Eucharistic Readings for Wednesday of Easter Week; Year C
Acts 3:1-10; Luke 24:13-35; Psalm 105:1-8 or Psalm 118:19-24:
“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:30-31)
It seems the Resurrected Jesus did a lot of appearing and disappearing as he so chose. This lesson on the road to Emmaus is just such an encounter. Jesus retells scripture to them from Moses to their present which would include the kings and prophets, how God’s love and presence was always with humanity and how God came to them in the person of Jesus. God took humanity, blessed humanity, sent humanity in their various directions starting with twelve tribes. This is the way God loves us. God loves us, takes us, blesses us, divides us in good ways, and sends us off to do good works. Anything less is not Godly.
It is when Jesus joined the two of them at their table and conducted the Holy Communion that they realized who he was. At that point, he was no longer seen – magically, as he chose.
This four-fold consecration of the elements has been handed down to us from Jesus himself. It is God’s formula for spreading love. God takes creation and blesses it – says it is good. Then God divides the spaces of where various created creatures are to live, some in the waters, some in the trees some on the open plain, some in the mountains, and so on; and gives to each their own. However, humanity has the option of living in any climb and place where we can take love. Humanity has the intellect to manipulate conditions to suit the necessary living conditions required for us. So we, humanity, are taken, blessed, divided and sent to all parts of the earth to remember and proclaim the Creating Word.
Jesus, like the angels throughout the Bible, does not arrive, but rather, appears. This means the angels, and perhaps Jesus, are already with us, but prevents us from seeing them. Jesus did not let them know who he was until he was ready. As shown in this chapter of Luke, “While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:15-16)
We have very limited perceptibility. We see what the Holy One wants us to see, when the Holy One wants us to see it. We, like the two on the road to Emmaus, are to see the sacred in the four-fold formula of God. It is then that our hearts also will burn with desire.
When we misuse God’s formula of taking, blessing, sharing and giving we corrupt our divine mission of spreading love in the world and it can cause war to happen such as it has in Ukraine. We now need to receive them, bless them, share what we have, and give back to them what is theirs.
As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
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