In today’s Gospel, the famous story of the two disciples on the road to
Emmaus, the Disciples failed to recognize as He walked along with them. St.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) reflects on the dimness of their perception:
"They were so disturbed when they saw him hanging on the cross that they
forgot his teaching, and He said it more than once, that he would suffer and
die but He would rise again on the third day. They did not look for his
resurrection, and failed to keep his promises in mind" (Sermon 235.1).
"Their eyes were obstructed, that they should not recognize him
until the breaking of the bread. And thus, in accordance with the state of
their minds, which was still ignorant of the truth (that the Christ would die
and rise again), their eyes were similarly hindered. It was not that the truth
himself was misleading them, but rather that they were themselves unable to
perceive the truth." (From The Harmony of the Gospels, 3.25.72).
How often do we fail to recognize the Lord when he speaks to our hearts
and opens his mind to us? The Risen Lord is ever ready to speak his word to us
and to give us understanding of his ways. One important question that we can
all ask ourselves is: Do we listen attentively to the Word of God and allow his
word to change and transform us?
Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of our hearts to recognize your
presence with us and to understand the truth of your saving word. Nourish us
with your life-giving word and with the bread of life.
A word about the concert…Once again, our concert was a resounding
success. It was a wonderful evening of top notch entertainment upstairs and of
community building afterwards, downstairs. I would like to thank our 10 am and
12 noon choirs and their directors, Anthony Bastianon and Mark Linsao, who
opened the evening with their beautiful selections. All of our guest artists
were magnificent and I think that we are all very fortunate to have such
caliber and quality of music come to us right here in the parish! And so I
would like to thank, Darren Poirier and his ensemble, Larry Tozer and the
wonderful cast from Godspell. You were all simply amazing! Thanks to the sound
technicians too since I know that your job is extremely important throughout
the entire evening.
Many thanks to all those who looked after the catering for our guests
and those who prepared the reception downstairs. Thanks to St. Dominic Youth
Group, under the direction of Betty Alilovic, who were so involved with ticket
sales on the weekends prior to the concert and for their help in the church and
in the hall on Monday night. It is great to see our young people involved in
parish events! Sincere thanks to all of you, the parishioners and to your
families and friends, who came out, not only to enjoy the music, but to support
the parish with your presence. I have heard it over and over again how much you
all enjoyed the evening. Once again, special thanks to Anthony Bastianon for
orchestrating this special event. We are looking forward to the next one!
Fr. Phil