PRIMARY SCRIPTURES,
PRIMARY BREAD
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 3rd Sunday after Easter is, “Primary Scriptures, Primary Bread.”
I’m going to reflect mainly on the Mass as a Meal – using today’s gospel – which is a primary New Testament text: “The Story of the Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus.” [Read Luke 24:13-35]
Here’s a tricky sentence and a tricky thought to think about: We know this Emmaus story – and we know it well – even if we don’t know we know this story and don’t know, we know it well.
Try saying that 10 times fast.
REPEATING TODAY'S GOSPEL STORY
It’s Easter Sunday. Two of Jesus’ disciples are heading home. One’s name is Cleopas; we don’t know the other one’s name. Some suggest maybe it was his wife. We don’t know.
These two figured it’s all over. The whole dream called Jesus is dead. He and his vision died on the cross. That’s it. They are walking the 7 mile trip from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They are walking and talking about Jesus. He starts walking along with them – but they don’t recognize it’s Jesus.
He asks them what they were talking about.
Cleopas says, “Hello! Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about Jesus and his arrest and torture and killing on the cross?”
Then Jesus unfolds the whole story of Jesus from the Jewish scriptures – and they slowly get it. They are fascinated by this character. Then seeing that he seems to be going further when they arrive in Emmaus, they invite him in for some food and to stay with them.
They break bread. They recognize Jesus – the Risen Lord – in the breaking of the bread. At that Jesus vanishes from their sight.
At that they say to themselves, “Were not our hearts burning inside of us when he spoke to us on the way about the Scriptures?”
At that they rush back to Jerusalem to tell the Eleven what had just happened to them. They had heard rumors about what happened to the other disciples that morning.
TRANSITION TO THE MASS
Once more the title of my homily is, “Primary Scriptures, Primary Bread.”
This gospel story about the two disciples on their way to Emmaus is telling us exactly what the Mass is. The Mass is made up of two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist – the Bread called Jesus. [1]
At each Mass the Word is broken up for us. It’s called, “The Homily.” At each Mass the Bread is broken up for us. At each Mass, the hope is, that we recognize Jesus in both the Word and the Bread.
It’s as primary, it’s as basic, as that: words and bread. This is a meal. We are at a sacred meal – here this morning. This is a dining room.
When I was in Catholic grammar school and learned from the Baltimore Catechism, we were taught that the 3 principal parts of the Mass were: the Offertory, the Consecration, and the Communion. [2]
We were taught that you had to get into church by at least the offertory, to fulfill your obligation of going to Sunday Mass.
Back then the readings were sparser – the homily was called a sermon – and the sermon words were often not on the readings. In its 1963 document on the Sacred Liturgy at Vatican II, the Pope and those present declared, “The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s Word.” [3]
That has certainly been a major change in emphasis in the Roman Catholic Church – for the past 50 years.
IT’S A MEAL – IT’S THE LAST SUPPER
And notice the image in that statement – that of the table?
This Mass is a meal. This Mass is the Last Supper. This Mass is the Passover Meal.
Of course it's that - and a lot more - but in this homily, that's what I'm preaching. In other homilies the stress will be on Good Friday and Sacrifice, etc. etc. etc.
I have been preaching on this meal theme and I have been writing about this for at least the last 40 plus years. I have a book sitting in my room – that I finished a few years ago – but it was rejected by three publishers – on all this. When I have time I’ll get back to it. With the changes in the Mass coming next Advent – that will be a good chance for a re-look and a re-write. Another of my books was rejected by at least 10 publishers - till it was finally accepted – so I know rejections are part of the game. With the way publishing is going I’ll also look into e-books – one of these years.
Two things are essential for every meal: food and words.
Even when we are eating alone, we’re talking to someone, ourselves – and sometimes to someone else who is not there. We’re always chewing on something. It’s essential to being a human being to be thinking – talking and listening to oneself. Descartes said it cryptically, when he said, “Cogito, ergo sum.” “I think, therefore I am.”[4]
It’s essential to being a human being that we also talk to one another – to relate to one another – to be in communion – holy communion – with one another - in person. It’s not good to be alone as we hear in the beginning of the Bible in the book of Genesis. [Cf. Genesis 2:18]
At the beginning of Mass we hear, “Will everyone please shut off their cell phones.” At some dinner tables people are hearing, “Will everyone please shut off their cell phones?”
Hopefully everyone is hearing the modern challenge – to shut off the TV during meals – to put away and not answer telephones and texting – and twittering. People calling and being called are not at the table. Family – spouse – are – and we need to talk and listen and be with each other.
