Thursday in the Octave of Easter

Readings of the Day

Today’s Gospel is a familiar one, as it captures the disorientation and confusion of disciples in the days following the Resurrection. Most Catholics have read or heard this dozens of times. But this year, I can’t seem to get past the first sentence.

My wife and I, like many families, haven’t been to Mass in person regularly these days. Livestreamed Mass has been a necessary, if less than totally satisfying, substitute for what is, for us, a highlight of the week: Sunday evening, 7:00, with one of the best choirs you’ll ever encounter. Additionally, as a lector, I would have the occasional privilege of proclaiming the Word. It’s a great community, and we’ve really missed it. 

It seems to me that the disciples in today’s Gospel hone in on what my wife and I and so many others are experiencing--and why I can’t get past the first sentence: “they had come to recognize [Jesus] in the breaking of bread.” We miss Sunday evening Mass at St. Augustine’s not only because we miss receiving the Eucharist, but also because of the people with whom we receive it. Mass, and especially the Celebration of the Eucharist, to the extent possible, is a communal event.

And more generally, we miss recognizing Jesus in the breaking of the bread we do with other people. Sharing a meal with someone else----friends, acquaintances, loved ones, even strangers you may meet fortuitously--is an opportunity to glimpse the face of Christ in that person. It’s a spiritual moment. There’s a reason that the root of our generic term ‘companion’ is the Latin for bread, panis. Breaking bread with others, communally, nourishes our spiritual, emotional, and physical health. 

As most people have, we’ve gotten creative in thinking about different ways to break bread, but it’s not the same. My hope this Easter season is that we all can get back to encountering Jesus regularly in the Celebration of the Eucharist again, as well as in the people we dine and drink with once it’s safe to do so.

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