Missal Meditation Series: 3rd Sunday of Easter

Peter has become an eloquent man. He explains that Jesus rose from the dead using David’s prophecy that God would not let His own stay in death. The homily today was about connecting this verse to our own psychological deaths in life. About the realization of God’s promises, and His faithfulness even when things seem to have been completely lost to darkness. And also, about our own journey to ‘Emmaus’ every week when we speak about God who walks with us and instructs us on the road even though we fail to recognize Him. As both the priest and I thought during mass… The road to Emmaus resembles mass itself, culminating in the liturgy of the Eucharist.

But something the priest said stuck with me. He said, it is not the lack of signs from God, or His presence that is shortcoming in our lives… it is our lack of recognition of His voice amidst all the distractions of our existences. In this passage, it is Jesus who opens the hearts and intelligence of the disciples of Emmaus to recognize Him. In other words, Jesus has taken an initiative of His own to help us get closer to seeing Him on the road. Like the disciples, we may be blinded enough and our hearts too laden with sorrow to see that God is still alive. But the disciples noted something important in how God operates, even while he is not recognized yet: they could feel the burning desire inside of them while Jesus spoke of the Word and explained the scriptures. So the heart is awakened by the mind, and the mind by the Scriptures. And when Jesus broke the bread, their spiritual eyes opened at once and recognized Him. But why at the breaking of bread ? If we go back to what Jesus said at the Last Supper, that the bread is His body and to do this (the breaking of bread) in memory of Him, then here the same idea is represented once again. Jesus’ sacrifice and offering on the cross to the Father in the Eucharist is what we must remember when the Eucharist is being lifted during mass. Even as the night drew on, Jesus stayed on and revealed Himself, resulting in great joy, as King David sang about (your presence will give me great joy).

In our lives, as we stumble and sin and hurt ourselves and each other, we are a bit like the disciples of Emmaus; that is precisely when all hope seems gone that we need a guide to remind us of the promises of God, and for Him to reveal Himself to us. Jesus, stay in our hearts as we look for you in our lives. In our stubbornness and ignorance, where else could we stay for the night?