Easter Wednesday, 30th March 2016
“Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread, said the blessing, then broke the bread, gave it to them.Their eyes were opened and they recognised him.”
Ac.3,1-10 Ps.104 Lk.24,13-35
“Now that very same day, two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. And it happened that as they were talking together and discussing it, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but their eyes were prevented from recognising him.”
The Holy Spirit works through the flesh of all people, and it is thanks to his Strength that we can come to recognise Jesus.
The various experiences of our life can be recounted- they are about hope, successes, failures, abandons and novelties. A new form of intelligence is going to be proposed to us ,as to the disciples of Emmaus linking up all these experiences and giving them a meaning.
From now on, what seems irrelevant, meaningless, lifeless, is found to be taken up in a new perspective which can bring to surge up a new capacity for commitment.
The disciples of Emmaus had put great hope in Jesus, they were seduced by seeing him accomplish such great things!
But the mystery of suffering and the atrocious death of Jesus fixed them in the night, and they take some distance. These disciples lack hope, their life escapes them, beyond their reach they are distressed.
Mary, Jesus’ mother, in her suffering, is not far from Jesus her Love. She didn’t doubt Him, she followed him everywhere He went, as far as the Cross!
When Jesus is risen, she stayed close to Him, she was risen with Him, and she receives Him in her heart. She doesn’t have her heart prevented from being in communion with Him -despite the suffering, she remains in communion.
"Jesus said to the disciples of Emmaus ’What are all these things you are discussing as you walk along?’ The stopped, their faces downcast.
Then one of them, called Cleophas, answered, ’You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things the things that have been happening over the last few days.’
He asked ’What things?’
They answered ’All about Jesus of Nazareth, who showed himself a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And that is not all : two whole days have now gone by before all that happened."
This initiative of Love taken by Jesus makes the encounter possible and gradually they can come to recognise Him.
The unknown man who joins the disciples on their way doesn’t blind them with his Glory, he invites them to listen to a word that has already been spoken by God, a word that commented, in a Divine way ,Jesus’ history.
This comprehension confirms the call to get started. This way of Emmaus is offered to us, so that we can receive in the Life and Passion of Jesus a new meaning to our own existence.
From now on, human suffering changes signification, for instead of being a source of revolt, it becomes a path of redemption. The disciples are with Jesus, they already open up a path of return for Jesus opens up their heart to the Word of God.
"Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ’Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’
They set out and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them,’ The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him in the breaking of the bread."
From here a new action can be put into place, an action calling for confirmation, an action opened up to another person.
Jesus teaches his disciples that in Love suffering can be overcome! These disciples don’t recognise Him and yet He warms their hearts! It is when He breaks the Bread that they come to recognise Him!
The same goes for us, not only do we need the Word, but also Jesus’ gesture of Love joined to the Word.The sacraments are the gesture linked to the Word! We too accompany people who suffer in this world. We re read their life with them, enlightened by God’s Word that brings Light. Jesus who is Present makes the surprising gesture of the encounter, His Love is given in the Church : ’This is my Body, given up for you. This is my Blood, given up for you.’
So we understand the mystery of our Christian vocation, death is overcome by the Love that remains.
We ask for the grace to read the Word of God and to receive the Broken Bread so as to invite Jesus into our life.
EASTER WEDNESDAY, year ’B’
“Now that very same day, two of them were on their way to a village named Emmaus, seven miles form Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. And it happened that as they were talking together and discussing the matter, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.”
For them, all begins with an initiative from Jesus. We have heard about the Resurrection, we welcome the witness of the community founded by Jesus, but as for Jesus, we have never seen Him. The disciples of Emmaus had put such hope in Jesus, they had been seduced by Him, seeing all that he accomplished. But the mystery of the atrocious suffering and death of Jesus had plunged them into darkness. They take their distance.These disciples lack hope. Their life escapes them, they are in a state of distress. The same goes for us when we close ourselves up to the suffering in our heart. We are neither open to ourselves nor to God. Only an experience of being in loving communion heals us and has us enter once again into ourselves. Jesus’ mother, Mary, in her suffering, did not distance herself from Jesus and his Love.She did not doubt him, she followed him at all times, she followed him to the Cross! When Jesus is risen from the dead, she rises with him in her heart, she is the one who had stayed close to him. Her heart is still able to enter into communion with him, despite the suffering , she dwells in Love.
“Jesus said to the disciples of Emmaus,”What are all these things that you are discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, their faces downcast.Then one of them, called Cleophas, answered him, ’You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days’. He asked, ’What things?’ They answered, ’All about Jesus of Nazareth, who showed himself a prophet powerful in action and speech before
God and the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death and had him crucified.Our own hope had bee he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have now gone by since it all happened.’ “This loving initiative taken by Jesus make the encounter and recognition gradually possible . The stranger who joins the two disciples does not blind them with his glory, he invites them to listen to a Word that has already been said by God, a Word that gives a divine commentary on the history of Jesus. It pleased God to save humanity by the madness of the Cross, the madness of God is supreme Wisdom for the Salvation of mankind. And from now on human suffering changes sign : instead of being a source of revolt it becomes a path to redemption. If the disciples left Jesus, if they went away from him without realizing how, they are now beginning to turn around. Jesus opens up their hearts to the Word of God. He reads the Word of Isaiah that concerns them : ’Like a lamb led to the abattoir’. Jesus truly was this lamb led to the abattoir. The disciple had not understood that Jesus would rise, despite the promises Jesus had made to them.”Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; but he had vanished from their sight.Then they said to each other, ’Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’ They set out at that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ’The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon’. Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they recognized him at the breaking of the bread.’
Jesus teaches the disciples that suffering could be overcome by love! He warmed the disciples’ hearts, even though they had not recognized him! It was in the breaking of the bread that they came to recognize him! The same goes for us, we need not only the Word, but also the gesture of Jesus’ Love joined to the Word. The sacraments are the realization of the gesture joined to the Word! We too accompany people who suffer in the world. with them, we re-read their lives,
enlightened by the Word of God. Jesus is present and makes the astonishing gesture of the encounter, His Love is given by the Church : ’This is my Body, given up for you. This is my Blood, poured out for you.’ And so we discover the mystery of our vocation as a Christian, death is conquered by a Love that dwells.