Post-Resurrection Déjà vu?

Apr 30

*Please note that there was an error in the author byline of DeSales Weekly distributed Thursday morning. We apologize for the confusion and have contacted the author. We appreciate your understanding.

"Déjà vu" is defined as the feeling of having experienced something before.

There are at least three "Déjà vu” moments in which the Risen Jesus helped people to recognize Him in the wake of His Resurrection.

One occurred when Mary Magdalene found the tomb empty. In her desperation, she asks a gardener (as St. Francis de Sales described him) if he knows what has happened to Jesus’ body. It is only when she hears Him speak her name (something she’s heard before) that she recognizes Jesus for who He is.

On another occasion, Jesus joins two disciples who are making their way along the road to Emmaus. They are oblivious to who is walking with them. Only when He breaks bread with them (something they have seen before) do they recognize Jesus for who He is.

In yet a third instance, some apostles are out fishing, but with no success. Only when a person standing on the shore suggests that they try their luck in a different spot and catch more fish than they could ever have hoped to find (something that they had experienced before) did they recognize Jesus for who He was.

The next time we experience "Déjà vu, perhaps it is simply an occasion for our minds to play tricks on us. Then again, from a faith perspective, maybe – just maybe – it is the result of remembering the presence of something – or Someone – else.