Their eyes were prevented from recognizing him

At 3,1-10; Ps 104; Lk 24,13-35
24 APRIL

Christ Jesus can only be known by knowing the Scriptures according to the truth placed in them by the Holy Spirit. A single truth modified on his Person and on his mission and there will be little chance of recognizing him. All the Scriptures announce that the Messiah is not only the Sufferer, the Pierced and the persecuted Just, they also say that his passion is the fruit of his love. He has taken upon himself all the sins of the world in order to expiate them. This is the truth of Scripture. The worldly thought about the Messiah was of a victorious, a triumphing and warrior King, capable of driving the oppressor enemy from the land of the Fathers. The Messiah was seen more on the model of David and the Maccabean brothers, and almost for nothing in the robes of the Silent lamb before his shearers and the silent sheep led to the slaughter house. Jesus had always foretold the unity of the two mysteries: death and resurrection, annihilation and exaltation. But the light of Christ could hardly penetrate the minds of the disciples. It was like a pitcher filled with earth. There is no space in it for the pure water that quenches and gives life. With the resurrection everything becomes easier. Christ Jesus can be shown in the accomplished full mystery. With the explanation of the Scriptures the mind is emptied of every land of human thought and little by little the water of the most pure truth can enter it.

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.

As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus speaks and the disciples begin to feel something in their heart. Now they know that the true mystery of Christ passes through the cross. The traveller knows the Scriptures well. But their eyes still do not recognize him as their Master. There is still a further passage missing: from the truth we must move on to the reality of the resurrection. This step will be done at home. Jesus makes a gesture familiar to him: the blessing of bread before taking food. Jesus sits at table. He blesses the bread. Their eyes recognize him. He disappears. They now become true images of the Church. They return to Jerusalem to warn his Apostles that Jesus has truly risen. This is the true mission of the disciple of Jesus: proclaiming to every man the true mystery of his Lord.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, make us true disciples, announcers of the mystery of the Master.