THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
26 APRIL 2020
During
his public ministry, Jesus continually invited men and women to make a
commitment and become disciples. As the
disciples walked with him on the road to Jerusalem, he taught them and listened
carefully to their concerns. He often
questioned them and corrected their misunderstandings, especially when they did
not understand his true role as the Messiah.
He would often cite Scripture passages to lead them to a new knowledge
of his mission.
Today, the
risen Christ walks with two of those disciples.
But they do not recognize him.
Instead of walking toward Jerusalem, they are running away. As he had in his public ministry, he listens
carefully to their pain and disappointment.
He asks them questions. In an
incredible irony, they tell Jesus what they think about Jesus. Then he corrects their misunderstandings. He cites the Scriptures to remind them that
Moses and all the authentic prophets had been rejected by their own people, but
had been “raised up” by God to new knowledge.
With their
hearts burning by his words to them on the way, they invite him to stay with
them when they reach Emmaus. Typical of
the hospitality found throughout the Gospel of Saint Luke, they want him to
stay with them – to make his home with them and dwell with them. At table, Jesus does what he had done when he
fed the multitudes and when he ate with them at the Last Supper. He takes bread, says the blessing, breaks it,
and gives it to them. With this action,
their eyes are opened and he vanishes from their sight. But because they now see with eyes of faith,
he remains present invisibly in the breaking of bread. Instead of running away, they return to
Jerusalem to proclaim that they had encountered the risen Lord in the breaking
of bread.
We have no
idea today where the Biblical village of Emmaus was. Several villages today claim to be the site
of ancient Emmaus to attract tourists and pilgrims. Nor does Saint Luke tell us why the two had
chosen to go to Emmaus. Could they have
had friends or relatives there? Would
they be looking for work now that their hopes had been dashed? Were they planning to spend the night there
in an inn to resume their journey the next day?
We are the
Lord’s disciples today. As we continue
to walk with him, Emmaus can teach us something about our experiences of
death. We know the pain of Good Friday,
the day when we have lost a child, or a spouse, or a parent, or a very good
friend. We also know the rituals of Holy
Saturday, when friends and family gather to wake the dead and console us at the
funeral. After we move away from Holy Saturday,
Emmaus is the place where we go when hope dies, when pain is too great, when we
cannot imagine a new future any more.
For some of
us, Emmaus may be a cottage by the lake, where we can get away from it
all. Sadly, Emmaus may be a bottle of
gin, or a handful of pills, or other unhealthy ways to escape. Emmaus may be a trip to the mall or a full
quart of ice cream behind a locked bedroom door. During this pandemic, Emmaus may be a retreat
into endless Netflix reruns.
No matter
where our Emmaus may be, the risen Lord walks with us. He listens to our pain and frustration. He speaks to us in the Word we just heard at
this Mass. He questions us about our
priorities. He corrects our
misunderstandings. He interprets the
Scriptures to us in a way that can make our hearts burn. But most importantly, we recognize him in
this Eucharist. In the company of those
two disciples at Emmaus, we too see with eyes of faith “all things visible and
invisible,” as we will profess in the Creed.
The risen Christ is present in this Eucharist. Just as he remained with the two disciples at
Emmaus, he is here with us now in the taking, blessing, breaking and giving of
the Eucharistic Bread.
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