“This glorious son of the carpenter, who set up his cross above the all-consuming world of the dead, led the human race into the abode of life.” – St. Ephraem
Luke 24:13-35: That very same day, two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast. Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth,’ they answered, ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’
Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself. When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; but, he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’ They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognized him at the breaking of bread.
Christ the Lord Leaders know how to motivate, how to inspire. The greater their leadership capacity, the deeper the motivations they stir up. A great teacher not only knows the subject well but also spreads a passion for it among the students. A great statesman buoys up the hopes of citizens in times of trouble and inspires them to self-sacrifice for the common good. How much more in the case of Christ the Lord! These downcast disciples had given up. They had left everything to follow Jesus, but the events of Good Friday had dashed their hopes, and they were walking sadly back to their old lives. A few words from their Leader, however, an opening of their eyes to share his vision, and suddenly their heavy hearts were “burning” again, so much so that they retraced their seven-mile trek in the dark without complaint.
If we truly wish to follow Christ, he will lead us as no one ever could; if we attentively listen to him, he will stir up our hearts with a wisdom this world can never give.
Christ the Teacher The Risen One was recognized “at the breaking of the bread.” That was one of the names the early Church used to refer to the celebration of the Eucharist. The gestures of Christ at supper with these two disciples mirror those of the Last Supper and have been perpetuated in those of the Mass: “He took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” Do you want to find the Lord? Do you want to know him? Do you want to discover the inexhaustible riches of life in communion with him? He teaches us how: come to him in the Eucharist.
Our primary encounter with Christ in the Eucharist takes place through the sacrifice of the Mass, which makes Christ’s unique sacrifice offered on the cross at Calvary present for us in the here-and-now of our lives. Notice how closely the structure of the Mass follows the structure of this encounter between Christ and the disciples on the road to Emmaus:
- Christ comes to meet them on the road; through the priest, Christ comes to meet us right where we are. In the midst of our sorrows and joys he is present, veiled behind the personality of the priest, but really there through the sacrament of Holy Orders.
- Christ then explains the scriptures to them, showing how they point to him, and relating them to the disciples’ present needs; and what is the first part of Mass (the readings and the homily) if not a reenactment of this walk to Emmaus?
- Finally, Christ joins them for the evening meal and breaks bread with them; here is the second part of Mass, the Eucharistic prayers, the consecration of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood, and the reception of Holy Communion. To have the privilege of participating in the celebration of the Eucharist is to encounter the Crucified and Risen One, and to let him set our hearts on fire.
Christ the Friend “Jesus himself came up and walked by their side.” Christ continues to do this every day in the Blessed Sacrament. In every Mass, in every Tabernacle, he draws near to us and walks by our side. In Holy Communion, he continues to share his life with us. He is truly present, reaching out to us, speaking to our hearts, behind the thin veil of faith. If only we, like these two disciples, are honest and courageous enough to open our hearts to him and invite him into the secret places of our souls, we will see him anew, and his love will burn within us.
Jesus: I know when you are downcast and sad. I know when the shadow of the cross and Good Friday make you turn away from Jerusalem and head back to your old ways. I know, and I care, more than you can imagine. I am always drawing near to you. I speak in the quiet voice of your conscience, where only you can hear me. Sometimes I speak to you through the words of a friend or a verse from the Bible. Whenever you hear my voice, and you know when you do, you have only to welcome it, to make your prayer the same as these two disciples who pressed me to stay with them. Will I ever deny such a request, I who came all the way down from heaven just because I couldn’t stand being far away from you? This is why I came; this is why I died; this is why I rose again – to stay with you.
Christ in My Life I have chosen to follow you, Lord, and no one else. I know it’s only because you called me, but I have made the choice. You didn’t force me. And I want to be true to that choice. You are the Lord. You are the fount of wisdom, forgiveness, love, and life that fills the world with whatever goodness it has. Make me a channel of your grace, a riverbed for your flowing fountain…
The struggles of my life seem so irrelevant sometimes when I go to Mass. But how could they be? Do you not care about them? Dear Lord, it’s a mystery to me, this passing life, so busy but so out of focus. Help me to know in each moment what I should do and how I should be. I have only this life to live, and I want to live it well…
Stay with me, Lord. How I need a friend who knows me through and through and doesn’t judge me! How I need a coach who knows my strengths and weaknesses and who knows how to profit from the former and shore up the latter! I feel such a burning desire to do something worthwhile, to do more – you put that desire in my heart. Now show me what to do with it…
PS: This is just one of 303 units of Fr. John’s fantastic book The Better Part. To learn more about The Better Part or to purchase in print, Kindle or iPhone editions, click here. Also, please help us get these resources to people who do not have the funds or ability to acquire them by clicking here.
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Art for this post on Luke 24:13-35: Cover of The Better Part used with permission. Jesus und der Gang nach Emmaus (Jesus and the Walk to Emmaus), Gebhard Fugel (1863-1939), turn of the 19th/20th century, PD-worldwide age, Wikimedia Commons.
About Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college, he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and baseball coach. He then spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago before entering the religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1993. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 and earned his doctorate in moral theology in 2010. He provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” while researching the 2005 Catholic best seller, “Inside the Passion”–the only authorized, behind-the-scene explanation of the film. Fr. John has contributed news commentary regarding religious issues on NBC, CNN, Fox, and the BBC. He also served as the English-language press liaison for the Vatican’s 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. His most widely known book is called: “The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer”. His most recent books are “Spring Meditations”, “Seeking First the Kingdom: 30 Meditations on How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength”, and “Answers: Catholic Advice for Your Spiritual Questions”. Fr. John currently splits his time between Michigan (where he continues his writing apostolate and serves as a confessor and spiritual director at the Queen of the Family Retreat Center) and Rome, where he teaches theology at Regina Apostolorum. His online, do-it-yourself retreats are available at RCSpirituality.org, and he answers questions about the spiritual life at SpiritualDirection.com.