Based on the book of Sister Bossetti                                                                                                                   By Jorge Cespedes

I.                    From Emmaus to Jerusalem: The disciples’ eyes have a good reason to be open. By now they are able to see the two inseparable aspects of the Passover mystery, that is, how death can be the source of life and glory. Page 10

This is a history that has always amazed me. I try to imagine myself in the same historical setting. These disciples traveling to Emmaus really had hope in Jesus. The problem here is what kind of hope they had. They really wanted that Jesus would be a political leader, the one able to restore the kingdom of David in the political sense. And now from their perspective everything has ended. The depositary of all hopes, Jesus, is dead, and died not in a normal way, but a death on a cross. For us today the cross can be a beautiful expression of art and faith, but it is necessary to understand that in those times the cross was the worst possible death for a person. The cross was even forbidden for roman citizens. How is possible that the messiah died on a cross? These disciples walking to Emmaus are the reflection of the feelings of this community of followers of Jesus. In that moment Jesus was an impostor for them. He seems like another one of all those who presented themselves in those days as messiah. His sadness is so big that it is impossible for them to recognize Jesus when he appeared in that way. But Jesus understands us; he knows that we, human beings, are short in our hope. Jesus explained the Scriptures and only in the breaking of bread did they recognize him. All that was a source of sadness is now the source of joy. As Sister Bosetti says “these Passover mysteries became the source of life” the cross is now the source of Salvation and happiness. In my own reflection, I meditate on how difficult it is for me to recognize God in the difficult moments of my life even when, in my own experience, those events that seem to be the source of sadness in my shortness of understanding become source of joy and life. I have to learn from these experiences and I have to be more determined to put in the hands of Jesus all my sufferings, troubles and misunderstandings. The source of life is the breaking of the bread and it is there where I have to recognize Jesus.

II.                  The Benedictus is the canticle of the Old Testament flowing into the New, the Hymn of hope fulfilled because the God of Israel has visited and redeemed his people. Page 37

In Jesus are fulfilled the promises and hopes of the Old Testament.  It  Seems to me, that in some ways this canticle becomes the opposite of the attitude of the disciples Emaus. One of the problems of these disciples is the misunderstanding that they had of the Old Testament. They made their own political interpretation. It is for this reason that Jesus started to explain to them all what made reference to the messiah in the Old Testament and he gave a correct interpretation. This canticle is a way to recognize that God is faithful to his promises. These are words which come from the heart. Only the one who is full of the presence of God can addressee him in a direct way such is the case of Zechariah and The Virgin Mary. But the proclamation of the “Benedictus” is made after a long period of silence. It is a sign that shows that silence is very necessary in order to recognize the wonders of God in our lives. We live in a society full of distractions, in some ways we are afraid of solitude, of silence. But most of our calls to follow Jesus start with a period of Silence.  As sister Bosetti writes Zechariah closes his canticle looking forward. This hope is symbolized in the “visit of the Sun.”  This sun is Jesus. It is a beautiful image because the sun is the source of warmth on earth. It makes life possible and agriculture. Each day with the arrival of the sun it is like a new history starts. It is a new opportunity and a new beginning. This new beginning is Jesus. He is the source of life. He is the sun which shines on good and bad persons. He is the one who opens the door of forgiveness. In summary, Jesus is the new day; he is the new opportunity for human beings, the one who bring the light of truth to everybody.

