About all that is happening around… I feel confused. It’s like, I know Jesus, right? I have followed him for some time already, I saw what he could do. So, why he just can’t stop this? He is powerful enough to give sight to the blind, even to raise the dead again to life? Why isn’t he doing something to help us?

I read the Bible. I know all the stories about the flood, the Egyptian plagues, famines sent by God. I’m not sure what I should think about all this stuff. I feel like my faith is shaking, like all my hopes are put on test. I mean, in what God do I believe? The One who is looking for revenge and punishing people when we behave bad, or the One who loves people and doesn’t want that anybody would be left behind?

Together with my friend Cleo, we are trying to solve this “faith issue”. We feel we are drifting apart from our community. All others had some kind of strange experience of meeting with Jesus, like, personally. But the two of us we are different. We live on the margen. We are not so fast in believing in all these “spiritual” matters.

What will happen to us…?

In today’s Gospel we see two disciples walking away. They separated from community, decided to go Emaus. They are confused, they don’t understand what had happened. They’ve put all their trust, all their hopes in Jesus. And Jesus is dead. All hope is done. It’s true, they know Bible, but they don’t know how to read the events with their eyes of faith. But suddenly they are not alone. There is someone who explains it all to them, who breaks bread with them. They recognize him. It’s Jesus, risen and alive.

In these days of Easter, especially first week of Easter Season, we read stories of the personal encounters of Jesus with those who loved him and followed him. They are scarred, they are scattered. Thomas is not around, Cleopas and other disciples are gone to Emaus, Peter and John back to Galilee fishing, Mary wandering around disturbing gardeners… but Jesus wants them back in community, back to faith in him, back to this adventure. Because it is not the end! And Jesus is ready to walk every mile to encounter them. He goes to Emaus and brings the two disciples back. He goes to Galilee and meets with Peter and John. He comes again after eight days only to meet with Thomas and help him to believe. It is never too far for Jesus, to late to heed the road… only to meet those who need this personal encounter with Him.

And he is alive now. He is still taking any extra mile needed to meet with each one of us in the moments of our darkness and disbelieve, when our hopes are shattered. And he is calling us to do the same. It is easy to remain closed in our own world, to let go of the people who find it difficult to believe in what we believe. It is a sin of us, “Church people”, to remain in our comfort zones and not go out to meet with those who were put on margin by us. Maybe it is about time for us to start walking extra miles only to meet with persons who doubt, disbelieve, fear and cry, and to bring them back to community, like Jesus did.

It’s so easy to do what’s easy

It’s so hard to do what’s hard

But comfort is so deceiving

Cause it can harden up your heart

So come with me and we’ll turn our cheeks

And we’ll wash some feet for awhile

And we will see how good love can be

When we walk the extra mile

If we take this brave adventure

We could cover so much ground

Why don’t we take our lives and leave ‘em

We’ll find freedom in laying em down

Oh we’ll blaze a trail of love both deep and wide

Open up hearts and leave it all behind

Take my hand now, don’t you worry

Love won’t lead us astray

We will run and not grow weary

We will walk and not grow faint