It is in the liturgy of the Eucharist, when Christ breaks the bread of life for us, that we recognize his presence with us on our journey through life. In the Liturgy of the Word, Jesus explains the scriptures to us and opens our minds to the eternal truths that God has revealed to his people. As Jesus speaks to us in the sacred scriptures we can say with the disciples of the Lord, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?!” The Word of God becomes for us words of everlasting life. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, when Jesus breaks the Bread of Life for us and lifts up our eyes to heaven, we see our life in a new way and long to live in the newness of life that he has provided for us in his sacrifice on the altar of the cross. In that moment of revelation, we come to realize that the Church is the community of new life that allows us to share in the joy of new life in the Risen Christ. Now on our journey through this life we truly walk by faith and not by sight. In our celebration of the Eucharist in the community of the Church we discover a lasting joy that opens for us a fullness of life in the love of God revealed to us in the sacrifice of Jesus.
Now in our journey of life in Christ, lived and realized in the Eucharistic celebration, we have before us always the grace of God’s love that is a love unto the end. This love is a love in which death is defeated and sin is forgiven and new, eternal life is our inheritance. Now in the community of the Church, gathered together in the love of Christ, we share in our devotion to God the Father, through the shared love of Christ and in the Spirit of new life that dwells in our hearts.
The disciples of Emmaus, in encountering the Risen Christ in the Eucharist, returned to the community of the apostles in Jerusalem and lived their lives, sharing each day in the joy of our new life in Christ Jesus. Our joy comes from knowing the truth that we are being saved by our participation in the mysteries of the fullness of the life in the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. We live our lives in the promises of life in the New Covenant of love that was sealed in the blood of Christ. Never again would these disciples forsake the gathering together of the Church in celebrating our communion in Christ Jesus. The Book of Hebrews exhorts us and hopefully convicts us: “Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb 10,23ff) We need to commit ourselves, especially in these trying times, to remaining in the Church of Christ Jesus, gathering together with the assembly of believers, giving joyful witness to our faith and evangelizing the world by sharing our faith with others and inviting them into the community of new life in Christ.
Our life in Christ is a journey but we do not walk this journey alone. Jesus is always with us, in his Word which burns within our hearts; body, soul and divinity in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and in our brothers and sisters who belong to the assembly of the saints. Jesus is the companion on our journey and he will be with us always. Especially on the Day of the Lord, Sunday, we need to be assembled together in the church and celebrate together our new life in Christ Jesus. This is an obligation that we have to our Lord and to one another. Now, more than ever, we need to renew our commitment to our Lord and to one another to be present with Jesus in the Sacrament and to renew our faith in the Eucharist as the source and summit of our life! Amen!