Beyond the limit of our intellect

The NT texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are works of Luke. The Acts of the Apostles is a second volume of Luke which is preceded by the Gospel from this Evangelist. In the Gospel passage, Friar JudeWinkler suggests that there may be some signs of the influence of Stoicphilosophy in Luke’s style. The encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus involves breaking the Word as Jesus is shown to be the fulfillment of ancient prophesies about the Messiah. Stoic philosophy is in accord with a plan for the universe. Friar Jude notes the three stage development of our experience of Jesus which is the theme of the three Resurrection encounters in Luke. Like Mary Magdalene, at the tomb, (Luke 24:6) we hear of Jesus first and then we encounter Him, like the Emmaus disciples, in Word and Sacrament. Finally, we begin to recognize Him in person in the life of others. The passage from the Acts of the Apostles tells of the empowering of the Apostles by the Holy Spirit to manifest Jesus Presence by acts of healing which lead to increased holiness and praise of God. Happiness through intellectual discipline to maintain a stiff upper lip of Stoicism is a self limiting life approach. We are invited to transcend the limits of intellectual discipline through experience of Life in the Spirit of Jesus.