Posted by The WORD in other words (2009) by Fr. Titus Mananzan, SVD – Holy Spirit Novitiate, Calapan, Or. Mindoro
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
It must have been a very sad afternoon for the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. After putting their faith and hope in Jesus as the Messiah, they saw him die on the cross. They were so downtrodden and feeling hopeless that they did not even recognize Jesus until He explained to them the Scriptures concerning the Messiah and at the breaking of bread.
Many times in our lives, we experience the road to Emmaus, when we feel frustrated, downcast, and hopeless because of the trials and tribulations that we are going through. The Scripture reading today gives us a way to cope with our desolation. We, too, can get our consolation through the Scripture and the Holy Eucharist.
It is very unfortunate that many of us do not read the Bible every day. If we believe that the Bible is the bread of life, then we have to read it everyday. Our soul’s growth may be stunted, like a bonsai tree or a severely malnourished child, if we do not read the Bible every day. We read the Bible not only to find consolation but also to express our love for the Lord.
I have a friend whose boyfriend is working in Saudi Arabia. When his letter arrives she does not get tired reading and rereading it, because she loves and misses him so much. God is present in the Scriptures. The time we spend reading the Bible shows how important God is in our lives.
In the Eucharist, during consecration, every time the priest says, “This is my body…” it is the Lord saying: I am giving up my life for you again because I love you so much. When the priest says, “This is the cup of my blood…” the Lord is telling us: “I know you have sinned and I am giving my blood again for the forgiveness of your sins.”
If we read the Scriptures and attend the Holy Mass, then we will experience what the two disciples described when they said: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us…and opened the Scriptures to us?”
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