April 06, 2008: Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14, 22-33
Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
1 Peter 1:17-21
Luke 24:13-35

The two disciples in next Sunday's Gospel reading did not recognize Jesus until after they heard him explain the scriptures and then broke bread with him. It was a two-part process. First, while listening to him teach about the scriptures, only their hearts recognized him ("Were not our hearts burning within us?"). Their eyes didn't become open to his true identity until Jesus took the bread of a shared meal, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them to eat.

When we celebrate Mass today, we're on a similar journey with Jesus. First, we have the Liturgy of the Word, during which we hear the scriptures and a homily that explains them. This is a time of listening with our hearts.

A well-trained reader will speak the words of scripture with meaning and emphasis so that our hearts can recognize Jesus. A well-trained priest or deacon will teach us about the scriptures so that our hearts on set on fire as if Jesus himself were teaching us. But even if the reader or homilist does a poor job, our hearts can tune in and hear what Jesus is saying to us.

Then we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist. When the presiding priest consecrates the bread and wine, it is Jesus himself who is actually doing it, using the priest's hands and vocal chords. Jesus is doing for us what he did for those two disciples at Emmaus.

If we have opened our hearts to Jesus during the first part of Mass, and if we are still paying attention, we see much more than a wafer of bread and a chalice of wine. We see Jesus. We recognize him with our hearts AND our heads. We know beyond all doubt that the resurrected Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Where does Jesus seem to be absent from your life? Did you ever feel like he was missing? How can the Mass help you recognize Jesus and feel his closeness? What else can you do to discover the presence of Jesus where you otherwise have not been able to sense his nearness?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:
When did you discover that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist? How do you know that the bread and wine change into the substance of Jesus while retaining their original form (which is called "transubstantiation")? Is it always easy for you to recognize Jesus in the Eucharist?

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