Brief synopsis of the readings: Near the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles we read about Peter speaking to the crowd immediately after Pentecost. He explained how Jesus of Nazareth lived among them and performed “mighty deeds, wonders and signs.” But, Peter said, he was killed “using lawless men to crucify him” only to be raised from the dead. Peter then compared Jesus to David who lived and died but was promised that one of his descendants would rule, and this person was Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel we read about two disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus (about seven miles) when the resurrected Jesus joined them. They didn’t recognize Jesus and were astonished to find out he (Jesus) hadn’t heard about the events of the last few days. Jesus then recounted all the times in Scripture where this had been foretold. As they approached Emmaus they invited Jesus to join them for a meal. He did and when Jesus blessed and broke the bread their eyes were opened and they recognized him before Jesus vanished from their sight. Astonished, they proclaimed: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” The two then returned to Jerusalem and proclaimed that Jesus had returned and they recognized him in the breaking of the bread.
“They recognized him in the breaking of the bread.” Such a simple phrase but packed with so much meaning. I’ve always found it interesting when the two disciples encountered Jesus on the road they didn’t recognize him. Obviously the story needed the drama of Jesus slowly revealing himself, first in teaching and then in the Eucharist. And I need not state the obvious, that if we saw a recently deceased loved one we would recognize him. They weren’t being clueless, Jesus’ identity was hidden from them.
But while their eyes failed them, their hearts had it right: “Were not our hearts burning within us?” Of our senses we rely heavily on sight. Local news programs are often called “Eyewitness News” and defense attorneys ask: “Did you actually see my client pull the trigger?” But there are times like today’s Gospel where our eyes don’t give us the clearest picture. In fairness we can’t ever forget that what these disciples were asked to believe seemed the very definition of unbelievable. No matter what the Scripture foretold, no matter what Jesus told them during his ministry, the idea of someone returning from the dead defies imagining, particularly because it was hoped for so deeply. How many times have we heard someone in the middle of horrific grief say: “I feel like I’m going to wake up and find out it was just an awful dream”?
What they witnessed wasn’t a dream and it was “too good to be true.” There’s no way we can look at Jesus breaking bread and not think of this as a Eucharistic celebration, just like we do at mass. Scripture doesn’t give us the exact timeline our 21st Century minds look for but this may well have been the first meal Jesus had with his disciples after he rose from the dead. A few weeks ago on Palm Sunday I suggested that we call the Last Supper the “First Supper” as it was our first experience of the Eucharist. I’m now suggesting that we call the meal in today’s Gospel the “Second Supper” though I’m not certain how long I can keep this sequence going.
In any case their eyes were opened at the breaking of the bread and it was also the moment that they recognized that their hearts had been burning during the entire journey to Emmaus. Their hearts were burning. For the belief that Jesus really was back from the dead. For the belief that their journey of faith wasn’t over. For the recognition that the breaking of the bread would lead them to eternal life.
When we think about the breaking of the bread, and indeed when we hear the words of institution at mass (“Take this, all of you, and eat of it…”) we tend to think of it as “this magic moment” but in a sense the entire journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus was a Eucharistic journey. And so it should be with us. The late Pope Francis reminded us in his encyclical “The Joy Of The Gospel” that Eucharist is “a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.” The disciples who met Jesus were certainly aware of their weakness after Jesus’ death, but so our world is also weak.
Not to put too fine a point on this but right now we live in a world of conflict, refugees, power hungry politicians and kale. Discouragement oftentimes comes too easily to our hearts. But just like the disciples in today’s Gospel, we live in a world where our journey is not into more wilderness or more darkness. Emmaus reminds us that every step we take as disciples brings us closer to to recognizing that our hearts are burning.
Finally, it is worth noting that once they recognized Jesus, Jesus vanished from their sight. I’m certain they would have wanted him to stay but they did not appear retraumatized by his disappearance. They did not appear to fear that Jesus left them for good or that his disappearing was permanent. The burning they felt in their hearts sustained them not only for that day, not only for the journey back to Jerusalem but for the rest of their lives and the rest of their ministry. Just like last week with Thomas, Jesus’ appearances were brief. But if they couldn’t continue to see him with their eyes they could continue to see him with their hearts.
And the fact that we continue to gather and break bread is proof of that. We are all on the same journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Our reading of Scripture reminds us of the promises made to us and our discussions with each other both of “the things that have taken place in these days” and our hopes remind us of Jesus’ promise to always be with us.
Let us continue to journey and remember we are headed in the right direction.
Tom Allain's Thoughts and Musings 