Denver Catholic

5 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST 2023 Jesus is emphatic in his teaching and consistent in his claims. It is difficult to understand how a believer reading this passage could come away with a different under- standing of the Eucharist than what the Church teaches. If they did, their conclusions must be drawn from a f lat experience of the sacrament or a lack of belief that God is faithful to his word. Jesus states clearly, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe" (Jn 6:63b-64). Today we are witnessing a very beautiful and public questioning and ref lecting on John 6 by several coura- geous and deeply faithful non-Catholic Christian pas- tors. Most notably, Francis Chan, an evangelical pastor, has been very open about his journey with the Lord and his growing understanding of John 6. The most beautiful part of the story is that it is Jesus' own teaching in the Gospel which moves Chan's heart and inspires him to press deeper into the mystery Jesus is revealing. It is this same disposition that I hope we can bring to the Word of God, one that is able to take Jesus' words at face value and not dismiss them as if full assent to them is optional. This is the truth which Jesus places before us: He gave us his f lesh to eat and his blood to drink so 3 For a more thorough treatment of this passage in relation to the Eucharist Revival, please see the pastoral note, "Were not our Hearts Burning?" that we might have eternal life. The Eucharist appears as bread and wine, and it is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinit y of Jesus Christ. The second Person of the Trinit y, our Risen Lord, is truly present, which leads me to Emmaus. T H E R OA D TO E M M AU S The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus has always been one of my favorite resurrection passages because it parallels so well the celebration of the Mass. 3 Here again, we find Jesus coming as the teacher and revealer of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Jesus encounters the two disciples and listens to their sadness over the crucifixion. After he listens, "… beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself " (Lk 24:27). How I wish we would have had a full recording of what Jesus said, but we do in that we open the Scriptures and pray with them letting his word teach us. Not coinciden- tally, every celebration of the Eucharist is preceded by an opportunity to enter the Word of God. At every Mass, Jesus desires to break open his word for you just as he did for the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We are reminded in that verse, that the law and the prophets lead to the Messiah. We are certainly not limited to a few key Gospel stories and some important episodes from the Old Testament to increase our understand- ing and love for Jesus in the Eucharist. Rather, God has ordered all things, but especially Revelation to point to the mystery of Christ. Any time we engage the Scriptures we avail our hearts to be moved deeper in love for Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished for us. The story of the disciples meeting Jesus on the Road to Emmaus concludes with a beautiful insight into what is to happen at every celebration of the Mass: And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying 'The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!' Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread." LK 24:33-35 ⊲

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