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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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3 Easter
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In one year, 150,000 Americans were received into
the Church at the Easter Vigil alone. Many found the Church by
themselves. After his Baptism, one said to the priest, "How strange you
Catholics withhold from the world the best news that ever came into it."
Rembrandt was so carried away by Emmaus that he gave us
three different paintings of the meal. The New Yorker magazine writes
that for Rembrandt the sacrifice of Jesus is equal to a bomb dropping
into history and blowing everything askew.
This Gospel is one of the immortal short stories of
history. Only Luke tells this story. Mark refers to it in a teasing one
liner. (William Barclay)
Early Sunday AM, two disciples from the B team are walking
the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. (Today three villages claim
to be Emmaus.) It is two days since their Leader had been mugged and
murdered. They had to be young. When was the last time you walked seven
miles in three digit heat?
For centuries, Emmaus was considered a village. Some,
however, speculate it was a Roman army barracks. So, these two Jews
were employed there in a modest capacity. Possibly they were husband
and wife. But, whoever they were, they were not happy campers.
Supporting actors though they might be, they merit space
in the Guinness Book of World Records. They are among the first people
mentioned in the Gospels as members of the Church.
They had waited around for the Resurrection, but they came
up empty. Events would establish they had left Jerusalem too
soon. They had closed the book before reading the last chapter. (Arthur
Tonne) They were heading back to work making beds, emptying slop
buckets, and eating army chow. They had lost their faith. The whole
Jesus thing was a noisy fraud. They were losers. They were going back
to lives of noisy desperation.
A stranger appeared. They did not recognize their former
Employer. Presumably they were looking at a glorified body. Jesus,
tongue deep in cheek, asks, "What's new, guys?" They respondwith
shock, "Mister, are you the only one in Jerusalem not reading the
newspapers and watching TV?"So, they bring the resurrected Lord
up to speed.
The reaction of Jesus is machine gun quick. "You people
must have room temperature IQs. Do I have to explain everything to you
sixteen times?" Here, folks, is a fresh dimension of Christ that we
should dwell on. He doesn't suffer fools gladly. He does not get His
laughs from drawing the same picture. There are times He plays hard
ball. We should get our respective acts together. It's later than we
think.
Jesus puts this husband and wife in the picture. And Luke
is emphasizing the ability of the Lord to make sense of muddy
situations. (Barclay)
Emmaus is in the immediate distance. Jesus pushes on,
"Adios." "Lord, abide with us. Fast falls the eventide. The darkness
deepens. With us abide." (Henry Lyte) It was not dusk. But they were so
enchanted by the stranger they resorted to hyperbole to keep Him. How
charming they must have found Him. He was waiting for their invitation.
The Lord always knocks and waits. Once invited, He RSVPs immediately.
We should be so gracious to hosts.
Both the icebox and freezer were empty in their condo. So,
one went off to the supermarket for cold cuts and bread. If they were
married, do you want to guess who went? Their depression had lifted
without medication. The record shows that the Christ has that impact on
those smart enough to take Him at His word.
The Lord takes charge. The guest becomes the host. The
hosts become His guests. "He took the bread and said the blessing." Are
we talking about the Eucharist? Possibly. We do not know.
You know of course how the story ends. They recognized
Him. How? Perhaps the nail marks in His Hands. Perhaps the way He broke
the bread. In any event, He disappears into the
woodwork.They rush out and rent an Avis
Rent-a-Donkey for the trip back to the central office in Jerusalem.
Chairman Peter must know of this. They didn't take time to put the
dishes into the GE washer.
What is Luke telling us? The foxy missionary is e-mailing
us
that the Resurrection is news that must be told immediately
to everyone. So, when people stop you today and ask what's new, advise
them Jesus has risen just as He said. Remember the convert who had to
find Jesus on his own,
"Christ, said the monk, "is meant to be bread for
daily use and not cake for parties. So, live today as though Christ
died yesterday, arose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow."
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
3 Easter
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Were Not Our Hearts.....
This
Sunday’s gospel presents us with two disciples of the Lord who were
trying to make sense out of the shocking events that took place in
Jerusalem.They were in a quandary over the Lord’s death.
