Has your life ever been suddenly upended or shattered by the loss of a loved one or the loss of a dream? Twelve men had met Someone who radically changed their lives; Someone who brought them vitality, depth of life, joy, and peace. So fulfilling was the new life that Jesus offered, they gave up their whole lives to follow Him, to be known as His disciples. Not only were they excited about personal fulfillment, but they had hoped that Jesus would be the One to redeem Israel from oppression. But after about three years, everything seemed to have fallen apart, and hope shattered. The revered Leader was brutally put to death.
In this Sunday’s gospel reading (Luke 24:13-35), two of the twelve disciples were journeying from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus, following Jesus’ crucifixion. Their discussion revealed their disillusioned, despondent spirits. As they walked The Risen Christ approached them and traveled with them, “but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.” They thought that Jesus was a “stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place…” Yet they felt comfortable sharing their pain regarding Jesus’ death and their confusion regarding the empty tomb with “the stranger”.
Jesus chided the disciples for their failure to see in His death and resurrection the fulfillment of prophetic scriptures. He then began “interpreting to them the things about Himself in all the scriptures,” and how they point to God’s divine plan for the Messiah who would suffer for humanity’s salvation, then enter into His glory. But they still failed to recognize that “the stranger” was Jesus. As they approached their destination, they invited “the stranger” to stay with them. Jesus agreed, sat at the table with them, and suddenly the stranger/guest became the host. “He took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them.” And as they shared this table fellowship their eyes were opened. Recalling His actions of taking, blessing, breaking, and giving, at the Last Supper, they suddenly recognized Him physically and spiritually. Jesus became known in the breaking of the bread, and they further realized that Jesus’ sacred presence was with them also in the interpretation of the scriptures. Overjoyed by Christ’s presence and their awakening, the opening of their vision, the disciples acclaimed, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the scriptures to us?” Jesus’ presence fills us with His flame of love, enriching our lives and opening us up to new birth and new, living hope.
When we consider our own pain, losses, and shattered lives, we are reminded that Christ’s death led to His resurrection and His glory. In Jesus, losses and shattered hope lead to rebirth and new hope. Jesus joins us as we walk along our journey to Emmaus. Even when we do not recognize Him, He is with us. In the Church, Jesus is mystically and powerfully present for us in the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Holy Sacrament. We hear the Word read and interpreted in the sermon. Encountering His presence in the Word sets our hearts aflame to “see” Him more profoundly in the breaking of the Bread.
Prayer: Risen Christ, thank you for being God who is always ready to raise us up to new life and new hope. Grant us vision to see you always as God who is for us, with us, and within us. Amen
