We are an Easter people. Our lives are centered on the risen Lord that continues to save, redeem and nurture us with his very life and love. Ultimately, we live in and through the risen Christ.
While there are many Easter stories, the story of Emmaus is my favorite.
Just think of it, two fearful and discouraged disciples make the wrong decision and go the wrong way by leaving Jerusalem and the community of faith behind them. They are clearly on the wrong path but they are convinced that theirs is the best decision.
Jesus joins them along the wrong path but they are so blinded by what they believe to be the best and wisest decision to go on a different path that they can’t tell it’s Jesus walking beside them. Yes, Jesus never abandons anyone, even if they make the wrong decision and go down the wrong path.
The Lord strikes up a conversation with them and begins to hear from them what he already knows, they are not happy with the way things went these last few days. They had other expectations and Good Friday and the cross made it clear that their expectations were not met.
Here is when Jesus begins to offer some fraternal correction with some harsh words at the beginning.
“‘Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah 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” (Lk 30, 25-27).
Jesus was opening their appetite with an explanation of the Word of God.
Upon arriving at the wrong town along the wrong path, their appetites were open and they wanted more so they asked the “stranger” to stay with them. He did, and he always will stay with those who are hungry for him. Then, it happened!
“…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?’” (Lk 24, 30-32)
Their hearts burned within them with the Word of God. A powerful and living word that brought to them the fire of God’s loving truth and prepared them for the breaking of the bread. The Word of God always prepares us for the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist, at every Mass.
Pope Francis said in his Motu Proprio Aperuit Illis:
“The relationship between the risen Lord, the community of believers and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians. Without the Lord who opens our minds to them, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures in depth. Yet, the contrary is equally true: without the Scriptures, the events of the mission of Jesus and of his Church in this world would remain incomprehensible. Hence, Saint Jerome could rightly claim: ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.’”
To celebrate the divine gift of the Word of God, Pope Francis, in response to the voices of Christians throughout the world, has added a new celebration to our liturgical calendar that will be celebrated on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, which is to be called, Sunday of the Word of God.
Paragraph 3 of the Motu Proprio ends with these words: “The various communities will find their own ways to mark this Sunday with a certain solemnity. It is important, however, that in the Eucharistic celebration the sacred text be enthroned, in order to focus the attention of the assembly on the normative value of God’s word. On this Sunday, it would be particularly appropriate to highlight the proclamation of the word of the Lord and to emphasize in the homily the honor that it is due. … Pastors also can find ways of giving a Bible or one of its books to the entire assembly as a way of showing the importance of learning how to read, appreciate and pray daily with sacred Scripture, especially through the practice of lectio divina.”
The weekend of Jan. 26 will be historic, our first celebration of Sunday of the Word of God! We have been celebrating Corpus Christi Sunday for many years and by doing so highlighted the second part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The time has come for the first part of the Mass. Now, we will highlight the Word of God, the life-giving center of the Liturgy of the Word. May we continue to live by the Eucharist and also by his word. May we always be open to his love, first in word, then in flesh.
I invite you to approach the tabernacle with your Bible and thank Jesus for the gift of his word. While we all can’t have a personal tabernacle in our homes, we all can have a personal Bible to celebrate and spend time with Jesus present in his word.