They had been convinced that He was the Messiah, but how could the
Messiah suffer like Jesus suffered?Nor couldthey make
sense out of the report that Jesus had risen from the dead.They
could not decipher what all this meant to them.In fact, they
were having difficulty understanding anything about life.
We
are no different than they were.We have difficulty understanding
life.What is the meaning of all the non-stop activity of
our lives?Why do we scurry about trying to
accomplish so much and then often end up accomplishing little other
than exhausting ourselves?How do I, how do you, deal with
suffering and even death?What sense can be made of our brief
existence on earth?
Our
late great pope, John Paul II, said that it is only in the Mystery of
Christ that the Mystery of Man finds its meaning.Jesus became
one with us so that we might become one with Him.The activity of
our lives, from writing theological dissertations, to shopping for
food,to coaching teams, to changing the baby’s diapers and
everything in between, all have profound meaning when they are
performed with the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.These same
activities are meaningless when they are just done because they have to
be done.When Jesus becomes the beginning and end of our
activity, every action of our lives is a prayer.
This
includes suffering.In his homily for Pope John Paul II’s
funeral, Cardinal Ratzinger, the present Pope Benedict XVI,
quoted John Paul II’s last book, Memory and Identity: "In sacrificing
himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up
a new dimension, a new order: the order of love ... It is this
suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and
draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good".The
Cardinal then added: “Impelled by this vision, the Pope suffered and
loved in communion with Christ, and that is why the message of his
suffering and his silence proved so eloquent and so fruitful.”
The
disciples on the road to Emmaus could not understand what happened to
Jesus or why it happened until they were brought into an understanding
of Scripture.The “stranger on the road” pointed out verses from
the Book of the Prophet Isaiah that spoke about the Suffering Servant
with such clarity that it seemed to be a detailed description of Jesus
last days, even though this section of Isaiah was written 700 years
before Christ.Once the disciples were brought to a deeper
understanding of the Bible, the events of the week before began to make
sense to them.Once Peter and the other disciples who had hidden
from the Temple Leaders on Good Friday came to an understanding of the
suffering of the Messiah, they were no longer destroyed by the fear of
suffering in their own lives.The Word of God did it.
Again, “It is only in the Mystery of Christ that the Mystery of Man
takes its meaning.”
Throughout our lives we are drawn to ever deeper experiences of the
Word of God in Scripture and Eucharist.Every year might seem to
be the same.Perhaps, we beginthe liturgical celebrations
of Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter with the feeling, “Here we go
again.”But every year brings a new and deeper understanding of
the Word of God.And with this understanding of the Word of God
comes a new and deeper understanding of ourselves, of the mystery of
our lives.
The
mystery of our lives will not be completely solved until after our
deaths when we see God face to face.But we can approach the
solution, we can take the steps to find meaning in existence through
our union with Jesus in Word and in Eucharist.And then our
hearts also will burn with joy as we savor the presence of Jesus in our
lives.
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see Spanish
homilies
3 Easter
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Bottom line: The incorruptibles, such
as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, give a small indication of what we
hope for in Christ.
During these fifty days of Easter we
focus on the central mystery of our faith - the Resurrection of Jesus.
We see that his body has been radically transformed: For example, today
two disciple fail to recognize him. But in spite of the transformation
there is continuity: He shows his wounds and, as we see today, he
reveals himself in the breaking of the bread. From this we can see that
Jesus' Resurrection is not only spiritual, but also corporal - that is,
physical.
To help understand this, I would like to
mention an interesting medical-scientific mystery. You of course know
that when we die our bodies rapidly decompose - but not all. Some
bodies remain intact, even without being embalmed. An example of this a
young Italian named Pier Giorgio Frassati who lived at the beginning of
the twentieth century. He was an engineering student who participated
in Catholic youth groups that stood against fascism and served the
poor. While visiting the sick, Pier Giorgio contracted a disease that
killed him at the age of 24. In 1981 - almost six decades after his
death - they exhumed his body as part of the canonization process. A
surprise met them. When they opened his coffin, they discovered that
his body was intact! Those who go to the World Youth Day this summer in
Australia will have a chance to pray in front of the tomb of Blessed
Pier Giorgio. His body is being transferred from Turin to Sydney.* The
young people who attend World Youth Day can see this example of an
incorrupt body.
