Daily Devotional for May 4

 

May 4                                                    Matthew 28:16-20

A divine appointment with the resurrected Christ! What could
be more glorious? Yet as the disciples trudged up the Galilean
mountain, at least one felt the pangs of an anxious heart:

     What am I doing on this path? I don't even know
     if I believe he's alive, and I'm on my way to a
     meeting supposedly called by Jesus! I wonder if he'll
     look the same. What will he ask of me this time?
     Will I be up to it? John's already around the bend
     ...always ahead when it comes to faith! If I turn
     around now, I can be home in time for lunch - but
     what if it's true? What if Jesus really is going to be
     there? I must keep going.

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, little has changed.
We are still called to meet Christ for instruction and challenge.
We still respond with uncertainty:

     What am I doing on this one-way street in a city not
     my own? I don't even know what I believe about
     life after death, and I'm called to the bedside of
     someone with AIDS. I wonder how he'll look. What
     will he ask of me? Will I be up to it? Others know
     how to do this, why aren't they here? If I turn
     around now, I can be home before dark. But what
     if it's true? What if it is really Christ who waits in
     that bed? I must go in.

                  Jesus Christ, unique Child of God,
         have mercy on us. Forgive our ambivalence,
        our sluggish pace, and restore our confidence
 through the good news we already know. Steer us away
          from competition with others who minister in
         your name, and grant us a perfect balance of
           peace and adventure as we go forth in the
                    light of your constant presence.

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.