April 27, 2011
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
By Colleen O’Sullivan
As they approached the village to which they were going, 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 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 Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” 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. (Luke 24:28-35)
Piety
Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
(Psalm 105:1-2)
Study
Every one of us knows what it’s like to have great hopes and expectations. We also all know how disappointed or, in some circumstances, even devastated we feel when things don’t turn out as we envision they might. That’s the case with the two disciples we encounter in today’s Gospel reading. They are so dispirited. It’s Easter, but they’ve turned their backs on Jerusalem and the other disciples and are on the way to the village of Emmaus. Yes, they were followers of Jesus, but the whole Jesus thing seems to have been a big bust. They were hoping he would be a great earthly ruler, the redeemer of the nation of Israel. Instead, he’s been tried, found guilty and executed. They’re going home. Oh, a few of their women friends went to Jesus’ tomb that morning and were told by angels that Jesus is alive, but when others followed up on this report, they didn’t see Jesus anywhere. There’s nothing left to stick around for, so they’re going home to Emmaus.
If I were asked to pick my single most favorite story from the Gospels, this would be it. As those disciples are walking along, they are joined by a fellow traveler, a stranger who falls in step with them. He listens to their story. Then he counters it with his own version, using the Scriptures to show them that all along they have held false beliefs about what sort of Messiah God would send to save the world. The anonymous traveler is their friend and Savior Jesus, but, for some reason, they don’t recognize him at all.
A few months ago, Fr. Stefan Starzynski gave a homily at St. Mary of Sorrows parish in Fairfax on depression. He said that when things look the bleakest, when we are feeling the deepest despair, it is at that moment that God is actually closest to us. We just don’t recognize it. That would certainly seem true for these two disciples. They staked their lives on Jesus, but their hopes all seem to have fizzled out on the cross. They are talking to the Risen Lord, but in their disappointment and despair all they see is a stranger who knows the Hebrew Scriptures.
It’s not until they invite him to supper and he breaks the bread, says the blessing and gives it to them that the scales fall from their eyes and they recognize him as the resurrected Jesus. In my own life, I’m sure there have been many occasions when God was right there beside me and I just couldn’t see it. But even when I can’t see Christ anywhere else, I can always see and feel his presence in the Eucharist. The first time I ever went to a holy hour, I had no idea what to expect. But as I sat there contemplating the Body of Christ, I was overwhelmed by the love Christ has for us, the fact that he died for us, and that he continues to give himself to us every time we receive the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. When I receive Communion, I am united to Christ and to all my brothers and sisters who make up the Mystical Body of Christ.
Action
Find some quiet time today to reflect on an instance where you’ve encountered the Risen Lord in an unexpected situation or person and give thanks that your eyes were open to his presence.