Blessed Pier Giorgio isn't the only one
whose body did not decay. There are actually quite a few others
including St. Francis Xavier, St. Clare, St. John Vianney and in recent
years - Blessed John XXIII and Padre Pio.** Their bodies were found
either partially or totally incorrupt. They call these saints the
"incorruptibles." I am not sure what to make of this remarkable
phenomenon, but it does point to something revealed in the Bible. Jesus
came not only to save our souls, but to one day restore our bodies in
an immortal form. As St. Paul says, Jesus will "transform our lowly
bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
Even though the matter which makes up
our bodies is constantly being recycled, we retain a form that gives
continuity. The form enables us to recognize each other, even after
many years. Sure we age, but the form remains. Something similar will
happen on the day of Final Judgment, when God raises up our mortal
bodies: some to punishment, other to glory.
The incorruptibles, like Blessed Pier
Giorgio are a tiny testimony - a foreshadowing - of that future event.
In their case, of course, God will use their actual bodies. In our case
(at least I am pretty I will return to dust) God will use our form or
"soul" to restore our bodies. Today's Scripture readings have a verse
which refers to our future lives. Let me read it to you. It comes from
Psalm 16:
"My heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption."
God will not allow the body of his
faithful one to undergo corruption. Who does this refer to? In some
sense it applies to Blessed Pier Giorgio and other incorruptibles. But
St. Peter - in the Acts of the Apostles - gives a much more specific
application. I ask you to follow St. Peter's argument. He quotes the
verse and reminds his hearers that it comes from one of King David's
Psalms. However, says St. Peter, the verse cannot apply to David
himself since we have his tomb here in Jerusalem. If you opened it, you
would only find bones and dust. David's body did decay. But if you go
Jesus' tomb, you would find something different. The tomb of Jesus is
empty. His body is not there. Why? St. Peter gives an astounding
explanation: The same Jesus, crucified for our sins is now alive. We
are eyewitnesses, he says. Jesus was restored not to ordinary human
life, like Lazarus, but has a new, "glorious" existence.
We get some hints today about this
radical, glorious life. In the Gospel, two disciples are leaving
Jerusalem. They are distraught, discouraged and disillusioned.
Everything they hoped for has come to a terrible end. They meet a
stranger on the way and he begins to ask them questions. In the course
of the conversation, the stranger talks about the prophecies concerning
a suffering Messiah. His words put fire in their hearts. They do not
want him to leave. The stranger fulfills their desire in a remarkable
way. He takes bread, blesses it and breaks it. Then they recognized
him. The stranger disappears because he is now present "in the breaking
of the bread."
In St. John's Gospel, Jesus tells us,
"He who eats this bread will live forever." Blessed Pier Giorgio
attended daily Mass - and he spent many hours, sometimes entire nights,
before Jesus in Blessed Sacrament. It is appropriate that his body is
incorrupt. The incorruptibles, such as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati,
give a small indication of what we hope for in Christ. Like them, you
and I are also invited to meet Jesus "in the breaking of the bread,"
holy Mass. Because of Jesus, we can also speak the words of Psalm 16:
"My heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
**********
*Christians have always joined veneration of
relics of saints with faith in the resurrection. The Council of Trent
summed up that tradition: "The holy bodies of holy martyrs and of
others now living with Christ — which bodies were the living members of
Christ and 'the temple of the Holy Ghost' (1 Corinthians 6:19) and
which are by Him to be raised to eternal life and to be glorified are
to be venerated by the faithful..."
**While incorruption suggests sanctity,
corruption does not prove the opposite - a point Dostoevsky makes
dramatically in Brothers Karamazov. (Remember what happened
after good Fr. Zosima's death.)
Spanish
Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
3 Easter
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Background:
There is a link in the story between Jesus bringing peace to his
apostles (which sounds something like the Thomas story told in another
variant of the tradition) and the power to forgive sins. Precisely
because Jesus represents God’s forgiving love which he passes on to the
Church there should be peace among us. God is, as St. Therese said,
nothing but mercy and love. The resurrection of Jesus and the implicit
promise of the resurrection to us guarantees and validates that mercy
and love. Easter therefore is a time above all others that we should
feel at peace because we are loved. Like all the other Easter stories
this tale has thick theological and spiritual overlays.
