Touch me

Greetings on this the Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Written for a podcast.

Readings as follows.

1. The Book of Acts. Continuation of the story of healing the beggar. The story segues into a witness to the people in the Temple regarding who Jesus is in relation to the esteem of Moses.

2. The Responsorial Psalm takes up the theme and declares how man is highly esteemed by God. The God who is wonderful in all the earth.

3. The Gospel of Luke. The continuation of the Road to Emmaus story. The Disciples having returned to Jerusalem meet together. Jesus now comes to them all in one place. This is known as the Appearance to the Disciples in Jerusalem.

Our theme is entitled Touch Me.

I think everyone knows something about early childhood development. Firstly, everyone was once a child so we certainly experienced it!

But if you watched a sibling grow or a niece or nephew grow or your own children grow, you are no doubt filled with awe.

It’s pretty awesome.

The early stages is usually characterized by placing everything into the mouth. Literally everything they can reach goes in the mouth for a taste.

Mouthing, biting and chewing are the tactile learning experiences of early childhood development.

Later development, the words “Let me see” means hand it to me so I can feel it, touch it, taste it and therefore know something about it.

When you read again the Appearance to the Disciples in Jerusalem, can you see these themes working out?

The First Commandment has changed. Well, not changed, but changed in how we understand it. What was once true that man may never see God and live, he is now invited to touch him and to remember him in sight and sound and in all the senses.

In the disciples development, the words “Let me see” means to touch Jesus, taste Jesus and therefore know Jesus.

Pecae be with you,
Deacon Gerry