The ordinary gets an upgrade

A reflection on the daily readings, for Wednesday of the Octave of Easter (3 of 8), by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ How often in life does the ordinary become the extraordinary, or the simple becomes simply amazing?

And please believe that this is not just an exercise in playing with words, but something that happens when we learn and are able to see and hear with the heart and in faith.

Peter and John in today’s first reading from Acts were simply going up to the temple to pray at the three o’clock hour; not very extraordinary.

Then it happened. A man crippled from birth was being carried and dropped off to do his daily begging. He had to eat, you know. This was his ordinary daily thing. The man asked Peter and John for alms like he did with everyone else that passed by.

But then a very ordinary moment turned into an extra-extraordinary thing. Two men of faith very intentionally offered a gift. They looked intently at the man and they said to him, “Look at us!”

And the man paid attention, expecting to receive something from them. And receive, he did.

Just not money.

“In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean,” they commanded him to “Rise and walk!”

And he did!

No, even more!

He leaped up and walked with them into the temple area, then danced, and jumpers, and praised God. This man amazed everyone who recognized the once crippled man as whole.

Yes, the simple became simply amazing!

In another story, the Gospel takes us to the depths of our simple and faithful lives, and of a simple and ordinary act of sharing Christ in Eucharist.

The wonderfully ordinary story of Emmaus

Two other men walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about seven miles away. On one level, it really isn’t all that important where they were going, but rather what happened along the way.

The story tells that they were walking, talking, and debating about all of the recent events that had occurred. And while yapping away, Jesus appeared and walked with them, and asked —

“What are you discussing as you walk along?”

A rather ordinary question? A rather ordinary request? While they seemed to be excited in their discussion, as discussions go, it was obviously just two men talking excitedly.

But then, Jesus was drawn into this ordinary moment by their question: What? —

“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?”

And now things begin to become more involved. But in this rather ordinary moment, something extraordinary was happening. For they were talking with Jesus, but did not recognize him as the risen Christ.

Something was different about him. Did he look the same as before? Apparently not. Did he sound the same as before? Apparently not. And as he described everything related to himself from the scriptures, apparently even that didn’t connect.

But seven miles later as they got to Emmaus, they showed him hospitality — a very Jewish trait —

“What you did to the least of my brothers …”

Is that what just happened? And so Jesus stayed for a moment as he was invited apparently to a table.

Another table

He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and yikes — their eyes were opened, and they saw, believed, and they recognised him in the breaking of the bread!

Ah, Eucharist! Ah, an ordinary moment becomes an extraordinary moment! Is that our experience, too, any Sunday, or any day of the year?

We come to an altar or table. We place bread or hosts upon it. We pray, bless, and break this bread and share it.

And in a liturgical, stylized, and prayerful way of talking and sharing, a little bit out of the ordinary, but still very ordinary moment, becomes extraordinary and amazing.

Christ unites us and becomes food for our souls. Perhaps even some of life’s crippling stuff that keeps us sometimes from really living; well, perhaps we, too, leap up and walk and dance, and find ourselves made whole.

Ah, these Easter Octave stories are ordinary, yet extraordinary, simple, and yet amazing!

ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!