Story:
Once upon a time the girls softball team of Mother Mary High
School traveled across town to play the girls from St. Nicholas High
School. Molly Whuppy, of course, was Captain of the team and starting
pitcher. Her record for three seasons was 105 and 2 and the two times
she lost were when she was a freshman. Well, her mom and dad went to
all the games and this time Molly permitted them to drive her to the
game instead of going on the bus. YOU KNOW what happened. Her Dad’s
Mercedes had a flat tire and it took FOREVER to replace. Meanwhile at
St. Nicholas, the team fell apart. The home team was not very good but
since Mother Party went into TOTAL panic and dropped popups and threw
easy grounders ten feet over the first baseman. Without Molly, they
wailed, we’ll lose. At the last of the fourth inning they were losing 8
to 0 and girls softball games go only seven innings. St. Nick’s had the
bases loaded and no outs. FINALLY, the Whoppy car appeared and Molly
sauntered out, figuring that the coach and the kids would be furious at
her. Flat tire, she tried to explain. Then she realized that they were
like totally panicked.Cool it guys, she ordered. We’re not going
to lose to these geeks. So she struck out three batters in a row. No
runs, no hits, no one left on base. Mother Mary got three runs back in
the fifth, three in the sixth and three in the seventh. They cooled out
and played like champs. Molly? WELL, she struck out the side in next
three innings. Geeks, she said to her parents on the way home. They
could have won without me. |
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http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/archabbey/Weeklywords/Weeklywords.html
3 Easter
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Third Sunday of Easter
Gospel Summary
Two disciples on the road to a village called Emmaus meet a stranger
and proceed to discuss with him what happened to Jesus of Nazareth a
few days before. This Jesus was executed by Roman soldiers. Now there
are rumors that he is alive. The stranger then explains to them how all
of Scripture points to the Messiah, and how the Messiah had to suffer
before entering into glory.
As they are about to go their separate ways upon reaching the village,
the two disciples in a gesture of hospitality urge the stranger to dine
with them. At table, the stranger takes bread, says a blessing, breaks
the bread and offers it to them. In that familiar ritual they recognize
that the stranger is Jesus. Jesus then vanishes in their sight.
When the disciples return to Jerusalem, they explain to the other
disciples how they met a stranger on the road, and how they recognized
him as the Lord in the breaking of the bread.
Life Implications
Luke's Emmaus gospel is a beautiful, theological dramatization of one
of the encounters with the Risen Lord during those wonder-filled days
after the discovery of the empty tomb (Mk 16: 12-13). This passage has
a purpose different from the proof-pattern accounts whose intent is to
demonstrate that the Lord is truly real in a new spiritual way, yet is
the same Jesus the disciples had known before his death.
This gospel of the encounter of the two disciples with Jesus on the
road to Emmaus and in the breaking of the bread is a story of
friendship. The Risen Lord is a friend who talks with them as they
walk, a friend who shares a meal with them. Luke describes an intimate,
personal encounter marked by tenderness and hospitality.
We are reminded of the same tender quality of friendship in the meeting
of Jesus and Mary of Magdala on the day of the resurrection. Here we
have the drama of Mary by the empty tomb, weeping with the love she had
for Jesus. The climax is reached at the moment of recognition when
Jesus says to her, "Mary" (Jn 20:11-17).
The life implication of the Emmaus gospel is good news spoken to our
hearts: Jesus, now freed from the space-time limits of his earthly
life, is present in our midst and wants to be our friend. It is the
Lord who speaks to us in the reading of Scripture. It is the Lord we
speak to in prayer. It is the Lord we join in giving thanks to the
Father. It is the Lord who gives himself to us in the breaking of the
bread. The Lord is with us.
We who enjoy the gift of friendship with Jesus ought to tell others
about it, just as the two disciples did when they returned to
Jerusalem. Everyone is invited to share in that divine-human
friendship. The Lord asks us to extend hospitality to the strangers we
meet on the road, inviting them to share not only the bread of heaven,
but the daily bread of earth which the Father intends for all to share.
