Word and Sacrament: The foundation for spiritual nourishment
(Acts 2:14-33; Psalm 16:7-10; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35)
Our Christian faith is deeply enriched by the ministry of God’s word, particularly during the Liturgy of the Word, which forms the first part of the Mass. During this sacred time, we listen attentively to the readings, which provide us with spiritual nourishment and insight into our faith. Following the readings, the homily is an essential moment when the Sacred Word is explained and made relevant to our lives, enabling us to reflect on its meaning and application.
However, it is crucial to recognise that our participation in the Mass reaches its fullest expression in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This pivotal part of the service enables us to encounter the living Christ in a profound way, akin to the disciples’ miraculous encounter on the road to Emmaus on that first Resurrection Sunday. The “breaking of the bread” is not merely an act of sharing a meal; it is a sacramental moment in which we come face-to-face with the real presence of Christ, nourishing our souls and binding us more closely to Him and to each other.
In our First Reading, we journey back to the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, which falls fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus. On this day, St. Peter addressed a large crowd of Jews in Jerusalem, inspired by the Holy Spirit’s descent upon and filling of the disciples gathered in the Upper Room, as recounted in Acts 2:1-13. This moment marks the birth of the Church and the empowerment of its members to spread the Gospel.
We encounter the Responsorial Psalm, attributed to David. In this lyrical passage, we witness God saving His “chosen one” from impending destruction. St. Peter, in his Pentecost Sunday sermon to the Jewish audience, skillfully applied this psalm to highlight Jesus Christ as God's ultimate “Chosen One.” This connection between David's words and Christ's mission emphasises God's plan for salvation as recorded in Acts 2:25-33, making clear the continuity of God's promises throughout history.
In the Second Reading, St. Peter elaborates on the transformative effect of Christ’s death and resurrection for believers. He draws parallels with the Egyptian Passover, a foundational event in Jewish history that symbolises liberation and divine intervention. For Christians, this narrative reflects our own journey. Much like the Israelites who were sojourning in a foreign land, we, too, are reminded that our earthly existence is temporary and that we have been delivered from sin and death by the precious blood of the unblemished Lamb, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice transcends all.
On Resurrection Sunday, shortly after the momentous event of Christ’s resurrection, the glorified Jesus met two of His disciples as they journeyed home to Emmaus, a village about seven miles from Jerusalem. This significant meeting is recorded in the Gospel of Mark, which notes Jesus’s appearance to these Emmaus disciples and later to the eleven Apostles in the Upper Room in Jerusalem (Mark 16:12-17). However, only the Gospel of Luke delves deeply into the nuances of the encounter between the resurrected Jesus and the two despondent disciples.
In today's Gospel, we revisit the poignant moment when Jesus’s disciples from Emmaus engaged with God’s Word in Sacred Scripture and recognised Him in the sacramental sign of the “breaking of the bread.” This encounter not only reveals the disciples’ understanding and recognition of Jesus but also underscores the importance of faith and revelation in our own lives. It invites us to reflect on how we, too, can recognise Christ in our midst and deepen our relationship with Him through participation in the Eucharist.
These two men were walking in deep sorrow, utterly brokenhearted by the tumultuous events of the past three days, including the crucifixion of Jesus, whom they had hoped would be their Messiah. Doubt began to plague them, prompting them to question the testimonies of the women who claimed to have witnessed the empty tomb, as well as the reports from Peter and John about this miraculous discovery (John 20:1-8). A perplexing question arises: why were they unable to recognise Jesus as He walked beside them? The original Greek text indicates that “their eyes were held/bound” (the term used is "krateo") so that they did not “recognise/know/perceive” (the Greek word is "epiginosoko") Him. In essence, it was Jesus Himself who kept them from recognising Him. This divine concealment paralleled their lack of faith in grasping the full meaning of His resurrection. Their inability to see clearly would later be reversed in verse 31.
When describing Jesus, the disciples called Him a "prophet" in verse 19. This title is used by St. Luke five times in his Gospel (4:24; 7:16, 39; 13:33; 24:19) and thrice in the Book of Acts (Acts 3:22-23; 7:37; 8:34-35), for a total of eight instances. Calling Jesus a "prophet" positions Him as the new Moses, leading a new Exodus and fulfilling the prophecy of the ultimate prophet in Deuteronomy 18:17-19. This connection is further illustrated in Luke 9:31, where Moses and Elijah speak with Jesus about His impending “exodus” from Jerusalem. The disciples’ hope for a “new Moses” is expressed in verse 21, where they desire Jesus to be the one who would “redeem” Israel. This recurring theme of redemption echoes throughout St. Luke’s writings, beginning in Luke 1:68 and 2:38. Yet they had not yet understood that Jesus’s vision of “redemption of Israel” transcended the temporal and must be viewed through a spiritual lens, focusing on the restoration of the faithful remnant within God’s covenant people (Acts 13:23). Importantly, the Emmaus disciples also corroborated the accounts given by the women regarding the tomb and the visits made by Peter and John (John 20:1-10).
