Mass On the Road
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus on the day of Easter is a very familiar story to many. It is intriguing, Jesus comes upon them, but in their grief and sorrow of his crucifixion they do not recognize him.
I wonder how many times Jesus told his disciples that he would be arrested, scourged, and then crucified but would be raised on the third day. I believe they just did not have any understanding what resurrection is. It would not have made sense to them. If we were to live at that time and did not know about Easter, I think resurrection would be a very difficult concept to understand. It had never happened before.
But I love the way Jesus walked with them. First, he shared the Old Testament references that pertained to him. Then he sat down with them for a meal. He took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Doesn’t this sound so much like mass?
First, we have the liturgy of the word. Then we have the liturgy of the eucharist. Of course, Jesus would disappear at that first mass after the resurrection. He can be anywhere at anytime in anyplace. His glorified body is not contained by time or any other earthly structure.
Just as the two disciples did not recognize Jesus until the eucharist, do we recognize Jesus in the Eucharist for us?
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen