Jesus said to the two disciples, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he reinterpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem.

Gospelthink: I explained to the two disciples who were fleeing Jerusalem why I had come into the world. Have I sufficiently thanked the Lord for his gift of redemption?

"It’s a little dirty how the whole thing started; I don’t even know what you really intended. Thought that you were cute and you could make me jealous. Next thing that I know you were talking deep like it was mad love to you. You wanted my heart, but I just liked your tattoos. And now I don’t understand it: you don’t mess with love, you mess with the truth; and I know I shouldn’t say it, but my heart don’t understand why I got you on my mind. You didn’t love me, no, not really. Wait, I could have really liked you. I’ll bet that’s why I keep thinking about you. You got yourself in a dangerous zone 'cause we both have the fear, fear of being alone." 

Ellie Goulding's song "On My Mind" speaks of a specific relationship that is happening as the couple begins to know each other. It started with simple attraction, and then all of a sudden on the man's part, it became a little more intense. As a consequence, they are not sure where the relationship is going. It may be real, but it may only be "messing with love." There is a need for understanding in the song. "My heart don't understand" the lady in the relationship sings.

What are the ingredients of "understanding"? Wikipedia quotes Thomas Edison who believed that the concept of understanding comes from the two words under and stand. When people acknowledge that they stand below someone, they make themselves receptive to obtain and retain information from that person, thereby allowing for understanding to occur. Standing under someone makes one humble enough to know the importance of the other person.

The two disciples who were on their way to a town called Emmaus after they had heard of Jesus' Resurrection did not understand Jesus and his mission. Jesus, joining their journey although they did not know it was him, caused them to "stand under" who he was, thereby opening their minds to what the Scriptures had foretold. They finally recognized and understood who he was.

Understanding another whether one is speaking of just a friend or romantic love as in Ellie Goulding's song is an essential ingredient of true love of another. It can be defined as a desire to recognize the other person with the accompanying desire to help if need be. If a person truly "understands" another, that person will recognize the other as important and not just an "object," and further, such a person will want to help the other be what the other person really wants.

Jesus knew the importance of truly understanding another. He wanted his disciples to have such an understanding of him. Listening to Ellie Goulding's song tells us that in order to understand any romantic love, one must truly "understand" the other in the relationship. They both lead us to see the importance of understanding any person in our relationships.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son led His disciples to a better understanding of who he was. Studying his example, we can see the importance of the true understanding of other people. Give us the grace to accomplish such a understanding of others. Be with us, we pray. 

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We must have an understanding of another before we can truly love her/him.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In the Gospel, Jesus informed his disciples what the Scriptures had foretold about him. What do you think is the most important thing that Jesus did? Why?
2. The disciples discovered Jesus in the "breaking of bread," what we have come to understand as the Eucharist in our Church. Why is the Eucharist such an important part of our religion?
3. The disciples returned to Jerusalem, a symbol of their "return" to the understanding of what Jesus wanted. In your opinion, how can the institutional Church improve in its mission?
4. Text analysis: "You mess with the truth." In context of the song, what is the meaning of the sentence?
5. Analysis: The couple are not in love now because they do not understand each other. What are the signs that we understand another?
6. Analysis: Why is the "fear of being alone" a dangerous zone?
7. In a relationship, when can one tell that the couple is "messing with love"?
8. What is your understanding of "humility"?
9. What is most important in a person's understanding of another?
10. What does the song "On My Mind" teach young people?

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America