Campion P. Gavaler
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html
Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
3 Easter
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Acts 2, 14. 22-28; Psalm 16; 1 Pt 1, 17-21; Luke 24, 13-35
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
We are led to the Easter Christ in the Eucharist by this beautiful and
moving account of our Lord's appearance to the two disciples on the
road to Emmaus, in the gospel according to Saint Luke, chapter
twenty-four, verses thirteen to thirty-five. Shattered as they were by
His crucifixion and death, news of which had been passed throughout the
cities and towns from Jerusalem, the disciples were in need of the
greatest gift this side of heaven, to fill them again with hope, to
give them undying faith in the Risen Lord. And so the Catechism leads
our thoughts to the presence of the risen Lord whom we worship, adore,
praise and receive in the Mass, the "Lord's Supper."
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is known by this and other titles,
discussed in the Catechism.
"The Lord's Supper, because of its connection with the supper which the
Lord took with his disciples on the eve of his Passion and because it
anticipates the wedding feast of the Lamb in the heavenly
Jerusalem.(1Cor 11:20; Rev 19:9)
"The Breaking of Bread because Jesus used this rite, part of a Jewish
meal, when as master of the table he blessed and distributed the bread,
(Mt 14:19; 15:36; Mk 8:6,19) above all at the Last Supper. (Mt 26:26; 1
Cor 11:24) It is by this action that his disciples will recognize him
after his Resurrection, (Luke 24:13-35) and it is this expression that
the first Christians will use to designate their Eucharistic
assemblies; (Acts 2:42, 26; 20:7, 11) by doing so they signified that
all who eat the one broken bread, Christ, enter into communion with him
and form but one body in him.(1 Cor 10:16-17)
"The Eucharistic assembly (synaxis), because the Eucharist is
celebrated amid the assembly of the faithful, the visible expression of
the Church. (1 Cor11: 17-34)
The Eucharist is the Easter Sacrament. In the Eucharist we meet, know
and possess God incarnate, our Lord Jesus Christ.(CCC 1329) I look
forward to meeting you here again next week, as, together, we "meet
Christ in the liturgy" -Father Cusick (Publish with permission.)
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
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We are all familiar with this wonderful story of the Supper at Emmaus.
However we tend to focus on the conversation that Jesus had with the
two disciples and how he revealed himself in the breaking of bread.
What we tend to pass over is the fact that they were walking away. We
know that most of the disciples deserted Jesus at the time of his
arrest. Some hung about for a bit like Peter but even he deserted Jesus
after a few hours out of shame at his denial.
The only disciples recorded as actually being there at the Cross are
John and Mary and two other women.
What we have in our Gospel today is an example of what those who
deserted him did—they simply went home. At the first sign of difficulty
they decided that it was all over. It is as if they suddenly realised
that the Gospel of Christ was a good idea but doomed to failure.
They are not alone; down through the ages it would be impossible to
count how many of Christ’s disciples have left him. And they are still
at it. Just look at the numbers in this Church; you would have to be
bind to fail to realise that they are not what they were ten years ago.
So it is worth looking at this Gospel account of the Supper at Emmaus
as a kind of parable of the lapsed.
As soon as things become difficult or if things don’t seem to mean what
they once did or if other activities seem more appealing then, like
those disciples, we tend to walk away.
Often there is no real decision made, just a sort of drift. Mass
attendance becomes more infrequent, prayer becomes irregular and we
just drift away from even thinking about God or recognising that he has
a place in our life.
If we were in a marriage and treated our spouse in the same way then
there would soon be complaints and we would come to our senses and
realise on which side our bread was buttered and quickly start to pay
them more attention.
But God doesn’t complain. God doesn’t intervene. He lets us make our
own decisions even if we do so not by commission but, as if so often
the case with those who lapse, by omission.
What those who lapse often fail to realise is that it is the
responsibility of each individual to maintain our own faith. It is not
the job of the Church to keep us interested or involved, that’s our own
responsibility.
The Church is made up not of clergy, Church officials who act like
‘whippers-in.’ The Church is principally made up of the laity.
The priest’s job is to celebrate the liturgy and to proclaim the Gospel
and to do what he can to keep the community of believers together, but
he can’t have eyes and ears everywhere and be keeping tabs on
everyone—and neither would you want him to.
In the Gospel it happens to be Jesus who encounters those lapsing
disciples but in our situation today it is more likely to be you who
encounter those who are drifting away rather than the priest. It is at
precisely those moments that such people do everything they can to
avoid the priest.
