Gospel in Art: As they were talking about these things, Jesus stood among them

Portrait of Paul Verlaine drinking absinthe at the "Café François 1er", 69 boulevard Saint-Michel, 5ème arrondissement, Paris, by Paul François Arnold Cardon, called Dornac, 1892,

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 24 April 2025
Luke 24:35-48

At that time: The disciples told what had happened on the road, and how Jesus was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, 'Peace to you!' But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.' And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marvelling, he said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' They gave him a piece of grilled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

Then he said to them, 'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.'

Reflection on the Vintage Photograph

Following yesterday's reading, where the disciples recognised Jesus in the breaking of the bread, today we hear how they are recounting the Emmaus experience to their friends. In the midst of their recounting, suddenly, Jesus appears among them once more! In both accounts, it is Jesus who takes the initiative. He comes to them. If we desire to grow closer to Christ, we must remember that he is already there, waiting for us, seeking us out before we even begin our search.

Paul Verlaine, one of France's greatest poets of the fin-de-siècle, was a complex and often troubled figure. He spent time in prison after shooting a fellow poet. It was during his imprisonment that he experienced a moment of conversion. One of the deeply moving poems-or prayers, one might say-that he wrote during this time includes the lines:

"Lord… Beneath this troubled canopy where my heart has been digging out its tomb and where I feel the heavens flow towards me, I ask you, by what road you'd have me come."

Here, Verlaine is pleading with Christ to show him the path on which he might encounter him. Later in the poem, Jesus replies:

"It is not you who must come to me; it is I who have chosen to come to you. Look at my hands stretched out to you. Here, eat; be nourished. Let your mind be opened to understand."

Verlaine captures exactly what happened at Emmaus and the essence of Christian life: Christ comes to meet us before we even know how to seek him.

The artwork accompanying today's reflection is a photograph from 1892 by Dornac, one of the leading art photographers of the late 19th century. It shows Verlaine sitting in his local café, a glass of absinthe before him. Yet even there, in the ordinary and imperfect moments of life, Verlaine came to understand how to find Christ-not by striving alone, but by beginning the journey, trusting that Jesus is already on the road ahead, waiting to meet us with open hands.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-24-35-48-2025/ (with audio)