The Sunday Project
My Allotted Portion, My Cup
Third Sunday of Easter |
By Michael Viktor Kilarjian
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know -- this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, `I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope. For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.' "Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear.
And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emma'us, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cle'opas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see." And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
What a beautiful moment in time it is for us, for us Christians, as we experience the Risen Lord whilst hunkered down. His coming at this time is bold and fierce, for in a tiny way, due to fear, we are so very much like the disciples in today's Gospel reading, hunkered down like the eleven. We are being shown too, how great the call and the fire burning in our hearts is, that same fire shared with those two disciples so long ago. At this time especially, people are truly longing in a unique way, longing to be in a church again, this physical structure, that sticks us all together and brings us into the structure of the Mass. People are indeed hurting right now; hearts hurt because they cannot currently commune flesh to flesh with Christ in that singular way through the Eucharist. What an absolute gift we are the recipients of, to bear such a longing and to see this same stirring in others, as well. Lay bare your heart! This is our allotted portion for now. But, does it truly suffice?
It is interesting for us as human beings that often the greatest yearning of our heart winds up being something that was in our midst all along, but only that we would not and could not see it. Indeed, God chooses the right time for us to receive, and so it was the same here in today's reading, as Jesus lay hidden plainly to Cleopas and the other. It is an ongoing trick of God's sleeve to this very day, and sometimes I wonder if it makes Him to smile! A great comfort it is to know then, that God is always "longing for us", always after us. Perhaps this is too strong a phrasing, but our God is a "jealous" God; He wants us for Himself, for what we were made to be in full. How can you lose, then? How can we go wrong? A beautifully, almost Platonic scene is set for us, in this struggle. The fact that we are all after God, the one "thing", the one essence, that can give to us fully, even if so many of our fellow humankind do not realize that it is God they are after; at the same time, God is chasing after us, and that is solidified through the Resurrection. Humanity wrangles the divine, and vice versa; no wonder that Christ was at times wrangled within, being both human and divine.
I think then of today's psalm, that mention of "my allotted portion and my cup". Certainly, this 3rd Sunday of Easter; well, all of Easter, if it teaches us anything, it is quite simply and pointedly, to not be satisfied with the status quo! To not be afraid to realize that what you may have right now, may not be your "portion", may not be the best that was meant for you; and so then, to not fear turning over tables to seek it out. Seeking out the good while also being able to receive, the two are not at odds with each other. Both are a sacred art that we as human beings must grow to understand. The best for you, particularly the good, is there for you to be had. This is something important for us to remember each day of our lives. And not in reference to the vain, or self-centered. But, when you know in your heart that something you may be engaging in, something you may be dealing with, is not life-giving, does not fill your cup and so on, know that you are free to go ahead and move. Not to restlessly strive; restless striving did not raise Christ from the dead. Nor is it what shaped Peter to be the head of our Church (that Peter, what a perpetual role model for us, when we're feeling down!), and to decry as he does in our first reading from Acts today. But go; go ahead and get yourself a bigger cup and get ready for a nice big swig; the Resurrection entreats us. We have a tendency to "fix/set" our own allotments/proportions, boxing ourselves in, but... In His rising, Christ the Lord is simply having none of it! Amen.