Word to the Wise
Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - Octave of Easter - Wed
[Acts 3:1-10 and Luke 24:13-35]WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018. WEDNESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER [Acts 3:1-10 and Luke 24:13-35] 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] The celebration of the Eucharist in our time is so formalized and involves, in big parishes, many people, the simplicity of the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is often lost. It may be summed up neatly in the lines: “Gather the people, tell the story, break the bread.” This is what those two disappointed disciples experienced, and it is what we experience if we pay attention beyond the level of “I went to Mass and received communion.” [Sadly, they often do not hear the story told, given the state of preaching!]. The two disciples needed to have the scriptures explained before they could recognize Jesus. Those scriptures would have been what we call the Old Testament. Without that understanding, Jesus would remain a charismatic teacher but not the Messiah in their sight. The breaking of the bread makes sense in the light of all God promised. We have been doing this as a church for more than 2000 years, and it is an ongoing task to share the good news with the world not only by celebrating the Eucharist but by acts of love and justice that flow from this celebration. The gesture of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples is a reminder that our recognition of him does not end with the ritual celebration. When we “put skin on Jesus” by the way we live outside the celebration of Eucharist, we attract others to the next celebration. AMEN
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