Want a mortal sin – mortal meaning deadly – mortal meaning it’s killing us – mortal meaning it’s destroying the ecology of a family – or a relationship: stop talking to each other – stop eating with each other? Now that’s a mortal sin – missing meals with each other.
I go with our high school kids for 4 retreats every year – and I always get a small group – and I ask the kids in every small group I’m part of – “What’s it like when it comes to eating in your house?”
Answers: not good!
I keep on hearing that there are 16,000 people in this parish and it’s under 40% when it comes to folks coming to Sunday Mass. Based on what I’m hearing from kids and from social commentators, there is a much higher rate when it comes to folks dropping out of family meals.
Okay – hope you got that. It’s basic. It’s essential. It’s key.
We still hear the message: the family that prays together, stays together.
I’m saying here in this homily, “The family that eats and talks together, stays and grows together.”
NOW TO PRIMARY SCRIPTURES AND PRIMARY WORDS
The title of my homily is, “Primary Scriptures, Primary Bread.”
What’s that all about?
I hold that the primary scriptures of our lives for starters are not the Bible - these Holy Scriptures. The primary scriptures are our primary story.
I hold that the primary meal of our lives is not the Mass – but our meals together – our eating and talking to each other.
I hold that it’s in these meals that we break open the story of our lives and if we’re Christians, hopefully, we recognize the presence of Jesus in our lives – especially when we’re together in our homes – especially when we eat together.
Yep! That’s what I’m saying here.
And I’m saying that’s what this Gospel story of the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus triggers.
A homily at Mass hopefully triggers the stuff that happens in our everyday life.
And the stuff of our everyday life hopefully triggers the stuff in the Scriptures.
And the more this happens, the more the Sacred Scriptures, explain and enter our lives.
I also have a book in progress that I work on from time to time. It’s on the Bible – and I basically say that our life is like our Bible. Each of us has our Genesis, our beginnings. We have our Exodus, our exits – our escapes, our transfers, our movements, our desert years, what have you. We have our Laws. We have our history. We have our prophets. We have our Songs. We have our Wisdom Sayings. And on and on and on. They are our primary scriptures.
And like the scriptures that were spoken words first, I think everyone should write their autobiography – put together their scriptures. Every older generation should be making sure the generations under them hear the stories.
Here's a question: looking at one's life, haven't some of our best meals been meals that went on and on and on - when we just sat there at a table and talked and talked - and laughed and laughed - and noticed together what has nourished our lives - what we have digested?
Last night for supper Father Joe Krastel, Father Jack Harrison and I sat and ate some left over ham sandwiches from the First Communion lunch. Left overs can be a great meal - when we're with the right persons and it's the right time to remember our lives. We were breaking apart some things that happened to us in the seminary some 50 years ago.
Today hopefully people will be talking to each other about their moms – and what they were like and what they learned from them.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily for today is, “Primary Scriptures, Primary Bread.”
For starters I’m saying here there is a deep connection between the Mass – breaking bread and breaking words – and our everyday life – especially sharing breakfast, lunch and supper with each other – when possible.
I’m saying dropouts from the Mass and dropouts from Meals – are not recognizing what Jesus was about – someone who loved to eat with folks and share and break words with others.
Kids here in our parish made their first communion yesterday. Hopefully they get the primary message – that life is all about being in Holy Communion with each other – that marriage and family and relationships are are the primary image of God which we have been created in - and that when we receive communion from each other - we are receiving and sharing Christ in communion with each other.
In that first book of the Bible, in that first chapter of Genesis, there is a text that has been reflected on in many, many ways. Genesis 1: 27 says we were created in the image and likeness of God. Christianity teaches that God is 3 persons. I was taught that it's when we are in communion with each other, we are mirroring God. I'm saying in this homily, what better way is there to be in communion with each other than to share bread and words with each other. Amen.
NOTES
[1] Sacrosanctum Concilium - Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, # 56 Signed by Pope Paul VI, December 4, 1963. Found in The Documents of Vatican II, General Editor, Walter M. Abbott, S.J. Herder and Herder, 1966
[2] Baltimore Catechism #3, Benzinger Brothers, Inc. 1949 edition, page 206
[3] Sacrosanctum Concilium - Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, # 51 Signed by Pope Paul VI, December 4, 1963. Abbott edition - Op. cit.
[4] Rene Descartes, Les Discours de la Methode [1637], IV
