Road to Emmaus
Photo by Simon_K
We see once more that the divine dialogue, specifically designed to be in tune with the receptivity of the human subject, will take place at different levels. There differences were clearly shown by Pope Saint Gregory in his homily on the disciples of Emmaus; "The Lord appeared to two disciples who were walking along the road, speaking about him, although, in fact they did not believe in him. But he did not show them a face they could recognize; the Lord was thus revealing, on the outside, to the eyes of their body, what they were seeing inside, in the eyes of the heart. Deep inside, they loved and they doubted, and so the Lord was present to them on the outside, but he was not showing them who he was. While they were them, but since they doubted him, he hid the sight of his face from them."
Is there a better and more succinct way of saying that God reveals himself only insofar as he can be grasped to the recipient's advantage when he intervenes, even if it means that he will have to reveal himself more fully when the eyes of the heart will be able to receive the greater light? Besides, this is what St Gregory states a few lines further, when he attributes the fact that the disciples recognize Jesus in the "stranger," forced by their pressing invitation to accept their hospitality: "as they listened to the teaching, they were not enlightened; it is by carrying them out that they saw the light."
The lesson is always the same: interpersonal knowledge can only grow essentially at the expense of the transformation of the knowing subject: we know inasmuch as we love.
Father Maurice Zundel
(Father Zundel [+ 1075] was a Swiss
mystic, poet, philosopher, liturgist,
and author)
Quote from Magnificat, 4/2008 edition
I am profoundly grateful to John and his telling of the Walk to
Emmaus. I am also thankful the Church has seen fit to make it such an important part of our tradition.
You see, in my simple way, I have seen Christmas as the coming of the Savior and Easter the
fulfillment of God's covenant with us all. But until several years ago, I didn't see me, personally, in the picture. I listened to the Beatitudes and knew it was a lesson in charity, to which we are called. I heard the parables and the teaching of the Master. The Walk to
Emmaus, though, has become a respite for me along this journey.
When I first realized the importance of this Scripture passage, I was a young mother and responsible for the week's gathering at church as we "broke open the Word" for the next Sunday's readings. I read this passage and read it and read it again, and I just didn't get it. DUH!! So why is this important, what did it mean? I could only hope that those who gathered with me would have the insights I was missing.
Well, as my father would have said, "The Spirit moved!" As we began the discussion, all of a sudden it became crystal clear! This passage is a lesson on the Mass. Our Lord set before us the Mass we celebrate. The Master instructed us in how to worship! Yes, and on that evening I found my place in the Liturgy. The Priest, as representative of Christ, is the center of worship, for with out him there can be no consecration. But if I am not in attendance, it means that I have missed that "Walk" with the Lord. I haven't heard the Word proclaimed; I haven't witnessed, through the consecration of the bread and wine, Christ's real presence in our midst.
Of all the readings in Scripture, I rank this one as one of my favorite because it was time in which I recognized how the Spirit works in our lives. How my eyes were opened. How He was made known to me through the Word, and finally, allowing me to understand his lesson in the "breaking of the bread."
Don't ya love it? You see in the moment I was "transformed."
~~~+~~~
Thanks be to God!
Thought I'd add one of my favorite Norman Rockwell pictures. It's from an old calendar, 2007. Click on the picture to enlarge and enjoy Mr. Rockwell's handiwork.
