As those downcast disciples journeyed to Emmaus, they talked of their own desires to see the Kingdom of Israel restored. But it was not to be. Jesus was dead. They spoke to the stranger who walked with them of their dashed hopes. As the stranger began to speak to them of God’s promises in the Scriptures, their hopes began to rise. So they chose to invite him in.
A popular image is that of Jesus standing outside of a door, knocking. There is no knob or latch on Jesus’s side of the door that would allow Him to enter. We understand the image to be that of Jesus seeking entry into our hearts. It is up to us to choose to invite Jesus in.
We can become so caught up in ourselves that our hearts become closed to the Lord in our midst. Can we set aside our own daily disappointments and troubles to see and hear Jesus walking with us? And invite Him in?
—Fr. Robert Flack, S.J. is a retreat director at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, Barrington IL.