WALK IN THE SUNRISE … NEVER FACE SUNSET

This advice forms part of the Jewish wisdom and genuine Rabbis frequently quoted it: “Never walk in the sunset, but always face sunrise.”  Certainly this does not mean that one should not have an evening walk and enjoy the setting of the sun behind the hills and mountains. It does not mean that one should not enjoy the setting of the red ball of fire setting ablaze the Sea of Galilee.

We have to look deeper for the meaning of this saying. And that is just what Cleophas and his Disciple friend missed out when they were on their way to Emmaus. Understandable they were still in a state of shock after witnessing the death of their Master, Jesus Christ. They were living in darkness and gloom. Their hearts were heavy. For them it was the end of their dreams, their projects and almost ... the end of the world.

Yes, it was sunset, but not because the sun was setting over the horizon or behind the Golan hillls, it was rather their state of mind. Were it daylight they would still have felt that way because their ‘state of mind’, their thoughts, their disappointments were such that mentally what their eyes saw, although it was positive, their mental image was translated, was interpreted, as  ‘a negative’  image. They did tell ‘the stranger, ‘it will soon be dark’. I dare say, that for them, had they met the stranger in mid-morning, they would still have felt comfortable to say, ‘it will soon be dark.’

Every Christian, should always ‘face the sunrise’. Every Christian should be positive, for the simple reason that as a baby in mother’s arms we were never negative. We never bothered if we were going to be fed two or three times a day, we never doubted if our nappy was going to be changed when it needed to, it never crossed our tiny mind if ‘mummy’ is going to be close to us, to hug us, to kiss  us, to make giggling sounds and funny faces to see us laugh. We were positive thinkers without knowing it, without being conscious of it.

BUT, alas, though we are no more babies, we still have to behave as such when it comes to confiding, trusting, believing in our beloved ‘Mum and Dad’, alias in God. God is both ‘maternal’ and ‘paternal’ love. IF we put our whole trust in Him, ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail’.

The Emmaus disciples did face the ‘sunrise’ but only after realising that the stranger was none other than their beloved Master, after the ‘breaking of the bread’. A clear message to all believers. This reminds me of the young man who told his lover, “I don’t know what life meant before, only after looking into your eyes did I realise.” We have to search for the sunrise in Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist, and then we realise that life is worth living, and dying for ... to have a new eternal birth. ‘Bon Voyage’, on your way to Emmaus, may we meet at the sunrise.