The Resurrection window, St. Peter’s Church, Torrington, CTThe story of the risen Christ meeting the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32) contains the whole reason for the Resurrection. Christ was not content to gain the wherewithal for salvation and allow the peoples of the world to come and share it. He sets out himself to distribute the gifts of Easter Sunday.
This story is a marvelous illustration of Christ's initiative in distributing the fruits of his rising from the dead. Really, these fruits are nothing but himself. And so, Christ himself comes to the disciples of Emmaus.
Whoever reads this passage carefully cannot escape the impression that Christ does not proclaim himself only “to spread the Gospel.” The true reason for this meeting is esteem, a deep-seated respect and love for these two. He breaks into their conversation feigning ignorance: “What are you discussing as you go your way?” They don't quite believe his question. Anyone who has not spent the previous week at the bottom of a well should certainly know “the things that went on there these last few days.” Then the two friends give Jesus a summary of the Gospel, the basic revelation of the Son of God come to rescue humankind.
They tell the unknown stranger that they have heard some stories about Christ's rising from the dead, but “him they did not see.” One can read a profound nostalgia in these lines. One can sense a pervasive sadness in their hearts at the thought of ‘what might have been’ if the prophecies had ‘come true.’
The Lord answers this unbelief with what appears to be a harsh response. “What little sense you have! How slow you are to believe all that the prophets have announced!” The point of these remarks is that they should have seen the meaning of these last events with the help of the prophets. They had missed the clues, Christ told them. They had had “little sense.” These are his words.
We may wonder how many clues and signs of Christ's presence we have missed along our own way. There has been the clear preaching of the Church as well as the living presence of the Lord within the person of a friend, or even within a neighbor we have no special affection for. There have been signal events in our lives that have all but trumpeted the eager presence of the Christ and we have misunderstood them or simply have not seen them.
In order to make his presence unmistakably clear to his friends, the Lord resorts to what had become his own watermark, his own signature in life. He gathers them around a table and, as they stare wide-eyed at him, he takes bread, blesses it, and distributes it to them. He gives himself fully to them. He comes to them as food as well as friend. Then they recall the enthusiasm they had felt along the road as he explained the Scriptures. The Lord's presence brings spirit, fervor, eagerness, anticipation.
An unnoticed or disregarded presence of the Lord in our lives is a missed grace. The Resurrection is nothing unless we believe that he is present to us, here and now.