Sunday, April 23, 2023

The First Post-Resurrection "Missa" with the Word and the Eucharist on the Way to Emmaus

 In the Gospel narratives, there is a flow that moves from Galilee, where Jesus began his public ministry, to Jerusalem where his earthly mission was consummated in glory. This is reflected in the Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. It was Jerusalem, where he entered triumphantly on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11//Mark 11:1-11//Luke 19:28-44 and John 12:12-19). It was in this holy city, where he hosted the Lord’s Supper, instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (Matthew 26:17-30//Mark 14:12-26//Luke 22:7-39) and giving the new commandment of love (John 13:31-35). And it was Jerusalem where he entered the passion and died to take away our sins as the Lamb of God, the ultimate Paschal Lamb (e.g. John 18:1-19:42; 1:29). Jerusalem is also where Jesus resurrected on the third day from his death on the Cross (Matthew 28:1-10//Mark 16:1-8, 9-14 //Luke 24:1-44 and John 20:1-29). And it was where he ordered the disciples to stay before his ascension to heaven until the descending of the Holy Spirit upon them on Pentecost (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). So the First Reading (Acts 2:14, 22-33), an excerpt of Peter’s powerful speech on Pentecost, shows how the post-resurrection and Pentecost apostolic action began in Jerusalem – not elsewhere and how Peter explains who Jesus is, in reference to the Scriptures (Psalm 16:8-11; 2 Samuel 7:12; Psalm 132:11).

Matthew and Mark give an account that Jesus would have wanted the disciples to see him in Galilee (Matthew 28:7,10; Mark 16:7). And in John’s Gospel, risen Jesus actually met Peter and other disciples while they were on the boats fishing (John 21:1-14). But, Galilee was not where the disciples should stay.  The post resurrection actions begin in Jerusalem, as it is where everything about the Christological truth in Paschal Mystery of Jesus was unfolding to and where the post-resurrrection Pentecost action began, as we move from the Gospels to the Acts of the Apostles.

So, in the Gospel Reading of the Third Sunday of Paschaltide (Luke 24:13-35), why were Cleopas and the other disciples going away from Jerusalem to Emmaus, while the rest of the disciples remained in Jerusalem?

Apparently, these two disciples were going a wrong way, because they were blind to the Christological truth in Paschal Mystery, accentuated with Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, to fulfill the fourth servant song in the Book of Isaiah, as foretold by Jesus himself multiple times.  They seemed to have lost their hope and faith in Jesus, upon his death. They were in heavy grief and dismay. So, they left Jerusalem.

But wait a minute! If the resurrection of Jesus would have ended with such a sad story of the disciples, what would be a point of Christianity and Christian faith?

Risen Jesus will not let such lost disciples go further into darkness, just because they were ignorant and blind.

And the Gospel Reading of the Third Sunday of Paschaltide (Luke 24:3-35) describes how risen Jesus redeem these two lost disciples with the Word and with the Eucharist, by meeting where they were. The Gospel story reminds that Jesus is, indeed, our Good Shepherd, who not only has laid his life to save us but also to reach out to redeem his lost sheep back to his one herd, which has become the Church, one body of Christ.

Because of the Word and the Eucharist reflections in this Gospel Reading, there is a motif of Mass – Mass in motion of redemption and transformation.  Before Mass, the two disciples were lost. But after Mass, they were found and on fire to announce the good news of the resurrection.

Mass shall be celebrated at where there are pastoral needs are. Our one holy catholic apostolic Church is not a static and bureaucratic institution but the living Church, the very living body of Christ, constituted with us, the faithful. Therefore, wherever the Church is, there is living Christ with us, in us, and us in him, as one body with him as the head.

The Gospel Reading of the Third Sunday of Paschaltide (Luke 24:13-35) described how the first post-resurrection Mass was carried out to redeem the two disciples, who let their hope and faith go dwindled, if not necessarily lost, by enlightening their ignorant minds through the Word and by nourishing their bodies and souls with the Eucharist. As a result, their hope and faith are restored and placed back in God. And they were redeemed into the one heard with the rest of the disciples to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection in Jerusalem.

In this regard, this Gospel narrative also prepares us for the next Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Paschaltide, Good Shepherd Sunday, because we see risen Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who redeems his lost sheep and brings them back to his heard.

                                                          *****

Jesus is risen from the dead, upon his suffering and death (e.g. John 18:1-19:42), fulfilling the Scripture (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). So, our hope and faith shall be in God for the Lord in glory (1 Peter 1:21). But for Cleopas and the other disciple, walking toward Emmaus from Jerusalem, on the day of the resurrection, their hope and faith seemed to be lost or faded, as they looked downcast (Luke 24:17).