No it is you who are walking on that road to Emmaus. And it is you who
mostly meet people who are walking away from their faith, from Jesus.
They complain to you that things have gone wrong, that the Church isn’t
what it was, or the priest ignored them, or whatever their particular
problem is.
It is your task to explain what is really happening, to help them come
to the realisation that the Church isn’t perfect but that nevertheless
it is the vehicle for our salvation.
You are the ones who can explain that real meaning and purpose is to be
found in belief in God and his son Jesus. You can help them realise
that although they are downcast and have difficulties with their faith
it is the only hope for the world.
In the account in the Gospel we notice that Jesus accepted their
hospitality. If you think about it, he was accepting hospitality from
people who had given up on him, who had deserted him in his hour of
need.
By responding to the goodness that was in them, by talking up their
offer of supper and shelter for the night he built on what good they
had and it brought them back to faith. He focussed on the positive not
on the negative.
His words on the road warmed their hearts for the very same reason,
because he was not telling them off but giving them a message of hope
and speaking directly to their needs.
You can do all these things, in fact you are probably already doing
them in your own way reaching out to those who are finding difficulties
with their faith and who have trouble remaining within the Church.
These things are most likely going on within your own families.
The key thing to remember is that those who are walking away are still
on a journey, they might just now be getting slightly lost but they are
still travelling.
And on a journey things happen; you meet people, you see things from a
different perspective, you have time to think.
Our task is to walk with them, to praise the good, to warm their hearts
and to gently lead them in the right direction.
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Contact Father at cbonar@cfl.rr.com;
information about his book of homilies is available at www.clydebonar.com.
3 Easter |
"In the Breaking of the Bread"
Introduction
When she was eleven years old, St. ThérPse of Lisieux received
her First Holy Communion.
About her First Communion. St. ThérPse wrote, "What comfort it
brought to me, that first kiss our Lord imprinted on my soul! A lover's
kiss; I knew that I was loved, and I, in my turn, told him that I loved
him."1
In Holy Communion, Christ was present to the young girl ThérPse.
Totally present, as a divine lover.
"Prevented from Recognizing Him"
If St. ThérPse of Lisieux recognized Christ in Holy Communion,
why didn't Cleopas and his friend recognize Jesus as Christ walked with
them on the road to Emmaus? Two disciples, side by side with Jesus. Our
Gospels says, "their eyes were prevented from recognizing him."
Actually, wouldn't it be surprising if the two had recognized Jesus?
Before Christ rose from the dead, the Jewish people had no belief in
resurrection. Perhaps, at the end of time, everyone would be raised up.
But, no single person would be resurrected now, not before time ended.
Remember, the Bible tells us, "as yet they did not understand the
scripture, that he must rise from the dead" (John 20:9).
It's hard to see what we do not expect to see. Jesus was dead, the
disciples had seen him die. Dead people lie in their graves. No one
would expect to see the crucified Christ up and walking around.
And, besides, the disciples were grieving. When grief gripes our souls,
we are numb to what's happening about us. After his eleven year old
son, Willie, died, Abraham Lincoln and his wife closed the door on his
room, and never went into that room again. Grief overwhelmed them.
In the same way, grief crushes the two disciples walking to Emmaus. The
crucifixion of Jesus, too terrible to think about. Jesus had been their
friend, their charismatic teacher. Christ, the light of the world, drew
people to him by his love and compassion, his magnetism. Now, he's
gone. Dead and buried. They feel like a door has been slammed in their
faces. Their souls cry in grief.
Rumors that a couple of women had seen the Risen Christ, these two
disciples dismiss out of hand. Too fantastic to believe, they think.
Cleopas and an unnamed companion, two disciples of Christ, walking to
Emmaus. The Risen Lord walks beside the two, and they do not recognize
him. Grief clouded their vision. They would never expect to see Jesus
again.
Distant Times and Distant Places
But special moments of awareness across time and place are not unusual
in human experience. In fact, we rejoice in these feelings of
closeness. A closeness to God or feeling the presence of a distant
loved one or being part of some great event that happened somewhere
else.
