Did you ever notice that in the stories of the resurrection, Jesus is incredibly difficult to recognize? Mary Magdalene thinks he’s the gardener until he calls her name. Thomas and the other disciples don’t really know it’s Jesus in the locked room with them until he shows them the marks of the crucifixion. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus walks with some of the disciples and opens the Scriptures to them, but they don’t recognize him until he breaks bread. And in this Sunday’s Gospel, we’ll hear of the disciples’ miraculous catch of fish, prompted by the advice of a stranger on the shore whom they do not recognize, at first, to be Jesus.
On one level, this tells us that something about Jesus’ resurrected body was different from the one he had in his earthly ministry. It was still a physical body—he ate and drank, and he still had wounds—but it had been transformed somehow. Perhaps we’re to think of Moses, who came down the mountain, having seen God, with a transformed appearance— shining with glory. Perhaps we’re to think of the Transfiguration, in which Jesus, too, manifested God’s glory as he talked to Moses and Elijah. In any case, we know that his appearance during his forty days on earth following the resurrection was somehow a surprise, even to those who knew him best.
This Easter season, I find myself wondering, when, in our own lives, do we see Jesus and fail to recognize him?
There is a monastic tradition of welcoming guests as Christ himself, remembering that Jesus said when we welcome the stranger, we welcome him. (Matthew 25:35) In that same discourse, Jesus also urged us to identify him with the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the sick, and the prisoners.
How are we doing at recognizing Christ in the vulnerable? How are we doing at recognizing him in those who make us uncomfortable, or in those with whom we disagree?
At the Easter Vigil, we renewed our baptismal covenant, in which we promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
May we take some time, this season, to reflect on these promises, and to truly look for Jesus in the faces of others. In his name, let’s show them kindness, respect, and hospitality in whatever ways we can. And most of all, let’s turn our attention toward the poor, the sick, and the suffering, mindful that Jesus tells us if we are looking for him, it is in their presence that we will find him.
Mother Terry+