Commentary

3rd Sunday of Easter – B (April 26, 2009)
Luke 24:35-48

Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread

The passage from Luke used for this Sunday follows immediately after the story of the two disciples who encountered Jesus on the way to Emmaus. After they have recognized him, they return immediately to Jerusalem. There, they proclaimed to the community of disciples gathered “what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

Then, it’s the terrified disciples’ turn to encounter Jesus. He “stands in their midst.” He reveals Himself to them in the flesh. And He reminds them of how the entire of Scriptures points to Him.

In this passage, we can see how we, as Jesus disciples, continue to encounter Him in the exact same ways. It is in the community of believers that Jesus continues to be present. He gives Himself, body and blood, to us in the Eucharist. And He reveals Himself to us in Scriptures because He is the Word made flesh. Every time the Church gathers to celebrate the Eucharist, we encounter the same Risen Christ who showed Himself to the disciples after the Resurrection.
And at every Eucharist, the Risen Christ sends us out, just as He sent the first disciples, to preach the forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations. “You are witnesses of these things.”