Stay with Us

In the Gospel from this weekend, we hear about how it is in the breaking of the bread that Jesus is made known to the disciples.  Before they recognize Jesus, they say to Him, “stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”  Jesus is always walking with us, whether we recognize Him or not.  And He has given us the gift of the Eucharist so that we too can ask Him to stay with us.

When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we receive His body, blood, soul and divinity.  And it is when we receive Him that we are the closest to Him we can be.  Sometimes at mass, it can be easy to go through the motions and take that hour of time for granted.  Maybe there are times when we are blind to the miracle and grace at the altar.  But Just as Jesus opened the eyes of His disciples, He can open our eyes too so that we see everything with eyes of faith.
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Whenever we encounter Christ, whether it is in receiving the Eucharist or in our encounters with Him outside of Mass, our hearts will be set on fire, inspiring us to share Him and His love with the world around us.  We must ask ourselves if “our hearts are burning within us”, just as the disciples experienced (Luke 24:32).

If the flame has died down, we can ask Jesus to increase our faith and love for Him, and to give us a heart that is burning, and not cold or lukewarm.  When we feel far from Jesus or when we don’t recognize His presence at different times in our lives, we should ask Him to stay with us as we continue on our journeys.  Sometimes, all it takes is asking in faith.  The more time we spend with Jesus and the more we desire to be close to Him, the more we will be able to recognize Him and realize that He truly is with us in every moment of our days.

Dear Jesus, sometimes we are blind to You and fail to recognize You walking with us.  Give us eyes of faith so that we can see You.  Give us hearts that are on fire, burning with love of You.  Stay with us, and help us as we continue on the journey.  We need you so that we can share the Good news with the world.  Amen.