III.                Jesus of Nazareth is sent to evangelize the poor. Page 57

The word has power in itself. Jesus is the word of the Father. One of the most powerful moments described by this evangelist is the proclamation in the synagogue of Nazareth, one passage of the book of Isaiah by Jesus.  After this proclamation Jesus added: “today this scripture has been fulfilled.”  He is sent to proclaim freedom, to announce the good news to the poor. Most of his ministry is centered in the proclamation of the Kingdom of God to the poor. A good question can be: Who are the poor? Are those who do not have money? For Jesus poverty is a characteristic that is understood in the spirit. The poor are those who are not attached to this world and those who give completely their heart to God. To be poor means to have a heart only for God. In the gospels poverty is not a reductionist concept. It is a broad concept. The Jewish people believed that the messiah was coming only to them. Jesus comes to bring freedom and forgiveness to all human beings. In this same way the poor are not only those who do not have the necessary material means but those who keep their eyes only in God. When we have many material possessions it can happen that our will is weak. We can forget that these material possessions are not more than our creator, and what is originally means can become an end in itself. The poverty of spirit can be exercised in material poverty. It helps to detach our selves from a lot of unnecessary things. The material poverty, which we have to practice in this life, must be a source of generosity and must lead us to share our wealth and possessions with those who do not have what is necessary to live. Even when it is difficult to understand, material poverty can be a source of sin. It happens when this poverty becomes a source of pride. When it becomes a way to show others how generous we are. Generosity must be practiced in secret. It is a matter between God and my self. It is not necessary to share our material possessions looking for recognition and praise. Poverty of spirit helps us to have a universal heart and to discover the needs of others even when these needs are not evident. Poverty is a sure way to holiness.

IV.                From Luke’s summary, Mary Magdalene emerges as a women restored to her… Now lives her freedom in the service of love. Page  80

Who is this woman? There are so many opinions about her. Many people said that she was a prostitute. Others said that she was the woman whom a group of people brought to Jesus to be punished. We do not have many historical facts about this woman, but those historical facts which the gospel brings us are enough to understand her process of conversion and holiness. We read that Jesus expelled from her seven demons. Also we know that she was close to the cross during crucifixion. She went early in the morning to the tomb with perfumes. But probably the most important information that we have is that she was the first who saw the risen Lord.

Why did Lord expel from her seven demons? Was she a prostitute? We do not have the answers to these questions but what we can take for granted that it is her conversion was sincere and forever. The fact that she is described as one of the three women close to the cross during the crucifixion made of her a faithful disciple of Jesus. Perhaps she was scared but she loves his master. Why did Jesus appear first to her? Even when we do not have the final answer, I can say that this was a prize to her fidelity.

Mary Magdalene is an example for us. With her life she shows that it is possible to have a definitive conversion. Another clue that we can obtain from her is the fact that love is essential in our Christian life. She asked at the tomb: “where is my master?” She really loved Jesus. But this love was a pure love. It is for this reason that she has the privilege of proclaiming with aloud voice that message which is the core of our Christian life “Jesus is risen”.

V.                  Jesus the little one who welcomes the revelation of the Father Page 98.

Sister Rossetti suggests that the “our Father” is the only prayer which is transmitted in the exact way by Luke and Mathew. This moment had to be very powerful in order to allow authors of different times to describe it with such certitude. It was a moment of revelation. Jesus who is described as the evangelizer speaks with his Father who is the revealer. In some other passage Jesus said that only the little ones can understand this revelation. But he also said that he is the way to the Father. It means that Jesus is the little one who welcomes the revelation that the Father brings to human beings. If we want to go to the Father we need to go through Jesus. If we want to know the father, we need to know Jesus. Jesus teaches us the way to speak with the Father. He is the only one who can teach us the way, because he is the only one able to speak with the Father in a direct way. Through him and his prayer, Jesus opens to us the door of communication with the Father.  Our life must be an effort to become little ones as of Jesus modeled in order to go to the Father.

VI.                The Mother-in-law of Peter or the healing for service. Page 118

This miracle is described in the three synoptic gospels; this fact is a sign of its importance. Many ideas are around this situation. Some persons use the narration of the miracle as an argument, for them Peter was already married, and with this idea in mind they developed a polemic about the celibacy. But, why does the author give us the narration of the miracle? To sister Bosetti the explanation is in the fact that once the woman was healed, she started to serve those present. For me, in my meditation this point of view has a particular appeal. The healing of Jesus in our lives must have as a consequence, the attitude of service. The mercy of God is infinite and he forgives us and heals us from our own history of sin. As response to this mercy we have to serve him and to serve others. Our principal mission is to serve Jesus in others and our best service to our brothers is in the proclamation of the gospel. Only in this way they will be able to be participants in the same infinite mercy of God.