Word to the Wise
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 - Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
[Acts 3:1-10 and Luke 24:13-35]Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?......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.
The excitement of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus could be an inspiration to us. It reminds me of the excitement of any number of people whom I have welcomed into the Catholic Church at Easter (or at other times). That twofold process of discovering the Lord first in the scriptures and then the full recognition (communion) of the Lord in the breaking of the bread. The new found hope is not something for each of them alone. On the contrary we are told that even though the day was almost over, they immediately returned to Jerusalem to share their experience with "the Eleven." I am reminded especially of one young woman who, when I asked her what had been the most difficult challenge of faith in the process of becoming a Catholic, said, "Once I accepted the Eucharist, the rest was easy!" It is important to see that both scripture and the breaking of the bread are parts of one reality! The gospels and much of the rest of the New Testament are an effort to remember Jesus' words and deeds and then celebrate those in the breaking of the bread. There is a terrible tendency of Catholics (the result of a one-sided catechesis on "The Mass") to discount the "Liturgy of the Word" and overemphasize the "Liturgy of the Eucharist" as if the first can be easily divided from the second! (This problem is not helped by the poor preaching about which many people complain to me!) In this "octave" of Easter and the days between now and Pentecost, we can gain much from paying attention to the importance of the "words of Jesus" not simply as "preparation for the Eucharist" but as another form of "the real presence" of the Lord. (This is explicitly affirmed in the Vatican Council II document on the liturgy #7 and the Catechism #1373.) Perhaps the excitement and enthusiasm of Cleopas and his companion will rub off on us! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
79 ms
4
