Sunday Gospel Reflection
"Did not our hearts burn while he opened to us the scriptures"
Introduction:
How do you feel when you meet someone for the second time, and they don't recognize you or know who you are? Do you feel somewhat lessened? Do you not wonder if this relational disconnect is a reflection of your unimportance, their lack of understanding of your value, or just a bad memory? Jesus also went unrecognized by many, but He was not lessened by their failure to recognize him. In some cases people like the Israelites Peter speaks to in the first reading didn't recognize Jesus as being from God, or as being the Messiah and Savior. Others like the disciples in today's Gospel reading, caught up in their own woundedness, also failed to recognize him as they moved through their daily life.
It is difficult to imagine that the disciples could be in the actual presence of the resurrected Savior, conversing with Him, yet unable to recognize him. But is it really so hard to believe? We too are often in the actual presence of Jesus and fail to recognize him. When we are with other believers, in whom Jesus lives, he is there, really there. When we read or hear the Scriptures, he is there, really there. When we unite with others around the Eucharist Christ is present, really present. Sadly, we often fail to recognize Him.
Like the disciples' experience on the road to Emmaus, there is no recognition unless the Lord opens our understanding and reveals himself. It was in the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples. These are the means he still chooses to show himself to us. We find throughout the Scriptures pleas such as: "Speak Lord your servant listens." "Grant me understanding, that I may know your testimonies." "Incline my heart to the words of your mouth." Thoughts and prayers similar to these should be the continual response of our heart and lips. It is unfortunate, if we participate in spiritual activities without experiencing His presence. He is what our life is really all about.
Speaking of the need for the Lord to reveal Himself, Thomas à Kempis says: "The Prophets can preach the word, but they cannot bestow the Spirit. They speak most eloquently, but if You are silent, they cannot fire the heart. They instruct in the letter, but You open the understanding. They set forth the mysteries, but You reveal the meaning of all secrets. They teach your commandments, but You help us to observe them. They point the way, but You grant us strength to follow it. Their action is external; You instruct and enlighten the heart. They water the seed; You make it fruitful. They proclaim the words, but You impart understanding to the mind.
First Reading
Acts 2:14, 22-33
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known
to you, and give ear to my words. ...
22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a
man attested to you by God with mighty works and
wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and
foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
24 But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death,
because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
25 For David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always
before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
moreover my flesh will dwell in hope.
27 For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy
Holy One see corruption.
28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life;thou wilt make
me full of gladness with thy presence.'
29 "Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the
patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn
with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh
see corruption.
32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and
having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this
which you see and hear.
Second Reading
1 Peter 1:17-21
17 And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one
impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of
your exile.
18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways
inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things
such as silver or gold,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb
without blemish or spot.
20 He was destined before the foundation of the world but was
made manifest at the end of the times for your sake.
21 Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from
the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God
Gospel Reading
Luke 24:13-35
13 Now that very day [the first day of the week] two of
them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
14 and they were conversing about all the things that had
occurred.
15 And it happened that while they were conversing and
debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk
along?" They stopped, looking downcast.
18 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?"
19 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,
20 how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a
sentence of death and crucified him.
21 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.
22 Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they
were at the tomb early in the morning
23 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.
24 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."
25 And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these
things and enter into his glory?"
27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he
interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, he
gave the impression that he was going on farther.
29 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.
30 And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he
took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
31 With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
32 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?"
33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where
they found gathered together the eleven and those with them
34 who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and
has appeared to Simon!"
35 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.
Bible Study
13 Now that very day [the first day of the week]
------As attested in Luke 24:1, this
is the first Easter Sunday.
13b two of them
-----It has been suggested that
these two may be part of the seventy-two (seventy) sent out in pairs in Luke 10:1.
13c were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem
called Emmaus,
-----The location of the
village is unknown today. The name means "hot spring".
14 and they were conversing about all the things that had
occurred.
------The two have lost hope and have
ceased to be journeying with Jesus. Their leader has been killed and they don't know what
to do. The Lucan theme of journey is predominant as an image for discipleship.
15 And it happened that while they were conversing and
debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, 16 but their eyes were prevented
from recognizing him.
------Throughout his gospel Saint Luke
plays on the theme of seeing. Now he articulates this
theme as he tells how the risen Christ opens the eyes of disciples to see His true meaning in God's plan. But as this story narrates,
the disciples' eyes are only fully opened after they have shown hospitality to a stranger.
17 He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk
along?" They stopped, looking downcast.
18 One of them, named Cleopas,
------From Eusebius (A.D. 263-339) we
learn that Cleopas is the brother of Joseph, Jesus' foster father and father of Symeon.