As the disciples shared their doubts and uncertainties about the events of the previous week with their unnamed fellow traveller, Jesus gently admonished them for their lack of belief in verse 25, calling them “slow of heart.” In contemporary understanding, the “heart” is often associated with emotion, but for the ancients it represented the core of intellect, reasoning, and moral disposition.
In Jesus’s statement about believing in Him and the fulfilment of the prophets, two crucial points emerge:
1. There is a strong connection between faith in Jesus and a correct interpretation of the Scriptures, emphasising that true understanding of His mission requires a foundation in the prophetic writings.
2. The phrase “all that the prophets spoke” implies that the entirety of Scripture is imbued with prophetic significance and messianic expectation.
The rhetorical question posed by Jesus in verse 26 calls for an affirmative response. It highlights God’s Divine Plan for humanity’s salvation through the prophecies concerning His “Suffering Servant,” especially those articulated in the profound chapters of Isaiah (52-53). To “enter into His glory” is synonymous with entering His Kingdom. Following this, Jesus began an extensive teaching session, starting with the Torah (the five books of Moses, from Genesis to Deuteronomy) and extending into the Psalms. This is reflected in Peter's reference to Psalm 16:8-11 in our First Reading from Acts 2:29-30, which shows how the Old Testament foreshadows New Testament truths. Jesus concluded this enlightening discourse by revealing all scriptural passages that foreshadowed His mission of redemption and salvation. This framework underscores the Catholic Tradition of studying the Old Testament through the lens of Christ as revealed in the New Testament. St. Augustine articulated this relationship beautifully when he stated, “… for the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New” (St. Augustine, Quaestiones in Heptateuchum 2,73; see CCC 128-129).
The narrative of the Emmaus disciples highlights a profound encounter with Jesus, who, though unrecognised, is invited into their home for a meal and an overnight stay. During this shared meal, their eyes are opened, revealing the traveller’s true identity as Jesus Christ. This moment is rich in symbolism and mirrors the events of the Lord’s Supper described in Luke 22:14-19. Jesus’s actions at this dinner echo those of the Last Supper, which, according to ancient Jewish customs, coincided with the Passover meal that began at sundown, effectively marking the start of Friday (our Thursday evening).
During that pivotal night, Jesus performed a sacred ritual: He took the bread, blessed it, and broke it, actions that echo those He performed with the Emmaus disciples. In this act of “breaking of the bread”, the disciples experience a moment of revelation, finally recognising Jesus as the Messiah they had been discussing. This recognition is significant; it speaks to a deeper understanding of their spiritual journey.
In verse 31, we encounter the Greek term "epiginosoko," which appears here for the second time, the first being in verse 16. Initially, the disciples' eyes were metaphorically "bound," preventing them from “recognising/knowing” Jesus. However, in a dramatic turn, their eyes are now “opened.” This shift is not merely physical seeing; it signifies a deeper, spiritual recognition of who Jesus is. Their understanding of the Scriptures, which Jesus had elaborated upon during their conversation, together with the experience of the breaking of bread, culminates in their realisation of Jesus’ identity.
This transformation among the Emmaus disciples can be seen as a reversal of the biblical account of Adam and Eve, whose eyes were “opened” in a different context, leading to their awareness of sin. The phrase “their eyes were opened, and they recognised” in Luke 24:31 and 35 echoes the Greek Septuagint (LXX) version of Genesis 3:7, which recounts Adam and Eve’s realisation of their nakedness after eating the forbidden fruit. Thus, just as their eyes were opened to their shame, the Emmaus disciples’ revelation leads them to recognise the messianic significance of Jesus through the Scriptures and the breaking of the bread.
After their profound encounter, the disciples immediately returned to Jerusalem to share their experience with the Apostles. In verse 34, “Simon” refers to Simon Peter, who had the honour of an individual appearance from the resurrected Jesus, as noted in St. Paul’s writings. There, he is called “Rock” (Cephas), highlighting his foundational role in the early Church and reflecting the name Jesus bestowed upon him, derived from the Greek word “Petros,” meaning Peter (1 Corinthians 15:5). The term “the eleven” refers to the remaining Apostles after the betrayal and subsequent death of Judas Iscariot.
The Emmaus disciples’ experience serves as a model for all believers. It illustrates the natural response to recognising Jesus in one’s life: a desire to share that experience with others. This raises reflective questions: Is the Lord Jesus Christ “risen today” in your own life? Can you claim a personal relationship with Him? Are you actively sharing your experiences of Christ and the transformative impact He has had in your life? Have you considered the value of participating in a Bible study, where you can explore how Jesus fulfils God’s divine plan for salvation as prophesied in the Old Testament? Engaging with Scripture is crucial, as it opens the door to understanding God’s overarching plan and helps believers recognise Jesus in the “breaking of the bread” within the Eucharist, anchoring the significance of this sacred ritual in the Christian faith.
Dr Nicholas Macedon OCD,
Jeeva Jyothi Carmelite Institute of Spirituality (JJCIS),
Old Gandarvakottai,
Pudukottai - 613301.
Tamil Nadu, India
What's app - +91 - 9698453101
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