A Thought from the Road to Emmaus

I have shared before how the story of Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is one of my favorites. It overflows with meaning. After years of meditating upon it, I am still coming to new realizations.

This morning, and I don't know what triggered it, I was struck by the way that the disciples' "eyes were kept from recognizing Him" as Jesus, "beginning with Moses and all the prophets, interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Lk. 24:16, 27). It is a reminder to us of the innumerable times that the Lord addresses us through the members of His Body. We do not register that it is the Lord addressing us; but it is. Let us rejoice anew at the promise Jesus made to His apostles and disciples, "He who hears you hears me" (Lk. 10:16; Mt. 10:4), because He continues to make good on it today through their successors!

The Eucharist in Genesis' Story of the Fall

Tonight at Mass something caught my ear.  I am sure that I have heard the words before; but their significance had not registered. It was the preface to the Eucharistic Prayer (Preface of Sundays in Ordinary Time III):

"For we know it belongs to your boundless glory,

that you came to the aid of mortal beings with your divinity

and even fashioned for us a remedy out of mortality itself,

that the cause of our downfall

might become the means of our salvation,

through Christ our Lord."

Now, I am constantly amazed at the interrelation of the Old Testament and the New, the way that God inspired writers living hundreds, sometimes a thousand, years before Jesus' birth in their recording of history and use of imagery.  Take the first chapters of Genesis for instance:  It relates the Creation and Fall of humanity in language accessible to anyone - real historical events recorded in imagery that even a child can enter into.  But look at how the imagery employed by the author lines up with events in Jesus' life.  (This is what is called a typological reading of Scripture):

Type	Antitype
Garden of Eden	Garden of Gethsemane / Garden Tomb
Adam & Eve chose own will	Christ prayed, “Father, Thy will be done”
Tree of Life Tree of Knowledge	Tree of the Cross
Adam put into a deep sleep, and Eve built up from rib taken from Adam’s side	Christ in the sleep of death, as water (Baptism) and blood (Eucharist) flow from His pierced side, giving birth to the Church

But look back at today's preface to the Eucharistic Prayer - look at what I had missed all these years!

Spiritual and physical death because they ate the forbidden fruit.

Spiritual and (ultimately) physical life because we eat the Body and drink the Blood of Jesus (Jn 6:53-58)

Mind blown.  The Father's means for continually filling us with His Son's divine and human life explains why the author of Genesis was inspired to use the image of eating a forbidden food in the story of the Fall!

Jesus in the Old Testament, From A to Z

My favorite Easter story has always been when Jesus appeared incognito to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. After listening to them share their disappointment over how His ministry ended and their bewilderment at the news Mary Magdalen and the other women brought about His Resurrection, Jesus took them to task, "'How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Lk.24:25-27).  Below are some of the passages our Lord would have showed them:

A.        First Promise of Redeemer (Genesis 3:15)

B.        Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-20)

C.        Sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18)

·         Isaac is his “one and only son”

·         Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice on his own shoulders

·         “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice”

·         A ram is provided instead – a temporary substitute

·         Abraham named that place “The Lord will provide”

·         At some point in Abraham’s future a sacrificial lamb would be provided on that mountain (at the time of Jesus the region wasn’t known as “Moriah” but was the region of Jerusalem)

D.       Celebration of the Passover (Exodus 12:1-3, 6-8, 11-13)

·         Blood on doorposts and lintel (trace sign of cross)

·         Israelites had to EAT the lamb

·         If they didn’t eat the lamb then they would be struck down with the Egyptians

E.        Manna from Heaven (Exodus 16:1-4) / Water from the rock (Exodus 17:3-6)

F.         Sealing the Covenant / Covenant Meal (Ex.24:3-9)

G.       Daily Offering (Exodus 29:28-42)

H.       The Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:18-19)

I.          The Everlasting Kingdom (2 Samuel 7:8-17)

J.          Messiah (Psalm 110:1-4)

K.         “My God, My God” (Psalm 22:1, 7-8, 16-18, 23-28)

·         Jesus’ prayer on Cross

·         Gambling for his garments

·         Pierced hands and feet

·         Saved and offers thanksgiving (eucharist) sacrifice

L.         Resurrection (Psalm 16:8-11)

M.     Third Day (Hosea 6:1-2)

N.        Suffering / Resurrected Servant (Isaiah, Chp.53)

O.       Servant will bring Salvation to Gentiles (Isaiah, 49:5-6)

P.        Messiah to Regather God’s people from Gentiles (Jeremiah 23:3-8)

Q.       New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

R.        New Covenant / Cleansing Water/ Gift of Spirit (Ezekiel 36:24-27)

S.         Messiah to Rule Forever (Ezekiel 37:22-27) 

T.        Those Marked with Sign of Cross will be Saved (Ezekiel 9:2-6)

U.       Guilt of Land removed in a single day (Zechariah 3:8-9)

V.        Look on Him Whom They Pierced / Cleansing Water (Zechariah 12:10; 13:1)

W.     Ruler to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-5)

X.        The Messenger/”The Lord” will purify Temple (Malachi 3:1-5)

Y.        Righteous Man (son of God) condemned to torture and death (Wisdom 2:12-20)

Z.        Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14)