Living the Truth in Love They Knew Him in the Breaking of the Bread In most of the encounters between Jesus and His disciples after His Resurrection there is an uncertainty on the part of the disciples as to the recognition of the Risen Lord. The classic example of this is the encounter of Christ with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The two disciples are heading home after the crucifixion of Jesus and discussing all of the events that have taken place during the previous days. When they meet Jesus, they do not recognize Him even though they had been His followers. They express to Him their hopes that the one who was crucified might have been the Messiah. They even tell Him how some of the other disciples had recounted the incredible news that He had been raised from the dead. The two disciples obviously do not believe this news as they are heading home hoping to start a new life having abandoned their hopes in Christ. They are disappointed, hurt and not about to be hurt again. We have all experienced this sentiment. 1
When Jesus speaks to them and explains the Scriptures, their hearts are moved and their hopes stirred. However, it is only when Jesus breaks bread that they recognize who He is and are filled with joy. They turn around to return to the other disciples and tell them of their encounter which has healed and renewed them. It is the breaking of the bread, the celebration of the Eucharist, which enables them to recognize Christ and the means by which He becomes fully present to them. Indeed, "He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread" (Lk 24:35). It is this that takes away their pain. St. Thomas, the doubting apostle, is in a similar situation to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. After the crucifixion of Christ, Thomas is so hurt that he cuts himself off from the other apostles who truly had become the Church of the New Covenant. In his isolation, Thomas is not able to experience the Risen Christ. He is so hurt and disappointed by Christ's crucifixion and death, that he shields himself from faith so that he cannot be hurt again. So many of us can identify with the hurt of Thomas through a loss which causes us to protect ourselves from further pain. We turn in on ourselves so that we cannot be hurt again. However, when Thomas decides to return to the small Church of the apostles, the Lord appears to him. Christ calls to mind the Eucharist for Thomas by inviting him to touch His very body and wounds. Only this encounter, invoking Christ s Eucharistic Presence, elicits such faith from Thomas that he is able to proclaim the highest confession of faith in the Gospels, "My Lord and my God" (Jn 20:27). This is why we utter these words of adoration when we gaze upon the Body and Blood of Christ as the priest holds up the host and chalice after the Consecration of the Mass. Again, it is the Eucharist which brings healing and faith to Thomas and to all of us. It is when we gather as the Church of Christ that we celebrate the Eucharist and recognize His Real Presence in the breaking of the bread. 2
The first appearance of the Risen Christ that is recorded in the Scriptures is to Mary Magdalene. While the Lord most likely first appeared to His Blessed Mother after His Resurrection, that appearance is not recorded in the Scriptures. The encounter must have been so intense that it went beyond the bounds of being able to be recorded just as the Lord's actual Resurrection could not be recorded in words. There is a wonderfully mysterious and subtle Eucharistic element regarding the appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene. Like the other encounters with the Risen Christ, Mary does not recognize Him. She is weeping and broken as she goes to the tomb to anoint the body of her Master. When she finds the tomb empty, she believes that Christ's body had been removed from it. He then appears to her at the tomb but it is only the sound of His voice speaking in love that stirs her recognition of Him. While she sees Him, she does not believe that it is Him until she is touched by His love. That love cannot be seen except in His giving of Himself, which is most fully realized in the Eucharist. There is a further Eucharistic reference in the appearance of Jesus to Mary. It involves the expression of love given to Christ immediately before His Last Supper and His Crucifixion. In the Gospels of Sts. Matthew and Mark, we are told of a woman who, two days before the Last Supper, anointed the head of the Lord with costly perfume. This anointing is an extravagant act of love and thanksgiving for what Christ is about to do. When the woman is criticized by others, Jesus defends her action as a sign of preparing His body for burial. He then utters the most incredible words, "Amen, I say to you, wherever the Gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, 3
what she has done will be told in memory of her" (Mt 26:13; Mk 14:9). These words are unparalleled in the Gospels except for Christ's own words at the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper, "Do this in memory of me" (Lk 22:19). The Gospel of St. Luke also has a similar account of this anointing, but the woman is identified as a sinner whom Jesus forgives. The Gospel of St. John likewise has a similar account, but the woman is identified as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus. Whether there is one event that is recounted in different ways or more than one event, the identity of the woman in the accounts of Matthew and Luke may very well be that of Mary Magdalene. It is fitting that she would be the first to encounter the Risen Christ after expressing her love in such a moving manner, almost in response to the extravagant love the Lord would show at the Last Supper. While imperfect, the woman s act of love is in anticipated response to Christ s extravagant act of love. Her love is an example of the love we should show for the Eucharist. As we celebrate this glorious season of Easter, it is in the Eucharist, the breaking of the bread, that we most fully encounter the Real Presence of the Risen Christ. Like the disciples who met Jesus after His Resurrection, we actually see Him. However, it is only faith that is able to recognize Him fully present. Our encounter with Him is an encounter in which we are touched to the depth of our being by His love. His love should elicit from us a similar response of love. Our response will always be incomplete and broken. Our response will also be lacking in faith and conviction. Only the Eucharist heals us of our brokenness and brings us into the very depths of the being of God through the Body and Blood of Christ. 4
Every encounter with the Risen Christ is a Eucharistic encounter. That was also true for the disciples who met Him immediately after His Resurrection. As we more deeply know Christ in the breaking of the bread, may we respond with the love of St. Mary Magdalene and cry out with the faith of St. Thomas, "My Lord and my God." Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito April 24, 2009 5