3rd Sunday of Easter
My dear parishioners,
God Is Good!!! All the Time!!! And All the Time!!! God Is Good!!!
Peter, along with the Eleven, raises his voice to proclaim the Gospel; the new Israel addresses the old Israel. The saving work of Jesus continues through the Twelve Apostles who have just received the gift of the Spirit. Their audience is a crowd of people gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost.
The story of the appearance of the risen Lord on the way to Emmaus is the best developed of all the Gospel appearance stories. The drama evolves around the tension of whether or not the disciples will recognize the risen Lord in their very midst.
The meeting. Two disciples of Jesus are heading for Emmaus, discouraged by the crucifixion of Jesus, which has dashed all their hopes for the future. In the midst of their conversation, Jesus, under the appearance of the risen Lord, approaches them in the form of a stranger. We are told explicitly that the disciples do not recognize him. Jesus makes the first move by asking these disciples what they are talking about as they walk.
The conversation. Now ensues a rather lengthy conversation between the risen Lord and these disciples. The first part focuses on the disciples who are shocked that this “stranger” is ignorant of what has happened these past days to Jesus the Nazarene. Their unfolding of the events is first of all a Christological affirmation regarding who Jesus is as a prophet, mighty in word and deed. Secondly, their description serves as a summary outline of the Gospel Passion narrative from Jesus’ arrest to his death, burial, and reports of the empty tomb by some women. The grand irony of all this, is that the very subject of their narrative is walking with them side by side. Jesus himself finally intervenes and carefully points out how everything that has happened to the Christ is part of God’s divine plan of necessity. He does this through interpreting to them the Scriptures. Still they do not recognize him.
The meal. As they all approach Emmaus, the disciples’ offer Jesus hospitality, and he accepts. It was in the context of their common meal that Jesus took the bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to them. Within this action, the disciples immediately recognized Jesus, but then, just as quickly, he vanished from them. Finally, they recognized the divine stranger, and quickly they returned to Jerusalem to share this good news. For the early Christians, this story said that we still can meet the risen Lord in the presence of the stranger, the interpretation of the Scriptures, and the breaking of the bread (the Eucharist).
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius