3rd Sunday of Easter 2023
Acts 2:14, 22-28; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24: 13-35
Some people believe that today’s Reading from the Acts of the Apostles contains the earliest written reference to the sport of cricket, as one translation states that “Peter stood up with the Eleven and was bold (bowled?)”. Having said that, I probably shouldn’t mention that, on encountering a stranger on the road to Emmaus, the disciples decided “Emmaus well (He may as well?) come with us”.
In fact, that encounter on the Emmaus road has immense significance. If, as is the case, the archetypal celebration of Mass took place over the whole Last Supper/Crucifixion/Resurrection event, its first re-presentation occurred on the road to, and in the house at, Emmaus.
You may recall that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal states that Jesus the Christ is present in the Mass in four ways. Firstly, He is present in the gathering of His people, He who said “Wherever two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them”. Secondly, He is present in the person of the priest, offering for and with the priestly people the one sacrifice made present again in our time. Thirdly, He is present in His word, proclaimed for us; fourthly in the sacrament and sacrifice of His Body and Blood.
How is this to be found in the Emmaus event? Jesus is plainly there in this gathering of His two disciples, not least because they welcome a stranger and allow Him to walk with them.
Jesus Himself is the Eternal High Priest who celebrates this Mass on the road and in the house. He it is who breaks both the word and the bread, presiding over both.
If we consider the sequence of events, we see clearly the two main parts of the Mass, as they were re-established in the wake of the Second Vatican Council: namely the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The former takes place on the road, as Jesus explains the Scriptures: the latter in the house, as He breaks the bread and disappears from their sight, as He is now present in the bread of the Eucharist, which has become His Body.
(Incidentally, I always wince at the term “the traditional Latin Mass”, as the present structure of the Mass, with the clear division into Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist, the use of the vernacular, and the making of the hands into a throne to receive the Body of Christ, is far closer to the original than is the Tridentine rite.)
As always, the question arises “What about us?”. Do we recognise and follow the structure of the Mass? In particular, are we aware of the movement from the Liturgy of the Word into the Liturgy of the Eucharist?
And are we conscious of the four ways in which Christ is present in the Mass? Do we recognise Him in the gathering of His people? Our fellow Mass-goers bring Christ to us: do we recognise Him in them? Every person in church with us is a presence of Christ. Do we ever criticise them mentally? If so, we are criticising Christ. If you look around and think “Well, if that’s the face of Christ, He is a funny looking so and so, and I am not sure that I want to know Him”, remember that others may be thinking the same about you.
Perhaps the most difficult identification concerns the priest as the presence of Christ. Here we have to—you have to—look beyond the deficiencies of the individual to see only the office which he holds, and which, in the Mass, he is exercising.
As for the Liturgy of the Word, do our hearts burn within us, as did the hears of the Emmaus disciples? If not, why not? Is it because of poor delivery, inadequate homily, lack of attention? However poorly the Scriptures may be read or explained, they should carry enough force through the presence of Christ within them to set our hearts on fire.
Finally there is the Eucharistic presence of Christ, bringing before us His one eternal sacrifice, feeding us with His Body and Blood. “Gift greater than Himself, God cannot give: gift greater than our God humankind cannot receive” wrote one of the Church Fathers. If anyone knows which one, please tell me. Whoever it was, I can reply only with a huge “Amen”.
