A5- PART W

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A gospel in blank verse with rhymed parables The road that must be travelled by the Christ had been foretold. His was the only way – the way of suffering – by which His goal, His glorious resurrection – could be reached. Then, step by step, he demonstrated how a line of prophets had foretold that this was how the Holy One of God would be revealed. So when they reached their journey’s end, with light already fading, he was urged to stay the night with them. Reluctantly, it seemed, he was persuaded and agreed. Later, relaxed, they sat down to a meal. The stranger took a loaf and with a prayer he broke the bread and gave it to them both. That was the moment when quite suddenly each of them recognised the man who’d sat at table with them many times before – Jesus, of Nazareth, the carpenter, the crucified, whom Magdalena had already seen, the Promised One, the Christ! They stared in open-mouthed astonishment and were about to speak, when suddenly and wordlessly, he disappeared… was gone! Ignoring, then, the lateness of the hour their tiredness, and danger on the roads they headed straight back to Jerusalem. They recollected how impressed they’d been when he’d explained the scriptures to them both. Had they not had some premonition then that they were in the presence of the Lord? They must report these happenings at once. The stories would be given credence now. Were they not witnesses, first hand… and men? Thus Cleopas and his companion rejoined the friends of Jesus in the house where they were sheltering. When evening came they made sure all the doors were shut and barred. Their whereabouts might be observed and they themselves might be arrested and condemned. w
<strong>PART</strong> W: Final instructions The Upper Room was hushed as Cleopas and his companion recounted what had happened along the Emmaus Road. As Cleopas talked on, they realised quite suddenly that Christ was in the room. The resurrected Jesus greeted them as friends. ‘Peace be to all of you,’ he said. But they were shocked and terrified and thought what they were seeing was a ghost. ‘Look here!’ he said, ‘What is the matter with you all? Do ghosts have flesh and bones? Come, touch my hands and feet.’ But still that could not trust their eyes. And so he offered them yet further proof. ‘Do you have something I could eat?’ he asked. So they produced a piece of cold broiled fish which he picked up and ate for all to see. Then, as he left, he breathed on each of them. ‘Here is the Holy Spirit’, he explained. ‘Receive it and receive the power to free a soul from sin… or not, as you see fit.’ The twin named Thomas was the only one not to have seen the Lord when he appeared to the disciples in the Upper Room. He could not be convinced that it was true. The man they saw had not been crucified, perhaps. He needed evidence. ‘Unless I see the marks of the huge nails that pierced his hands. Unless I can explore the wound the Roman spear has made, I’ll not believe - whatever you may say.’ Then later on, Some eight days afterwards, the Lord appeared again. Once more the doors were firmly shut as they were hiding in the Upper Room. ‘Friends, peace with you,’ Jesus said, and called the sceptic, Thomas to his side. ‘Look here! Here are the hands they pierced, and here’s the wound. Explore them! You will find that I am he: the one they crucified. Will you believe?’ Then, thoroughly convinced, the Twin exclaimed, ‘My Lord and God!’ ‘So you believe because you’ve seen the evidence. But think how blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.’ e
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A5- PART W

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