Easter greetings! Yes, we are still more than a month away before the end of the Easter season. The story of the disciples on their way to Emmaus never gets old. There’s always something novel to learn and to discover from this beautiful story of hope, communion and friendship. It’s a story that re-echoes our own story of trusting, losing that trust, and regaining that trust once again. It’s a very familiar pattern of my own relationship with God. Years ago, when I was still a seminarian, I remember reading, from a Jesuit priest, a commentary on this story which I want to share here.
In today’s Gospel, we hear a post-traumatic story. Two former followers of Jesus have experienced the trauma of the crucifixion of Jesus and the loss of all that they had trusted and hoped for. They are taking the “Emmaus Shuttle” back to their “old” ways, the familiar. For them, there would be no more trusting, hoping, just living with their broken hearts and dreams.
Jesus interrupts their retirement-walk. They resist His accompaniment by their asking Him where has he been lately. Jesus stays faithful to His post-trauma recovery mission —He continues walking and sharing with them.
They soon begin to feel something mysterious, but familiar, so they invite Jesus in for a little something. The trauma’s effects are softening. They don’t run a security check on Jesus but, instead, desire to have their hearts restored. During the meal, Jesus took some bread, broke it, gave it to them and their eyes of faith recognized Him. The broken bread was healing their broken selves. The intimacy remained while Jesus vanished. The “un-followers” became the “re-followers,” and they re-turn from Emmaus-isolation to Jerusalemic-community.
Last week, we saw the eleven seated in an upper room, but not really together. The two Emmauseans were going back to their individual ways. Sorrows, losses, traumas of various sorts can move us backwards into our singular selves. The joy of the Resurrection of Jesus is Jesus rose above His to raise us up through ours. We desire to reach out and comfort those afflicted, but those who are sad often choose solitude for their solution. Jesus came and continues to walk with us even when we do not want any help, even from God. We pull into ourselves, bring up the drawbridges and set up security systems to live the prevent-defense of life.
St. John Paul wrote a document whose title is taken from today’s Gospel. The two, with whom Jesus was walking, ask Jesus, “Remain with Us.” This request, these words of the title, are a heart-felt plea which Jesus answers. After the Last Supper, after the Sacrifice on Calvary, our plea, our request, is answered. He remains with us in the “breaking of the Bread,” through all the breakings of our personal dreams, plans, and reactions to traumas.
The call to us in the Eucharist is the call back to community and a return to a life where His presence is our security and not our isolating exclusions. When these two fellows came back to their group, they found that the Lord had also appeared to others in their own confusions. When we gather to break the Bread, we are in the real presence of both the suffering and rising of Jesus in those with whom we stand, kneel, receive, and begin our missions of raising His sisters and brothers.
How fitting it is that as we meditate this weekend on Jesus’ “breaking of the bread” with the two disciples, we also had this Saturday, April 29, two of our first communion Masses. We have another group who will receive their first communion next Saturday, May 6. I am so proud and excited for our children who have prepared seriously for this life-changing event. They can now fully participate in the most precious gift that God has given us: the Eucharist. Let’s continue to pray for their continuous formation and deepening of faith. – Fr. Cary