St. Matthew Catholic Church

Weekly Message     

Broken Hearts to Burning Hearts

Dear brothers and sisters,   

     In our lives, our journey brings lots of stress, troubles, pain and heart-breaking moments, but to a believer in God it turns out to be a blessing, joyful moments of a burning heart.

Broken heart: "We were hoping...". The two disciples walking away from Jerusalem are the picture of spiritual exhaustion. They are walking away from the community of believers, retreating into the sunset - a symbol of fading hope. Their words, "We were hoping that he would be the one to set Israel free," are heart-broken words. Even when Jesus joins them, they cannot see Him. Their grief has created a veil.

Turning Point: “The breaking of the Word & the Bread”. Jesus doesn't immediately reveal His face; He begins by revealing the Word through the lens of the prophets. He shows them that what they thought was a "failure" (the Cross) was actually the "fulfillment" of God's plan; their internal temperature changes. They later remark, "… our hearts burning within us." This reminds us that even when we feel "heartbroken", when we hear the Word, it is quietly at work, rekindling our hope from the inside out.

Burning Heart: The climax of the journey occurs not on the road, but at the table - they recognize Him at breaking of the Bread (Eucharist). And He vanishes. Why? Because He is no longer just a traveler beside them; He is now a presence within them through the Bread of Life.

     Their broken hearts are thoroughly replaced by burning hearts that they immediately turn around, same night, run seven miles back to Jerusalem to share the news. True joy cannot be kept to oneself; it demands a "return" to the family and community. Jesus doesn't wait for us to find our way back to Him. He comes to find us on the road of our daily life and stays with us.

Blessings!

Msgr. Xavier Pappu
                     Insert:  Giving to God/Dar a Dios.pdf

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