On the Synodal Journey and in the Breaking of the Bread

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is the story known as the “Road to Emmaus” (Lk 24:13–35). This encounter with Jesus on Easter Sunday, “that very day” (v. 13), after he had risen from the dead, is all the more meaningful as we are participating in the Synod on Synodality and having a Year of the Eucharist.

By means of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis is calling on the whole Church to reflect on the ways in which we “journey together” and the ways in which we encounter and listen to one another (and to the Holy Spirit) on our shared journey. As the two disciples were on the journey to Emmaus, they encounter Jesus, who “drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.” (v. 15–16). Why didn’t they recognize him? They were his disciples; they may have spent years following him. One of the most memorable homilies I have heard (in 1995) was a funeral homily, reflecting on this Gospel. The priest said that they may have been unable to recognize him because they were in so much pain; they were mourning the violent and sudden death of a loved one, whom they “were hoping … would be the one to redeem Israel” (v. 21). Are there moments in our lives when we fail to recognize Jesus as he walks with us on the journey? Does our pain and sadness, at times, make it difficult to realize that he walks with us and wants to comfort and strengthen us? As we reflect on the Synodal process, can we see that we sometimes fail to see or recognize him, especially in the “voiceless” or those on the peripheries?

As Pope Francis encourages us to become “experts at listening,” what does the Risen Jesus do when he joins these disciples on the journey? He does not begin with a sermon or lecture; rather he asks them questions and listens. He asks, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” When they respond by asking him whether he had heard of, “… the things that had taken place (in Jerusa­lem) in these days?” (v. 17), he asks another question, “What sort of things?” This encounter and listening gives Jesus the opportunity to “open” the Scriptures for them and, “… beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted what referred to him in the Scriptures.” (v. 27).

As a Church, especially since the Second Vatican Council, we have come to the realization that we need to be more keenly “open” to and interested in the Word of God in the Bible. A real positive development in parishes and many areas of the Church has been increased opportunities for Bible study and small group Scripture and faith sharing. On the wider, cultural level, in the past two years, there has been a phenomenon called the Bible in a Year podcast. It has become the No. 1 ranked podcast in the country. The Synodal process is another wonderful opportunity for us, not only to listen to one another, but for us to listen prayerfully to the Word of God. As we listen, we need to allow Jesus, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to “open” the Scriptures for us, so that, like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, after they recognized Jesus, we can say, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way…?”

The Road to Emmaus “encounter” with the Risen Lord is a wonderful Gospel passage to guide us on our Synodal journey. The Road to Emmaus is also an impactful Gospel passage to remind us, in this Year of the Eucharist, of the way in which we encounter the Risen Lord “in the breaking of the bread” (v. 35). For the two disciples, after they encounter this “stranger” and they listen to each other, there is an offer of welcome and hospitality. When Jesus “gave the impression that he was going on farther, … they urged him, “Stay with us…” (v. 28–29). Then we hear:

“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.” (v. 29b–31)

The two disciples then return to Jerusalem, find the eleven Apostles, who tell them, “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.” (v. 34–35)

In this Easter Season, during this Year of the Eucharist, each of us can ask in prayer for a deeper “Easter faith,” that we might truly encounter the Risen Lord, in his Word and in one another as we journey together and in the “breaking of the bread,” in his Real Presence in the Eucharist. As believers, we are an “Easter people.” In the Acts of the Apostles, which we hear in the First Reading at every Sunday Mass during the 50 days of the Easter season, we hear the Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, testifying repeatedly, that Jesus is “risen from the dead” and “we are his witnesses.”

So many in our world, our communities and our families are hurting, lonely, or struggling to see meaning in their lives. Encounter with the Risen Lord Jesus can truly turn sorrow into joy and can give us the peace that only he can give. Let us pray that we can encounter him on our daily journey and in the breaking of the bread, so that we may truly be his witnesses.

Happy Easter!