with us, but we run in the other direction. We hide from his love. We run so fast and furious, so quick and hurried but we are so slow of heart, so slow to love, so slow to forgive, so slow to forget, so slow to be loved by God. Christ’s journey was toward Jerusalem. He never stopped. He never turned around. He never looked backed. He continually walked the Way of the Cross. He suffered and died and rose from the dead as he promised. He set us free from the bondage of sin and oppression and opened the gates of Heaven so we could truly be free and happy. That is God’s will for us. His desire for you. We must learn to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus who is the way to the Father, the means to our happiness, the journey home. We must go to Jerusalem and not run away from it. We must walk the Way of the Cross. I love how Jesus meets us where we are and then walks with us even when we are heading in the wrong direction. He is ever so patient with us because he loves us, and he truly wants us to reach the Father. Jesus speaks to us constantly and always. Even when we do not hear him. Even when we chose not to listen to him. Even if we remain stubborn to change direction. Jesus still talks to us, he still guides us, he still cares. We may want to look at the Road to Emmaus as a spiritual walk or a spiritual exercise. Think about the times you were led away from God, distracted from your faith journey or strayed from the truth because of the false things you believe about yourself, about God, about your relationship with Christ. If we allow Christ, he will help us when we have lost our way to see that the true way back home is the road that leads to Jerusalem – the Way of the Cross.