One of the most powerful pieces of art in our church is the mural which is on the wall over the tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament. The scene depicts Jesus in his risen body sharing a meal with two very sad disciples. But the disciples do not recognize it is Jesus. You see, they last saw Him crucified in Jerusalem and thought that He was dead and buried. In the mural scene, they are sitting down at dinner with a “stranger” whom they invite to their home. They do not yet recognize it is Jesus. The moment of recognition came for them in the breaking of the bread; or what we call holy communion, the Eucharist. What was wrong with the disciples’ eyes that they were blocked by a veil of poor spiritual vision? They had spiritual blindness. We need to better understand spiritual blindness in our own lives, because we so easily give in to fear and despair. The veil that covered the disciples’ eyes represents several spiritual conditions that can affect even believers:

           * Lack of boldness in sharing our faith

           * Misunderstanding of Scripture

           * Limited access to God’s glory through our lack of prayer

           * Our blindness to the Gospel’s full power

When the veil was removed from their eyes while sharing the Eucharist they could see Jesus. It was the power of remembrance that was stirred up in them. They remembered everything Jesus taught them that would happen, how He would rise from the dead through the breaking of bread. When we receive Holy Communion, hopefully our spiritual eyes will be opened to the power of God that is unleased in our hearts. We become bold in professing our faith and not ashamed to stand up for what is right. We had a wonderful example this past week, when Pope Leo, the Vicar of Christ on earth, stood up for the Gospel when he condemned wars that inadvertently kill innocent women and children. He was criticized for his challenge to world leaders, but he sure was bold in standing by his faith in the Gospel. Every time we enter our church, may we look up at the mural on the wall and ask Jesus to remove our blindness so that we may not be afraid to preach the Gospel in our lives.   ~ Fr. John