Readings: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48.
Grace and peace to you dearly beloved in the Lord.
In today’s Gospel, we read an account of the response of the two disciples whom Jesus appeared to on their way to Emmaus. Strengthened by the experience, they walked back 7 miles to Jerusalem. While sharing their experience with the other disciples, Jesus appeared again in their midst, He explained to them that everything that happened was according to a predetermined plan of God and these were already written in the Scriptures, He then opened their minds to the Scriptures, then everything that happened made sense to them, after which He commissioned them to become witnesses to this truth.
Dear friends, today, I want to reflect on “He opened their minds,” put differently, “the power of an opened mind.”
Before opening their minds, the disciples were going through a period of agitation, fear, doubt, confusion and hopelessness. When their minds were opened and they understood what God was doing, their joy knew no bound and that knowledge gave them a passion to go and witness.
Dear friends, the reason why we sometimes live in doubt, confusion, fear and anxiety is that our minds are not opened to what we need to understand, when the Lord opens our minds, our attitude, our response to a situation, our quality of life changes.
Today, let me identify five aspects of our lives that we need God to constantly open our minds and I shall be preaching on three.
A. Understanding God’s word
The truth about God, His will, plans and character are in the scriptures. The truth about our lives, our purpose, identity, our eternity, what to expect in life, how to respond, the promises of God, how to behave are contained in the scriptures. Many of us are ignorant of God and the truth of life because we are ignorant of the word of God.
Today, dear friends, begin to seek knowledge by resolving to study the word of God and ask the Holy Spirit to open your minds as you seek to know God more through His word.
B. We need God to open our eyes that we may see Him in others.
The two disciples today who came from Emmaus encountered Jesus on the way but were unable to see beyond a stranger until their minds were opened.
In the first reading, Peter accused the religious leaders of acting ignorantly and maliciously because they could not see God in His Son Jesus. However, their ignorance and malice did not thwart God’s plan, it rather promoted it.
Many times when we look at others, we only see our differences and their weaknesses. This makes it difficult to love and appreciate them. When God opens our minds, we see the infinite value of every human person, we see their intrinsic dignity, we see God in them and we are able to love God in them.
C. To understand His plans for us
We need God to open our minds to understand what is going on in our lives, His plans for us, why we are going through what we are going through and the divine purpose of what we are called to endure, when God opens our minds to the understanding of purpose, we are able to bear our pains more courageously and joyfully.
D. We need God to open our minds for self-knowledge
We need God to open our eyes to become aware of who we are, the impact of our actions on others. For me, the worst ignorance is a lack of self-knowledge. Some people think of themselves better than whom they are, they judge others and are blind to the plank in their eyes (Matthew 7:4-5).
Some people also despise themselves because they are unaware of the enormity of the divine investments in them, the power and deposit of grace they carry. They allow people to define them and the devil to impress on them, his own deceptive rating and definition. They live according to who they think they are but not who they are.
Many are also unaware of the impact of their actions on others; they are unable to see beyond themselves, they need God to open their minds to see more than themselves.
E. We need God to open our minds to understand the mystery beyond what seems ordinary, the divine hidden in the mundane.
When the followers of Jesus saw an empty tomb, they were disappointed, until Jesus opened their minds to understand that the empty tomb is a symbol of victory. When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus, she took Him for a gardener until Jesus opened her mind to see beyond the ordinary.
The greatest expression of this instantiation is the Mass, the Holy Mass is heaven on earth, it is an earthly participation in heavenly liturgy, it is a joint celebration of the church in heaven, in purgatory and on earth, it is the greatest act of worship, it is a temporal and provisional participation in the eternal supper of the Lamb but unless the Lord opens our minds, we may not see beyond a drama, a ritual, a dialogue, reception of a white substance, a boring routine, a lifeless program.
This is why some only force themselves to Mass, some come and pay no attention, some come and sleep away, some are present only bodily, some come reluctantly and you can tell it on their faces. If only we knew what a Mass is, our joy, wonder, devotion would be so great at every Mass, we would dread to hear these words, which many love the most – “the Mass is ended.”
Lord Jesus, by the power of your Holy Spirit, open our minds to understand divine mysteries, to understand you more, your plans for us, what you are doing in our lives, open our minds to see you in others, open our minds to understand the depth of the riches of your word.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on April 18, 2021.