That's why people flock to where the World Trade center used to be. To
shutter, to visualize planes crashing into buildings, to feel a part
of. To recall Father Mychal Judge, New York City Fire Department
Chaplain. He ran into the falling tower to give Last Rites. Those were
his guys, he was "the Firemen's Friar."
Folks go to ground zero to get this feeling of closeness, to somehow be
a part of that tragic event. Standing on the viewing walkway, we feel
we can almost reach out and touch this Franciscan priest, Father Mychal.
That's why we go on pilgrimage. To be where Jesus was. To walk where
saints trod. When we descend into the cave beneath the Church of the
Nativity, in Bethlehem, and stand where Jesus was born, it's a close
moment to Christ. We say a prayer, because we stand where Jesus lay in
the manager, wrapped in swaddling cloths.
Or, at Lourdes. Kneeling in the grotto, we feel as if we kneel with
Bernadette herself. And, we look up. Today there's a statue of Our
Lady. Our soul feels the presence of Mary. Quietly talking to us, as
she spoke to Bernadette all those years ago.
We all have close moments, spiritual experiences. Celebrating Mass in
the cathedral church of Krakow, it runs through our minds, here is were
Pope John Paul II, then Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow, celebrated Mass.
We feel the presence of a holy man.
Special moments of awareness across time and place are not unusual to
human experiences. Visiting the rubble of the World Trade Center, or
kneeling in prayer at the grotto at Lourdes, we feel a part of events
and happenings of distant times and distant places.
"In the Breaking of the Bread"
Question is, How do we get that feeling of closeness to Christ? One
answer, Come to Mass. Our Gospel describes the Liturgy of the Word and
the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Christ is present at Mass!
First, remember these are two disciples. As disciples of Jesus, they
had a habit of praying in the synagogue. They spent time with Jesus and
at the synagogue they heard him preach. They'd been with Jesus as he
worked miracles.
Then, as Christ interpreted to these disciples all the Scriptures about
him, their hearts burned within. The disciples knew the Holy Scriptures
of Judaism, they were ready to recognize the Risen Lord. The words
"burning within" tell us, their souls knew they were in the presence of
the Risen Lord.
For us, here's a prime way to open ourselves up to Jesus. Listen to
God's Word. Here at Mass, we start with the Liturgy of the Word.
Reading passages from the Old and New Testaments, singing a Psalm,
hearing the Gospel proclaimed. God is present in his Word.
When we read the Bible, when we listen carefully to the readings at
Mass, it's God himself speaking to us. We hear from a friend who knows
us. Our friend Jesus, totally divine and totally human, experienced the
same things we humans experience in life.
Walking the dusty roads of Galilee, Christ got thirsty and tired. Jesus
wept when his friend Lazarus died. He got frustrated when the disciples
thought he talked in riddles, and Jesus had to explain again and again
about the kingdom of God.
As did the hearts of these two disciples burn within, so too our hearts
burn with joy. In the Liturgy of the Word, Jesus talks to us, he's one
of us, truly human and also God the Son.
Then, our Gospels says, Jesus made himself known to the disciples "in
the breaking of the bread." Christ "took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and
they recognized him."
First, Jesus talks with us in the Liturgy of the Word. Then, during the
Liturgy of the Eucharist, we come face to face with Christ. Our gift of
bread becomes the bread of life. Bread turned into the Body of Christ.
Our gift of wine becomes our spiritual drink. Wine turned into the
Blood of Christ.
We see Jesus. Christ present, a Real Presence, as truly and as totally
present as at the Last Supper.
How do we get that feeling of closeness to Christ? When we listen to
God's Word, our hearts burn with recognition of Jesus. When we receive
Holy Communion at Mass, like the disciples, we know Jesus "in the
breaking of the bread."
Conclusion
Two disciples, walking to Emmaus, Christ had just been crucified. Then
something happened no one would every expect. The Risen Christ joins
the disciples walking down the road. As Jesus speaks, their burning
hearts tell them, here's a special person; "in the breaking of the
bread," they recognize Jesus.
We, you and I, we are also on the road of Emmaus. The same thing
happens to us at Mass as happened to the disciples. God speaks to us,
in the Liturgy of the Word. Then, we receive the Body and Blood of
Christ in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
What a God, arranging to be with us, just like on the road to Emmaus.
Present in his Word, present in Holy Communion.
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author.
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