The Resurrection and post Resurrection stories written in the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles are so Spiritually rich and full of life. The Road to Emmaus story in the 24th chapter of Luke is one of those rich and deep stories that oozes life and stokes one’s imagination. It puts one’s self walking with these two gentlemen and their blind encounter with this stranger who joins up with them who turns out to be none other than the Resurrected Jesus.
This story talks about two actions in Christian and Catholic life. First, the breaking open of the Word, aka. immersing one’s self in the passages of the Bible. The second nugget to jump out is the Sacraments, in particular, the Eucharist.
As the story goes, Jesus breaks open the Bible (Old Testament) and blows these two men’s minds wide open with Jesus showing how He/Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The reaction of these two men is the same that we should have when really delving deeply into and adsorbing the words the Bible. Our hearts should be burning. Jesus, through the Word, drew these two men into His story. They became part of the story. That is what the Bible is meant to do – to set our hearts on fire and draw us toward the Lord. “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” [1]
Now, the second part of the story happens in the midst of the celebration of the Eucharist.
“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.” [2]
It was not until the breaking of the bread that the Bread of Life was truly made real and known in their midst. Prior to this, their guest was only an enlightened stranger that rocked their life with His understanding of the Salvation narratives of the Bible. They knew their guest as a good and learned man. It was only through the Eucharist that the true Jesus, the Bread of Life, was revealed to their consciousness.
The story of the journey to Emmaus points out the role of both the Bible and the Sacraments for our Salvation journeys. One cannot truly see and know God without both. The Bible, God’s Word, is there to set the soul on fire. It brings the soul to the dinner table. One cannot get to the dinner table without being first immersed, either reading or listening, in the Word. It is at the dinner table, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, that we are intimately introduced to Jesus, to the Resurrected Jesus, the Bread of Life.
Let us not stop with our hearts only burning. Let us truly meet our Lord in His glorious banquet of the Holy Eucharist and the Lord’s other Sacraments. Praise be to the Risen Lord! He has set us on fire and brings us to the Salvation of His banquet table. Will you join me to break bread with the Lord? See you at Mass. Amen.
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- Luke 12:49
- Luke 24:30-31