“It
became obvious why Catholics had built such beautiful cathedrals and churches
throughout the world. Not as gathering or meeting places for Christians. But as
a home for Jesus Himself in the Blessed Sacrament. Cathedrals house Jesus.
Christians merely come and visit Him. The cathedrals and churches
architecturally prepare our souls for the beauty of the Eucharist.” ― Allen
R. Hunt, Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor: How I Discovered the
Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church
Gospel
Text: (LK 24:13-35)
That very day, the first day of the
week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from
Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the
things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were
conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked
with them,
but their eyes were prevented from
recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you
walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to
him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to
Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these
days?"
And he replied to them, "What
sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to
Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and
word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both
handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified
him.
But we were hoping that he would be
the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this
took place.
Some women from our group, however,
have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the
morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of
angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the
tomb
and found things just as the women had
described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how
foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ
should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the
prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred
to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to
which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was
going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with
us,
for it is nearly evening and the day
is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
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.
The word “disciple” means “one who
learns”, and the two disciples of today’s Gospel passage are obviously devoted
to learning. Undoubtedly they asked themselves, “what can all these amazing
events mean?”
We are told that Jesus joins them in
their journey, though the disciples, like Mary Magdalene, do not recognize who
He is. Jesus preaches to them the meaning of the Scriptures, which help them
learn—which help them indeed make sense of what had happened over the previous
few days. But still, they do not recognize Jesus.
Only in the breaking of the bread do
they come to know Jesus, and only in the Eucharist do we Christians become more
than disciples. Only by sharing in the Sacrifice of Christ’s Body and Blood do
we truly begin to imitate Him in our lives.
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