The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Last year around Thanksgiving, I took on one of the most daunting tasks known to humankind: getting my toddler to break the habit of using his pacifier. He had just turned two and I had a whole week off of work for Thanksgiving break, so I decided it was a good time to go for it now that he was officially a Big Boy. My wife was skeptical, but I decided to try the Cold Turkey method – no weaning him off a little at a time or only letting him have it at night… nope; I took it away on Monday morning after breakfast and our Week of Withdrawal had begun.
I’m exaggerating, but the number of times I had to calmly say “Sorry bud, paci went away” felt like it was in the thousands that week. He cried like he was being tortured. It took every ounce of strength I had to resist his pleas. After all, this thing was his first love and his best friend. But I stayed the course and stuck to my resolve, and by the following Monday he was barely asking for it anymore. And if he did, our consistent “paci went away” explanation was no longer met with crying or anger, but instead just simple and mature acceptance.
In today’s Gospel, we hear the notable passage of the Road to Emmaus. Though the two doubting disciples were eventually convinced that the “ghost” they encountered was actually the risen Jesus, their uncertainty and “ignorance” is evidence of an elegant thread throughout all of this Sunday’s readings: Our humanity, taken shape in our skepticism and faithlessness, does not prevent God from fulfilling his promises. And, consequently, this same humanity does not prevent God from loving us completely and fully; in fact, it allows for it. He stays the course and fulfills his promises, despite our unworthiness and lack of trust in his plan; his resolve is unconditional love, despite our failures and complaints, because it’s that kind of love that is true and ultimately real.
In the moments that my son was missing his pacifier, he couldn’t see the bigger picture. He couldn’t see that this was something that needed to happen in order for him to live a more fulfilling and happier life. He’s much too young to fully understand that I have only his best interests in mind; he lives in the now. One day down the line though, he will certainly look back and understand.
Stay the course – but if you fall off, do not fear – God is most certainly staying on his.
Matt Lewis is a worship leader, singer-songwriter, and the Director of Publishing for NOVUM PUBLISHING, a modern Catholic music publisher. His current project, Liturgy Resources, aims to create beautiful and fresh responsorial psalm settings and Mass settings for the Church and its liturgies. You can learn more about Matt, his music, and Liturgy Resources on Facebook and Instagram.