They must have heard from Mary Magdalene and other women, who announced the resurrection of Jesus to them, as told by two angels, who looked like men, but did not believe it because it seemed nonsense (Luke 24:1-7). So, they were in grief and dismay, thinking that Jesus was dead. Period. Perhaps, out of disappointment on Jesus, Cleopas and the other disciples decided to leave Jerusalem and go on their own lives, walking to Emmaus and talking about all the things about Jesus and what happened to him (Luke 24:13-14).

Then, risen Jesus joined these two disciples in their conversation, asking what they were talking about (Luke 24:15).

Not recognizing him as risen Jesus (Luke 24:16), Cleopas and the other disciples were amazed that he had no clue as to what was happening in Jerusalem in the past few days (Luke 24:17). So Cleopas explained to risen Jesus what happened to Jesus: being handed over to the Roman authorities by religious leaders, tried by Pilate,  scourged, and crucified to death (Luke 24:18-21). He also told risen Jesus what Mary Magdalene and other women, who went to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning, told them, about the empty tomb without Jesus’ body and vision of angels, who announced the resurrection (Luke 24:22-23). He also told risen Jesus that Peter and John went to the tomb and confirmed that Jesus’ tomb was empty (Luke 24:24; John 20:3-10).

To all of this, risen Jesus responded, saying:

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? (Luke 24:25-26).

Jesus pointed out how ignorant Cleopas and the other disciple were to the Christological truth in his Paschal Mystery: the Messiah is not to redeem Israel from the Roman occupation as a political king (i.e. John 18:33-38) but to redeem both Israelites and Gentiles from sin’s bonds to death into his Kingdom (Colossians 1:13-14). These disciples were, indeed, fool to have regarded the Messiah as a political king (Luke 24:21). It was their foolishness and ignorance that kept them blind to risen Jesus, even when he was walking with them and speaking to them directly.

Upon reminding them that Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, had to suffer and die to rise in glory, risen Jesus explained the whole Tanakh from the Torah to Navi’im and Ketuvim, in terms of him (Luke 24:27). These disciples definitely needed to have the Scriptures taught by risen Jesus. And this set their hearts on fire (Luke 24:32).

When they came near to Emmaus, risen  Jesus seemed to keep going further. But these two disciples urged him to stay with them for the evening, as it was near sunset (Luke 24:29). And Jesus accepted their invitation (Luke 24:29).

At supper, risen Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to these two disciples (Luke 24:30). It was then that the disciples’ eyes finally opened and recognize that the man who had been walking with them and talking to them, explaining the Scriptures, was, indeed, risen Jesus (Luke 24:31). And he suddenly disappeared from their sight because they became able to recognize him (Luke 24:31).

This was not an end. It was just the beginning for them to engage in a mission.

Risen Jesus did not need to tell these two disciples verbally to tell the rest of the disciples in Jerusalem about their encounter with him (Luke 24:33-35).

                                                          *****

On their way to Emmaus, risen Jesus opened the two disciples’ hearts and set them on fire (Luke 24:32). At Emmaus, he opened their eyes to recognize him at the dinner table, taking up bread, giving thanks, breaking it, and giving it to them (Luke 24:31), just as he did at the last Passover Seder on the night before his death, proclaiming that the broken bread was his body given to them (Luke 22:19). In other words, the two disciples received the Word on their way to Emmaus and the Body of Christ in Emmaus by risen Jesus, who is the eternal Great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 4:14-5:10; 7:11-28) and of a new covenant (Hebrews 8:1-13). And these two disciple’s journey to Emmaus with risen Jesus was, indeed, the first post-resurrection Mass, with the Liturgy of the Word, followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Ite, Missa est. When Mass is over, we are called to go in peace and proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, these two disciples ran back to where the rest of the disciples in Jerusalem, forgetting about whatever the plan they had in Emmaus and wherever they would go from there. And they shared with them their amazing encounter with risen Jesus.

It was indeed a walking Mass, from Jerusalem to Emmaus. This makes our Church mobile, truly apostolic, not static. It is because the Church is made alive with risen Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Accompanied by risen Jesus, who is truly the Parakletos(1 John 2:1), which literally means, “make a call (kaleo) to be besides (para)”, it was not just a journey but  moving Mass, from Jerusalem to Emmaus, because risen the eternal High Priest of Melchizedek as order was present as risen Jesus. He fed Cleopas and the other disciple with the Word and the Eucharist. So they were enlightened and nourished to be send out to bring a message on his resurrection to the rest of the disciples. Through this mobile Mass, their lives were transformed.

Even if we might not yet found or encountered risen Jesus, not recognizing him yet, even if we could go on a wrong way of life, let us not lose our hope and faith, because he will find us wherever we may be and redeem us back to his herd- so that we will be one with him.

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