The gospels are filled with stories of the disciples not recognizing after he has risen. In John, Mary thinks Jesus is the gardener and begs him to reveal where he has hidden her Lord's body. In the same gospel, the disciples in the upper room do not recognize the Lord when he appears to the Easter evening. In Luke, two disciples spend an entire afternoon with Jesus on the road to Emmaus and do not recognize him. Even as the disciples rejoice together when the Emmaus experience is shared with them, they are frightened by Jesus' direct appearance to them. Later in John, Jesus appears to the disciples who have returned to Galilee to fish. He calls to them but Peter only recognizes him when they cast their nets and catch so many fish the nets cannot hold them.

So how is it that we are to recognize Jesus? Will we recognize him in the miracles that we witness? Yes, but miracles tend to be rare. Will we recognize Jesus when he speaks to us? Maybe. Most people that claim to have a direct conversation with Jesus we tend to cynically or lock up because they are delusional. Will we recognize Jesus as St. Thomas did, only when he reveals the wounds in his hands and side? Doubtful. Few if any of us will see Jesus face to face and fewer will have visions of his wounds. We tend to recognize the triumphant more than wounded. So how will it be that we will recognize the risen Lord in our daily lives?

If it is this difficult to recognize the risen Lord, then how will we be known as his disciples? If we cannot see Jesus, how can we follow him? Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Be imitators of me as I am of Christ. (1st Cor 11:1)" So the path is clear that we are to be imitators of Christ to be known as his followers. And so, like Paul, when others curse us, we must bless; when slandered, we speak kindly; when persecuted we endure. We do everything for the building up of our community to the glory of God. We can imitate Jesus by being healers, not only of the body but of the spirit as well. We can be feeders of those without their daily bread and share our coats with those who have none.

Someone once said that you cannot read the gospels carefully and not get hungry with all the feasting going on. We should feast not only with our brothers, sisters, neighbors and friends, but also invite those who need our generosity, to feast with us, just as Jesus did. Jesus ate with outcasts as an example for us. All were welcome at Jesus' table and the same should be said of ours.

These are not easy things to do, but they are the only things that we distinguish us as followers of Jesus. And if we do these things, what is our reward? Henri Nouwen once wrote: "Eternal life is not some great surprise that comes at once at the end of our existence in time; it is rather, the full revelation of what we have been and have lived all along. The evangelist John expresses this succinctly when he says: 'My dear people, what we are to be in the future has not yet been recorded; all we know is that, when it is recorded, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is' (1 John 3:2-3)."

We will see the Christ and recognize him best, when we see him in our words, our deeds, and ourselves.