Symeon succeeded James as Bishop of Jerusalem and after A.D. 70 led the Christians back to
Jerusalem. "After the martyrdom of James and the
capture of Jerusalem which instantly followed, there is a firm tradition that those of the
apostles and disciples of the Lord who were still alive assembled from all parts together
with those who, humanly speaking, were kinsmen of the Lord - for most of them were still
living. Then they all discussed together whom they should choose as a fit person to
succeed James, and voted unanimously that Symeon, son of the Cleopas mentioned in the
gospel narrative, was a fit person to occupy the throne of the Jerusalem see. He was, so
it is said, a cousin of the Savior, for Hegesippus tells us that Cleopas was Joseph's
brother." [Eusebius, The History of The Church
(3.11)]. The names may not be important for salvation history, but the tradition brings
out that the "brethren of Jesus", his close
relatives, did not completely reject Him.
18b 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?"
19 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,
-----At most, Jesus had impressed
these men as the expected prophet. They never believed in Jesus' divinity.
20 how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to
a sentence of death and crucified him.
21 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.
22 Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they
were at the tomb early in the morning
23 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.
-----The faithful women disciples'
proclamation of the Easter gospel is resisted and does not open their eyes of faith.
24 Then some of those with us went to the tomb
----Peter and John (John 20:3-10).
24b and found things just as the women had described, but
him they did not see."
25 And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer
these things and enter into his glory?"
27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he
interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.
------Jesus begins His explanation with
Genesis and the rest of the Pentateuch (tradition ascribes authorship of these books to
Moses). What does positively contribute to faith is
Jesus' interpretation of His life as the fulfillment of all God's promises from one end of
the Scriptures to the other.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
29 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.
-----Jesus was not play-acting, he
really would have departed had He not been invited to stay.
30 And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
-----This is Eucharistic terminology. The
Jerome Biblical Commentary states "We need not maintain that Jesus consecrated the
Eucharist." - I say "Baloney!" Jesus consecrated the Eucharist and in
making Himself present in the Eucharist the two disciples saw the fulfillment of all the
Old Testament covenants and prophesies as well as the
New Testament promises. After all, this is what Jesus had just spent the day explaining to
them. What a Bible study that must have been!
31 With that their eyes were opened and they recognized
him,
-----The verb translated as
"eyes were opened" occurs only eight times in the New Testament and in each case
it always means a deeper understanding of revelation.
31b but he vanished from their sight.
32 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?"
33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
------Notice that the two disciples
are not at all upset at the loss (again) of their leader.
In fact, they are anxious to tell the apostles of their discovery. They have discovered
Jesus' Real Presence in the Eucharist! The person-to-person physical presence of a visible
Jesus is no longer necessary because He is indeed risen and
is present in the word and in the sacrament.
33b where they found gathered together the eleven and those
with them
34 who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised
and has appeared to Simon!"
-----Jesus' prayer (Luke 22:32) has
been efficacious. Simon Peter has also been forgiven
and is now empowered to strengthen his fellow Christians along the way.
35 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.
Meditation
Why was it difficult for the disciples to recognize the risen Lord? Jesus' death scattered his disciples and shattered their hopes and dreams. They had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. They saw the cross as defeat and could not comprehend the empty tomb until the Lord appeared to them and gave them understanding. Jesus chided the disciples on the road to Emmaus for their slowness of heart to believe what the scriptures had said concerning the Messiah. They did not recognize the risen Jesus until he had broken bread with them. Do you recognize the Lord in his word and in the breaking of the bread?
Augustine, the great 5th century church father, reflects on the dimness of their perception: "They were so disturbed when they saw him hanging on the cross that they forgot his teaching, did not look for his resurrection, and failed to keep his promises in mind" (Sermon 235.1). "Their eyes were obstructed, that they should not recognize him until the breaking of the bread. And thus, in accordance with the state of their minds, which was still ignorant of the truth (that the Christ would die and rise again", their eyes were similarly hindered. It was not that the truth himself was misleading them, but rather that they were themselves unable to perceive the truth." (From The Harmony of the Gospels, 3.25.72) How often do we fail to recognize the Lord when he speaks to our hearts and opens his mind to us? The Risen Lord is ever ready to speak his word to us and to give us understanding of his ways.
Reflections:
· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you.
· 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 (Luke 24:14:16)
----What make you blind your from seeing Jesus? Fear?
Temptation? Anger? Hatred? Anxiety? Hopelessness? Being
Depress? Wealth? Career? Obnoxiousness?
· 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. (Luke 24:28-31)
-----Do you show hospitality to Jesus so that he will
stay with you and open your eyes and heart ? Do you ask
him to be with you daily?
· 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?"
(Lukw 24:32)
-----Do you listen attentively to the Word of God
and allow his word to change and transform you?
-----Do you ever doubt about God? What statement
in the Gospel comforts you to you to deal with problems?
· Now that very day [the first day of the week] two of
them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus... So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found
gathered together the eleven and those with them (Luke 24:13,33)
-----In what direction are you walking on the journey
toward discipleship?
To live His Word this week:
· Volunteer to pick up lunch for others at
your work place.
· Smile and greet at least 5 individuals that you never
know before. This could be at shopping center, market or at any public gathering.
For Youngsters:
. Ask your parent or sibling one question about something you do not understand in the Bible.
. Put your dirty clothes in the proper container.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart to recognize
your presence with me and to understand the truth of your saving word. Nourish me with
your life-giving word and
with the bread of life.