Double Take

Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize Jesus the first time she saw him after his death and resurrection. However, it only took the sound of his voice for Mary to be convinced that she had seen the Lord. What does it take for us to realize that we have encountered Jesus?

Returning from a family vacation, my husband and I decided to spend a Saturday night in a small rundown town. Prior to settling in at our motel, we found a place to eat. The restaurant/bar was crowded and noisy, hardly the kind of place you’d expect to have a religious experience-not that we were looking to have one.

While waiting for our meals to arrive, I discovered we were in an extraordinary place. In the space of an hour, I witnessed the following: a very old woman being wheeled into the restaurant by a multi-generational family group; a woman calmly accompanying an agitated teenager pacing the periphery of the restaurant so he could regain enough composure to rejoin a neighbourhood party, and an elderly man regarding his wife with great tenderness as he cut up her food. I didn’t hear Jesus’ voice, but I knew he was there.

Lord, help us to recognize your presence here and now. Amen. — CKA