And they recognized Him

LK 24:35-48

From last week’s reading we notice that Jesus went after those two disciples on the road to Emmaus first, before he appeared to those who were hiding in the upper room. He went out to meet them to reveal Himself to them because they were leaving and losing their faith, but they did not recognize Him until the breaking of the bread. 

This gospel opens with the two disciples recounting what had taken place on the way and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread but the other disciples still remained skeptical and doubtful.

It is in the breaking of the bread that the disciples all fondly remembered Him because Jesus loved to sit and eat with so many, so often, and saw the gathering around the table as the place where He knew we would remember him. 

Just as the Jewish people gather around the Seder table at Passover and remember how God the Father manifested Himself to them in the desert during their exodus from Egypt, so too these disciples remembered how Jesus manifested Himself and His divinity to them at the table of the last supper at the breaking of the bread.

Can you imagine the state of the apostles and disciples in that room as Jesus stood in their midst and said “peace be with you”.  They must have been filled with fear and anticipation at the sight.

The gospel states that He stood in their midst, no doors or windows but was just there standing in their midst, really and substantially present, and yet they still did not recognize it was Jesus until He took and ate and then opened their minds to understand the scriptures. 

He knew what was in their hearts and expressed his wish that they believe by asking them to touch His wounds and by eating with them.

He was really and substantially present just like the Eucharist is for us today. Jesus was there to bring in person the good news of His resurrection that they may believe.

And Jesus manifests Himself to us each time we gather around this table at His Eucharist as He reveals Himself to us in the breaking of the bread.  Like the apostles whose hearts were opened by Jesus Himself our hearts are open when we then all say that we believe He is really here when the priest raises the bread and we say the Lamb of God and confirm our belief when we open ourselves to join with Him and say Amen when we receive Him at communion time.

Jesus could have just immediately made Himself known to them but He wanted them to open their hearts and believe through faith just as we are asked to believe in Jesus real presence through being open to His gift of faith.  

They had to open their hearts in order to believe... and we are called to that faith, to also believe. And together with the apostles and disciples we join them in becoming a Resurrection People, dying to sin and rising to new life with Jesus. 

For we are called to believe, called to a new life of grace with Jesus, called just like the apostles not only to believe in Him but to take the good news of salvation through His resurrection to all nations.

But how do we do that? Well it’s easier than you think.  Every time we act in faith in our lives, in what we do, do not do, say or do not say, react or do not react in His name we spread the good news of Resurrection.  And we share the mission of going to all nations by stepping up to share our gifts with our neighbors and those less fortunate. 

In a few moments we will be playing a recording to you concerning out annual diocesan appeal. This is certainly one way we can and should help spread the good news by being Jesus to those in need and supporting ways in which the gospel is brought to those in need. 

This Sunday we are introducing the 2009 Diocesan Annual Appeal by which we reach out, providing needed services in many ways through so many ministries ranging from Catholic Charities to the missions as well as supporting all the educational, catechetical and ministry formation needs of our diocese including vocational formation for the priesthood and the diaconate.  There is hardly anyone whose life is not touched in some way by services provided by our Diocesan appeal.

St Elizabeth Seton has been a strong supporter of this appeal and we’d like to thank you all for helping achieve our budget last year and in advance for helping us reach our goal of $107,952 this year.

As a resurrection people we are called to the ministry of spreading the good news and reaching out in love to share our lives with each other as Jesus did in such a profound way.