Emmaus

Were not all the disciples incredibly relatable? Jesus handpicked followers that represented the average people of the day. By design, some two thousand years later, we see ourselves and our neighbors so accurately depicted.

Scripture tells us that two of Jesus’s disciples, three days after His death, went on a journey several miles from Jerusalem (Lk 24:13-25). On their way they began to discuss the events of the past few days with an apparent stranger they encountered. They are unaware that this fellow traveller is indeed Jesus. This “stranger” ministers to them as they walk on and discusses all the prophetic references of His death and resurrection that appeared in their sacred books.

For these two disciples this was their first encounter with the risen Lord. We wonder when reading this how they could have missed the fact that Jesus was physically present alongside them. Perhaps Jesus chose to appear physically different than He was. Surely, His profound extrapolation of scripture would have made them wonder who this stranger was. And yet, they completely miss it.

How often have we come upon a stranger and failed to see Jesus within that person? Have we allowed our own prejudices and judgments to cloud our perceptions and in so doing missed an opportunity to experience God?

In Luke’s Gospel, we are told that the disciples invite Jesus to stay with them and dine as night was fast-approaching. It’s then that Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and reveals himself to them. No sooner do the disciples realize the Lord that “he vanished from their sight.” In their shock the disciples question one another, “were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Do you find yourself relating to these disciples yet? Jesus journeyed alongside them the entire day and they could not see Him. While Jesus disguised His appearance, His ministering on the scriptures should have been enough for them to recognize the Lord.

How often do we fail to see Jesus when He is in plain sight. How often we cannot see Him in the faces of our neighbors, friends and families. Think of the many times we have neglected to see Him in the faces of the elderly, sick, imprisoned, unemployed, migrant, homeless, etc. What of the times we could not recognize Him through the ministering of His elected officials within the church, especially the Pope. The things of our natural world resound the magnificence of Jesus and yet we rush through our lives rarely pausing to take in a radiant sunset or beautifully lit night sky.

The disciples do not fully recognize Jesus until the breaking of bread. Not until He repeats the actions of the last supper is the veil lifted from their eyes. Luke’s Gospel tells us that once they make the connection, Jesus disappears. They must have been shell-shocked. Had they really been in the physical presence of the Lord the entire day? Was that not the proof they needed to assure them of the truth of the resurrection? The statement they utter is so beautiful, “were our hearts not burning.” That kind of reaction to an encounter with God is so humanly genuine, giving us another chance to see ourselves in the reaction of the disciples.

If you have ever encountered Christ at any time on your journey of life, you should be able to attest to the acclamation of your “heart burning.” The Lord wants that type of reaction for us as a way of connecting with us. An experience such as this becomes a part of who we are as only a strong emotional connection can. Think of the first time you fell in love or the first time you held your newborn child. Those emotions were so strong that they withstand the test of time.

The disciples would never forget the way in which Jesus ministered to them just three days after His death. Every time we attend Mass and the priest consecrates the bread and wine Jesus again reveals Himself to us, His disciples. When we partake of the bread and wine, Jesus chooses to stay with us physically for a few brief moments. Do we respond with awe and wonder as the disciples did? Or do we fail to recognize Jesus? Are we going through the motions, more interested in watching people process up the aisle or read the church bulletin? In what way do we respond to that intimate encounter with Jesus?

We are Jesus’s disciples and as such we are to follow Him. He speaks to us every time we read the scriptures. Are we listening? Do we make the time to read the word of God? Believing the word of Jesus that we are all made in the image and likeness of God, do we see God present in those we live with and encounter each day?

Jesus gave us the sacraments and His church as a means of staying close to His disciples. May the word of God encountered through the ministry of the church serve to enkindle the fire of our own hearts. A fire emblazoned by the word of God made flesh and that we are privileged to receive in the Eucharist.

Adopt the practice of daily scripture reading and reflection. Ask God what He wants to tell you each day. You will find that all too soon your own spirit will come alive with zeal for the living word of God, Jesus Christ.

Blessings to You and Yours!