Mass in the Road to Emmaus

The Bible is full of little nuggets–stories that seem so simple in passing but have deep meaning upon further reflection. The Last Supper is explicit enough as an event in Sacred Scripture. The Synoptic Gospels and the First Epistle to the Corinthians give us the explicit Eucharistic narrative. But there are other stories, or nuggets, that are implicitly connected to the Mass. One I find compelling is the story in the last chapter of the Gospel of Luke where the risen Jesus travels with two disciples along the road to Emmaus. Here, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” And later, the disciples exclaimed: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” This is in the same vein as the Liturgy of the Word, when Christ, the Word of God, opens to us the the Revelation of God.

When the party arrives at their destination, they compel Jesus to stay, “So he went in to stay with them.” This prefigures Christ our Pasch abiding with us–“entering under our roof” as we say in Mass. He is standing at the door waiting to come in. Those “in Christ”–those baptised in His name–can claim him. Only those who have invited Jesus to dwell with them are able to partake of the everlasting bread. Inside, Christ “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.” Offering, Thanksgiving, Communion... a form akin of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.” They went back to Jerusalem, and said they saw Christ in the breaking of bread.

Notice that the narrative twice mentions that they saw Christ in the breaking of the bread, or in a sense, during the consecration. He was hidden from them in appearance, but during the breaking of the bread, he was made known. What a wonderful picture. Jesus was actually present with them in person, but was most fully revealed to them in a supernatural way through the liturgy during a simple meal. Such as it is at every celebration of the Eucharist. Christ is really, truly and substantially present in the form of bread and wine for our salvation. In the Eucharist, we share communion with the divine life as we anticipate the blessed hope of the glorious resurrection. Through the breaking of bread he is made known to us. May we, like the disciples, beg Christ to enter and stay with us as often as we “DO THIS.”

ANIMA CHRISTI
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever

Amen