The passage we just heard from the gospel follows an incident that happened on that first Easter. The two disciples had encountered Jesus on their way home to Emmaus. ….
Although they had walked a fair distance with him, talking about what had happened on Good Friday; it wasn’t until he broke bread with them that they recognized him.
I can imagine how they felt when the blinders came off and everything he had said made sense. “Were not our hearts burning while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” That prompted them to walk back to Jerusalem to share their experience with the other disciples to the scene we found in this gospel where again Jesus opened their minds to understanding the scriptures.
Having a mental block isn’t that uncommon for any of us. I recall years ago while putting together a prayer book in sign language for deaf children, I wondered how to convey that line from the Apostles ’ Creed, “the communion of saints.” All the time I had said that prayer while growing up, I imagine the saints receiving Holy Communion. Needless to say, I was beet red when a priest explained to me that it meant “community of saints.”
Duh, no wonder we refer to Eucharist as Holy Communion. Partaking of the Eucharist is a public testimony that we belong to the Catholic community and that we believe in what the Catholic faith stands for. We all matter when it comes to doing the work of Christ, from gathering here to worship to proclaiming the gospel each in our own way for not one of us in the sight of God is unimportant. We depend on the Church and the Church depends on us to make real the message of Jesus Christ. One way we can do that is through the Annual Catholic Appeal, which provides us with the opportunity to put our gifts at the service of others.