“Show and tell”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, April 13, 2023
Luke 24: 36-49 (Forward, p. 74) CEV p. 1098
I don’t know whether this practice is still a part of early childhood schooling but ‘show and tell’ used to be a significant feature in the lower grades. And, from what I have heard from teachers, it was often a time of some intrepidation, as one never knew just what a child might bring up.
Here, in today’s passage, Jesus does a bit of His own ‘show and tell.’ Firstly, He shows Himself to them to allay their fears, as they were initially quite sure that they were seeing a ghost. That is why He not only showed them His hands and His feet—and presumably the wounds therein—but also invited them to actually touch Him—so they could see for themselves and know for sure. And then, to solidify this finding, and strengthen their faith, He asked for some food, which turned out to be baked fish, and then ate that in front of them. If nothing else would convince them, that certainly would have!
That taken care of, Jesus then moves on to the ‘telling’ part of the ‘show and tell’. And here, He doesn’t really tell what the ‘showing’ was about, but how all of this was foretold, predicted, in the Hebrew Scriptures. But, that was not all: there were implications to what those Scriptures said. Those self-same Scriptures also mandated a mission to all the people of the world, all people of every nation. They are to go and tell people to repent, to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. Beginning in Jerusalem they are to tell others of everything that has happened. And, for this task, they will not be without resources: God will send them the Holy Spirit to be their helper and their guide, to empower them for this mission!
But it isn’t just them, but also us as well. We too have a mission to show off Jesus to the world and to tell others of what He has done. Our world is just as needy—if not more—of hearing and receiving this incredibly good news, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Forward notes: “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, [Jesus] said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’” (verse 41)
“My son’s first, unplanned, communion was at the beach on a parish retreat. I was surprised and embarrassed, but Fr. Tom was nonplussed and laughed. Now that I’m a priest, I love it when little ones reach out their hands for bread!
“I think of that time at the beach whenever I read this passage, only this time, it is Jesus asking to be fed. Compline has the petition ‘shield the joyous.’ Maybe you know how it feels to be in a state of vulnerable disbelief in the face of joy. The disciples were afraid they were seeing a ghost, but this ‘ghost’ wanted something to eat.
“When we come to the altar with outstretched hands wanting to be fed, our Lord feeds us from his very self. Because of this gift, we can be joyful even when we are not feeling particularly happy, since happiness is often predicated on outward circumstances, whereas abiding joy comes from having the peace that passes all understanding.”
Moving Forward: “During the 50 Days of Easter, commit to attending and partaking in the eucharist at least once a week.”