The Path to Emmaus and the Catholic Mass

In the Gospel of Luke Ch 24, we hear about two of Jesus’s disillusioned and despondent disciples, Cleopas and his unnamed friend on the path to Emmaus and to an extraordinary First Communion experience in what resembled a Catholic Mass.They were walking home to a village called Emmaus on Easter morning after hearing rumors about an empty tomb. As they mediitated on the events surrounding the crucifixion, the resurrected Jesus drew near and walked with them in disguise. 

Liturgy of the Word

After asking them why they were so sad, Jesus reassured them that his death was supposed to happen that way according to the Scriptures.

Then he began a lengthy discourse. The Gospel of Luke tells us that 'beginning with Moses and all the Prophets', Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Lk 24:27). 

The road to Emmaus from Jerusalem was 7.5  miles. For most healthy adults, the average walking speed is about three miles per hour. So assuming Jesus joined them at the 30 minute mark, he had about two hours to make their hearts burn with desire. 

Since ancient Jews considered the first five books to be penned by Moses, when it says, 'beginning with Moses' that probably means Jesus  began his Bible lesson all the way back in Genesis. What exactly did he say in his exegesis about the christological meaning of the Old Testament? No one knows for sure but we can make a good guess. 

Typology

I believe he began with typology which is a way of seeing Jesus in the allegorical sense of scripture in people, places and things that foreshadowed him and pointed to him. He probably laid out the case for them to see Himself as...

• the 'new Adam': both in a garden one giving in to temptation and the other resisting it.
• Next he moved on to the 'new Noah': one building an ark to save the people and animals and the other building a church for the purpose of saving the world.
• Then he covered the 'new Isaac': the first carrying wood up a hill for his own sacrifice and the other actually going through with it to please the Father.
• Then the 'new Moses' one leading the Hebrews out of Egyptian bondage to the Promised Land, the other leading us out from the slavery to sin to the Beatific Vision etc.. 

Prophecy

After a thorough treatment of typology, he most likely pointed out the messianic prophecies ...

• Beginning with the Genesis 3:15 promise that he would put enmity between the woman and the serpent and that her offspring would one day crush the demonic head of evil.
• He eventually got to Psalm 22 and the connections to his crucifixion, ‘they have pierced my hands and my feet’ .
• From there I imagine he covered the Isaiah 53 prophecy that he would be 'led like a lamb to the slaughter' as an atonement for sin and he would not open his mouth (before Herod). 

Genealogy

He probably also gave a catechesis on his family tree with his bloodline going all the way back to Adam, through Mary, David and Judah etc..

In his genealogy, he most likely pointed out his fulfillment of the Old Covenant inherent in these titles...

• Holy One of Israel, the long expected Messiah
• Lion of Judah, born in the line of Judah, Jacob and Isaac 
• The Son of David, heir to the everlasting royal throne of David
• The Son of Abraham, heir to the promises of Abraham especially the universal blessing of his descendants

Progression of Covenants

Next, he likely pointed out the pattern of covenants building up to the New Covenant...

• First God established a covenant with a couple (Adam and Eve)
• Then with a family (Noah)
• Then with a tribe (Abraham)
• Then with a nation (Moses)
• Then with a kingdom (David).
• Finally he arrived at a universal kingdom, the New Covenant in the Catholic Church established upon Peter the Rock. 

From there I imagine he went back to the typology of the water and blood that flowed from his side and built up his bride the Church under the two great sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist just as the first Adam received a bride from the rib taken from his side. 

They must have felt that time went so fast as the walk came to an end. 

When we look at what happened in the story so far we can compare it to what we experience at Mass in the Liturgy of the Word: readings and a homily. Jesus broke open the scriptures which he quoted by heart and then taught them what it meant. He took them through the Old Testament readings and then applied it to himself in the Gospel message. 

Liturgy of the Eucharist

The setting also changed as they invited the stranger to enter the home and prepared to eat a meal together. It would have been cool and dark with oil lamps lit. They would have washed their feet and hands, reclining before a low table. This was customary and Jesus would have expected it. All of it mirrored and marked the transition in the Catholic Mass from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist. 

The Liturgy of Eucharist began when Jesus agreed to stay and it culminated when he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them. The taking, the blessing, the breaking and the giving are all literary clues that this was a eucharistic meal. Bible scholars refer to these four actions as the ‘eucharistic formula’. Luke, they say, wants us to 'think Eucharist' here. 

“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”- Lk 24:30-32

The Eucharistic Formula

We see these four actions every Sunday at Mass...

• The ‘taking’ happens in the offertory when the gifts, after having been brought to the altar, are taken by the presider. Since he stands in the place of Christ, every gift is taken first by the priest at Mass then he hands them off to altar servers or the deacon. 
• The ‘blessing’ happens in the eucharistic prayer beginning with the barakah prayer , “Blessed are you Lord God of all creation…”  and ending with the doxology, “Through him, with him and in him in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever” to which Cleopas and his friend no doubt responded, “Amen”.
• The 'breaking' is what we call the fraction rite. Jesus, through the priest, breaks the consecrated Host (His Body) as a sign of his death. He later drops the fragment of Host back into the cup as a sign of his resurrection. 
• The 'giving' happens in the distribution of Holy Communion. Jesus, under the appearance of Bread and Wine is received in an edible way as food. Before that we received into our minds and hearts, the Word of God in the readings, in an audible way. 

For the second time that day Cleopas and the other disciple did not recognize Christ in disguise. This time Jesus came to them under the appearance of bread and wine. Jesus, the consummate teacher,  saw this as a perfect opportunity for another lesson.

The Real Presence

The lesson on the Real Presence came when Jesus gave them the Eucharist to consume. It was then when they received him into their mouths that they realized that he was in their hearts. They became one with Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity and they experienced the fire of his burning love.

Astonished by the experience the men questioned their own reaction to the Word of God that they received. “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24:32).

They never questioned the reality of the presence of Christ. Instead, they were blown away by the gift they had received. They couldn't wait to tell the others so much so that they turned around 180 degrees and went back to the Holy City. They were forever changed. 

What’s the take away?

In an age of mass disbelief in the Eucharist whether that is due to faulty catechesis or a lack of faith, the Emmaus story reminds us that when we prepare ourselves by being in a state of grace, when we let the readings impact our minds and then we invite Jesus into our hearts before we receive communion we can be sure that he will enter. When he does, we can then ask for the grace of amazement and the grace of a burning heart.

A perfect follow up to become more appreciative of the mystery of the Real Presence would be to spend quiet time in eucharistic adoration and meditate on his heart burning with love for you. 

May we all recognize Jesus in the Eucharist, 'the breaking of the bread'.