"That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know
of the things that have taken place there in these days?"
of the things that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported that they had indeed seen
a vision of angels who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread,
said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way
"Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way
and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread."
(Lk 24:13-35)
(Lk 24:13-35)
I realize this is a rather long Gospel reading to lead off with, but the story of the road to Emmaus is one of my absolute favorite passages in scripture. Talk about layers of meaning!! It's impossible to really do it justice in a blog post.
"They urged him, 'Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.' So he went in to stay with them."
Though "their eyes were prevented from recognizing him," after walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus with Jesus, Cleopas and his companion do recognize something about their fellow traveler. They know there is something special, something different, about him. They don't know what it is - though they do put some expression to it later in the reading ("Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way...?").
In any case, they are motivated to invite him to stay with them - out of hospitality? Out of concern for his safety, since evening was drawing near, and continuing on the road might be dangerous? Because there was indeed something different about him, because he had "opened the Scriptures" to them - and because they knew they wanted, they needed, to hear more of his words?
I'd venture a guess that it was all of these things. Clearly, the last one was certainly the most important, though they may not have realized it at first. What they definitely did not realize, was that the situation was about to be reversed - as Pope Benedict XVI wrote about this passage, "... it ends up with the Breaking of Bread, in which man becomes God's guest, and God becomes man's host." Though these two disciples had invited Jesus to stay with them, to be their guest, they end up being his guests in the celebration of the Eucharist. He doesn't just stay with them - they stay with him.
Of course, there are other deep meanings here for us, too, certainly more than I can reasonably fit in this blog post. The eyes of these two disciples were only opened to see Jesus in the breaking of the bread - and after he had first opened the scriptures to them. (Hmmmm... does that sound like an analogy of the Mass to anyone? Liturgy of the word, followed by the liturgy of the Eucharist?) And what do they do afterward? They return to Jerusalem, to the gathering of the disciples, to share their experience of Jesus with others.
What does this tell us? For those of us who are Catholic, the Mass is incredibly important, and central to our spiritual journeys. It is there that we hear the scriptures, that we learn their meanings and begin to understand their importance in our lives. And it is there that our eyes are opened to the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist!
How do we celebrate Mass - that celebration at which we are God's guests? Not in a vacuum!! No, we celebrate Mass as a community, and this passage should also emphasize for us the importance of that community. Cleopas is traveling with a companion to Emmaus - they are, in effect, a small community of believers. When their eyes are opened through the breaking of bread, after their journey during which Jesus explains the scriptures to them, what do they do? First, they talk about the experience they have just shared - and then, they set out to share it with others - they go to join the rest of the community, and to spread the message of Christ's resurrection everywhere.
Mass, community, and sharing the Word - three things to hold close to our hearts in our own journeys with Christ.
+Peace, and all good!
PS... as an aside for anyone interested, an excellent reflection on this reading by Pope Benedict XVI can be found in the book Benedictus (published by Magnificat/Ignatius Press - can be found on Amazon here).
"They urged him, 'Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.' So he went in to stay with them."
Though "their eyes were prevented from recognizing him," after walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus with Jesus, Cleopas and his companion do recognize something about their fellow traveler. They know there is something special, something different, about him. They don't know what it is - though they do put some expression to it later in the reading ("Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way...?").
In any case, they are motivated to invite him to stay with them - out of hospitality? Out of concern for his safety, since evening was drawing near, and continuing on the road might be dangerous? Because there was indeed something different about him, because he had "opened the Scriptures" to them - and because they knew they wanted, they needed, to hear more of his words?
I'd venture a guess that it was all of these things. Clearly, the last one was certainly the most important, though they may not have realized it at first. What they definitely did not realize, was that the situation was about to be reversed - as Pope Benedict XVI wrote about this passage, "... it ends up with the Breaking of Bread, in which man becomes God's guest, and God becomes man's host." Though these two disciples had invited Jesus to stay with them, to be their guest, they end up being his guests in the celebration of the Eucharist. He doesn't just stay with them - they stay with him.
Of course, there are other deep meanings here for us, too, certainly more than I can reasonably fit in this blog post. The eyes of these two disciples were only opened to see Jesus in the breaking of the bread - and after he had first opened the scriptures to them. (Hmmmm... does that sound like an analogy of the Mass to anyone? Liturgy of the word, followed by the liturgy of the Eucharist?) And what do they do afterward? They return to Jerusalem, to the gathering of the disciples, to share their experience of Jesus with others.
What does this tell us? For those of us who are Catholic, the Mass is incredibly important, and central to our spiritual journeys. It is there that we hear the scriptures, that we learn their meanings and begin to understand their importance in our lives. And it is there that our eyes are opened to the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist!
How do we celebrate Mass - that celebration at which we are God's guests? Not in a vacuum!! No, we celebrate Mass as a community, and this passage should also emphasize for us the importance of that community. Cleopas is traveling with a companion to Emmaus - they are, in effect, a small community of believers. When their eyes are opened through the breaking of bread, after their journey during which Jesus explains the scriptures to them, what do they do? First, they talk about the experience they have just shared - and then, they set out to share it with others - they go to join the rest of the community, and to spread the message of Christ's resurrection everywhere.
Mass, community, and sharing the Word - three things to hold close to our hearts in our own journeys with Christ.
+Peace, and all good!
PS... as an aside for anyone interested, an excellent reflection on this reading by Pope Benedict XVI can be found in the book Benedictus (published by Magnificat/Ignatius Press - can be found on Amazon here).
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