THE MASS OF EMMAUS, THE PLACE TO RECOGNIZE THE RISEN LORD.

April 26 2020: Third Sunday of Easter – A.

A Cuban proverb says, “Brief encounters can result in long relationships.” And a Ghanaian proverb adds, “Dogs do not actually prefer bones to meat, it is just that no one ever gives them meat.”
Easter season is the time where each Christian is called to rediscover and reevaluate his sacramental life. That goes from the Baptism, the sacrament of Reconciliation, the Eucharist, and the Confirmation, and even it can touch also the sacraments of service, Matrimony, and Holy Order. For, Easter is a sacramental season, Christ being the Sacrament of all sacraments, the Mystery of all mysteries, the center and visible sign of all things. Rightly, many Parishes and communities choose the Easter season to celebrate most of the sacraments of Christian Initiation. I remember that I received those sacraments on the Easter season.
In this sacramentality of Easter, the Eucharist holds a very singular and significant position. For, it stands as “the source and the summit of the whole Christian life” (Lumen Gentium 11). In that sense, without exaggerating, one could reach the affirmation that Easter is a Eucharistic season; not only because this sacrament was instituted during the Paschal Triduum, but mostly because it stands as the greatest moment of encounter and recognition of the Risen Lord. The Eucharist is also the sacrament of the continual presence of Jesus amid his disciples. Through it, we feel a direct contact and the touch of our Lord.
We are today the third Sunday of Easter. The word of God has a very sacramental coloration, with the Eucharist at its Center. We are given to see where we can truly meet and recognize the Risen Christ: “in the breaking of bread” and by hearing His word.
Peter, in the first reading, sets the first condition, the first place where to encounter the Lord. Addressing the people, he tells them that the Scriptures and all the prophecies, from Moses to David, speak of Jesus, and more, that David openly prophesized about the Lord’s Resurrection. Thus, for the people of God to understand all the mysteries about Jesus, they should have recourse to the Scriptures.
The same Peter, in his pastoral letter, reveals to the Christian Community that the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross was the ransom of their sins. Here, Peter stretches on one very relevant truth. Our salvation is not acquired by silver and gold. No material goods and earthly wealth can save man. It is only the blood of Jesus that saves. For, he is “a spotless unblemished lamb.”
This lamb Peter speaks of is the same who is offered at the Holy Altar during the Eucharistic celebration. Therefore, the Eucharist becomes the par excellence moment of encounter and recognition of the Risen Lord.
The Gospel speaks of this recognition through the experience of two disciples on their journey to Emmaus. The episode of Emmaus could be well titled as the ‘Mass of Emmaus’ or the second Eucharistic celebration of Jesus. We can find in it all the parts of our Masses. It starts with what could be equal to the Liturgy of the Word. The Risen Lord comes to meet the two men and discusses with them. That discussion is based on the Word of God. Luke tells us that, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures.” That is actually what happens with us, every time that we come at Mass. We come with our questions, lack of comprehension of the events of our lives, our doubts, and our despairs. Then, the Lord meets us with his word and explain all things to us. But because we are slow to understand and to believe, we hardly can recognize his presence. We, therefore, the need for another instance, the second part. Here it is mentioned as ‘the breaking of bread’, known as the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We read with St. Luke that the disciples invite their mysterious companion to stay with them. Once in the house, they got to recognize him only in the breaking of bread.
We talk here of the “Mass of Emmaus” because, the words and this scene are perfectly similar to what the Lord did the evening before his passion: “he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.” It is only then, the eyes of the two disciples were open to recognizing him. The Eucharist in that sense passes to be the greatest moment where we can recognize the Lord who comes to our encounter and journey with us.
Then the last part is about what the two disciples did once their eyes were opened to recognize the Lord. This corresponds to the last part of our Eucharistic celebrations, the dismissal. They went back to Jerusalem to share the good news of the Resurrection to the other disciples. The Holy Mass never ends without dismissal. But then, that dismissal becomes a sending off in mission. Our mass, the mass of our life starts once the priest tells us, “Ite Missa est”, Go the mass is ended. We are at that moment sent to bring Christ, the one we have received to the people we will encounter.
Emmaus is a sacramental journey. The two disciples, like you and me, journey in hopelessness with our questions and lack of faith. Then once the Lord encounters us and makes himself known to us, we become messengers to bring him to others. Let us not fail in our mission of giving Christ, the Risen Lord to all in need of answer and hope.

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