Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - Wednesday in the Easter Octave - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 24, 13-35 - This is the day which the Lord has made, may it be a day of feast and joy for us!
First of all, let us note that: first of all, this scene does not take place in the morning but in the afternoon. Secondly, one stadium is worth about 200 meters, and therefore 60 stadiums are worth 12,000 meters, that is, 12 kilometers. The distance between Jerusalem and Emmaus is therefore around 15 kilometres. In the Bible, the number 2 represents the community, a society. Thus, Jesus walking with the two disciples represents him within the society. One of the disciples is known: Cleophas, but the other, anonymous, symbolises each one of us. Jesus is therefore present in our lives, but it is we who are unable to feel his presence, to recognise him. As with the two disciples, He asks about our conversations. When we are with a friend, a colleague... what do we talk about? Shamefully, as soon as the two of us get together, we enjoy gossiping, gossiping...
For the two disciples, they were talking about current events. They were trying to explain everything to Jesus, when in reality it was Jesus' interventions that made them understand the truth. This is what we also experience during the Liturgy of the Word. We must do our best to apprehend the Word, the effective and total understanding is Jesus'. Listening to the Word, do we, like the disciples, have a burning heart?
Finally, "Having broken the bread, he gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him". The Word and the breaking of the Bread are inseparable. It is distressing to see how people do not pay the same attention, the same respect to one as to the other.