In today’s Gospel passage, after the two disciples return from Emmaus and share their experience, Jesus himself appears in the Upper Room.
The Apostles were incredulous for joy and amazed at this appearance of the Risen Lord.
Are we also incredulous for joy and amazed, or have we lost our capacity to be amazed anymore?
If we cannot be amazed by the Resurrection, why is that?
We are bombarded by information today. Much of it might be unreliable. Almost all of it is fueled by an agenda. We experience so much vicariously, but so little for ourselves. We hear news from around the world almost instantaneously, but we ourselves might spend hours in front of a screen of some kind.
What do we see for ourselves? What do we experience on our own?
Does this volume of information from dubious sources numb our senses?
Have we heard about God for all our lives from someone else? And perhaps never experienced God for ourselves? Do we hear homilies and watch television and movies that include God, but lack a relationship with God through daily prayer? Do we know something about God without knowing God?
It might be time to walk away from our screens and take time to experience life. Even in our isolated state. Go with family members on a walk (maintaining distance from others). Go out in our backyard and just sit. Maybe talk with our family. Perhaps, we should experience a sunrise while in prayer.
Some might remember an old corporate training exercise with four quadrants. The two axes were Urgency and Importance. Thus, the four categories were Urgent and Important, Urgent But Not Important, Important But Not Urgent, and Neither Urgent Nor Important. The point of the exercise was to show how we find a way to do the Urgent and Important. But we also tend to gravitate toward the Urgent and Not Important. And we fail to properly address the Important but Not Urgent (at least not until those important items also become urgent). Checking off urgent items somehow seems more satisfying than addressing important items that need our time. We get swallowed up by the urgent regardless of importance.
If you are like me, you tend to make a to-do list and then spend the whole day trying to accomplish everything on the list. I know I fail to take time to appreciate the small things along the way. “Take time to smell the roses.” Perhaps I need to do that more.
If I spend more time living directly rather than vicariously, perhaps I become more capable of being amazed.
Can you be amazed? If not, what is holding you back?