The Christ has risen! Alleluia!
The Easter Sunday is only the beginning of the Easter
season! And, this joyful season goes on and on for the 50 days, concluded with
the feast of the Pentecost.
During the Easter season, we let our Easter sink in and
settle in our hearts.
Given its magnitude, we cannot really comprehend Easter in
one day or so, as the Easter Sunday Gospel reading indicates: Peter and John,
who witnessed the Resurrection on the early Easter morning did not yet
understand what the scripture meant by stating that Christ had to rise from the
dead (John 20:9).
So, now God has given us these 50 days of the Easter season
not just to soak ourselves in a joyful mood but, more importantly, to let the
deeper meaning of the Easter sink and settle in the depth of our hearts.
The Gospel reading of the Wednesday in the Octave of Easter,
Luke 24: 13-35, reflects how gradual we can come to terms with Easter.
In light of the Gospel narrative on the two disciples
walking to Emmaus on the day that Jesus rose from the dead, these 50 days can
be juxtaposed to the disciples’ journey to Emmaus.
As we let our heart reflect on Easter.., in fact, not just
the Resurrection alone but the Resurrection in the Lent-Easter-Pentecost
spectrum, as we journey to Emmaus during this Easter season, our hearts will get burning with the
passionate love. And, our heart become
kindled with the burning love, we just won’t be able to contain it. It will
drive us to proclaim the Good News, as Cleopas and the other disciple did, upon
their realization of the risen Christ’s presence with them in Emmaus.
The Gospel story about Cleopas and the other disciples on their
way to Emmaus is our Easter story. The
way these two disciples came to recognize the risen Lord reflects how we can
come to terms with what Easter is about.
Perhaps, we can also apply some Buddhist teaching to
appreciate this Gospel post-Resurrection story – Luke 24:13-35, as it is about
gradually opening our eyes to the great truth, which is called the Dharma in
Buddhism. And, in Buddhism, opening the eyes to the great truth, the Dharma, is
what it means to attain the Buddhahood, namely, becoming Buddha ourselves. But, the path to attain the Buddhahood, to
open our eyes, is not easy, as Buddhism teaches.
For Christians, this Gospel story for the Wednesday in the
Octave of Easter, Luke 24:13-35, is about Cleopas and the other disciples
gradually became “Buddha” as they walked to Emmaus.
At first, because they were still “bompu”, as Japanese Buddhism calls ourselves as being with kleshas,
they were blind to the presence of the risen Christ, even though he was
with them, walking together.
The blindness of Cleopas and the other disciple, sounds so familiar
to us, the sinners.
Our blindness is greater if we were not present with Jesus
as he was carrying his heavy Cross to Calvary on that Friday morning..the day
of his Crucifixion. Our blindness is
more evident if we were not present at the foot of the Cross, when Jesus was
hung on the Cross and took his last breath there. Our blindness is so true if we did not run to
the empty tomb of Jesus early on that Sunday, when he was risen.
Where were we, when all of these things were taking place,
prior to our journey to Emmaus?
Perhaps, this is a good question to ponder and reflect upon
as we walk toward Emmaus during these 50 days of the Easter season….hoping that
we all become ‘Buddha”, overcoming residual kleshas,
which makes and keep us blind, as we
walk…as we encounter and recognize the risen Lord.
The Easter season is our road to Emmaus. It is also our path
to become “Buddha” in the risen Christ.
May our Easter journey to Emmaus…into the Buddahood in the
risen Christ be meaningful.
No comments:
Post a Comment