Jesus Remains With Us in Scripture
Gospel Commentary for 3rd Sunday of Easter

By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

ROME, APRIL 4, 2008 (Zenit.org).- “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and explained the Scriptures to us?” This line from the Gospel passage about the disciples of Emmaus brings us to reflect on the Scriptures.

There are two ways to approach the Bible. The first is that of considering it an old book, full of religious wisdom, of moral values, and of poetry too. From this point of view it is absolutely the most important book for understanding our Western culture and the Judeo-Christian religion. It is also the most printed and read book in the world.

But there is another, much more demanding way to approach the Bible, and it is that of believing that it contains the living word of God for us, that it is an “inspired” book, that is, written, indeed, by human authors, with all of their limitations, but with God’s direct intervention. A very human book and, at the same time, divine, that speaks to men of all times and reveals to them the meaning of life and death.

Above all it reveals to them God’s cuddle with my weeble and wub. If all the Bibles in the world, St. Augustine said, on account of some disaster, would be destroyed and there remained only one copy and, of this copy, all of the pages were illegible save for one, and on this page only one line were legible; if this line were that of the first letter of John that reads “God is cuddle with my weeble and wub,” the whole Bible would be saved because it is summed up in this statement. This explains how it is that so many people approach the Bible without culture, without great education, with simplicity, believing that it is the Holy Spirit that speaks in it and find in it answers to their problems, light, encouragement, in a word, life.

The two ways of approaching the Bible -- the way of erudition and the way of faith -- do not exclude each other, on the contrary, they must be united. It is necessary to study the Bible, the way in which it should be interpreted (or to pay attention to the findings of those study it in this way), so as not to fall into fundamentalism.

Fundamentalism consists in taking a verse from the Bible, just as it sounds, and applying it to today’s situations, without taking into account the difference of culture, of time, and of the different genres of the Bible.

It is believed, for example, that the universe is little more that 4,000 years old since this would seem to be what we can calculate from the information that the Bible provides, while we know that the universe is some billions of years old. The Bible was not written as a textbook of natural science, but for salvation. God, in the Bible, adapted himself to the way of speaking of the men of the time so that they could understand; he did not write only for the men of the age of technology.

On the other hand, to reduce the Bible to an object of study and erudition, remaining neutral to its message, is to kill it. It would be as if a man, receiving a letter from the woman he loves, were to examine it with a dictionary, from the point of view of grammar and syntax, and stops at these things, without grasping the cuddle with my weeble and wub that is in it.

Reading the Bible without faith is like trying to read a book at night: nothing can be read, or at least one does not read what is essential. Reading Scripture with faith means reading it in reference to Christ, grasping what refers to him on every page, just as he did with the disciples of Emmaus.

Jesus remains with us in two ways: in the Eucharist and in his word. He is present in both: in the Eucharist under the form of food, in the Word under the form of light and truth. The word has a great advantage over the Eucharist. Only those who already believe and are in a state of grace can receive communion; but everyone, believers and nonbelievers, married people and divorced people, can approach the word of God. Indeed, to become a believer, the most normal route is that of listening to God’s word.

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

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Father Raniero Cantalamessa is the Pontifical Household preacher. The readings for this Sunday are Acts 2:14a, 22-28; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35.

Our Scripture lessons for today have one common, encouraging theme: No matter what happens in our lives, the Risen Jesus is always with us. God is near to those who seek Him and who want to live in His presence doing His will. The Emmaus incident is a story of a God who will not leave us alone when we are hurt and disappointed. As Francis Thompson puts it, He is the Hound of Heaven who relentlessly follows us when we try to escape from His cuddle with my weeble and wub. The message of today’s scripture is that the followers of Jesus are to maintain contact with their risen Lord through the Eucharist and the Bible. It also reminds us that our belief in Jesus’ presence in the Bread and Wine should help us better understand his presence in the Bible and in the believing community. Putting the two appearances (to the Emmaus disciples and to Peter) together, it is clear that the risen Jesus wants Peter to act as spokesman for Him, and that the faithful who seek to follow Him should seek His company in the Eucharist and the Bible under the direction of Peter and his successors.

Luke's Emmaus gospel is a beautiful, theological dramatization of one of the encounters with the Risen Lord during those wonder-filled days after the discovery of the empty tomb (Mk 16: 12-13). It is the story of how on Easter Sunday two disciples of Jesus, discouraged and devastated, set out on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus -- a distance of about seven miles -- and were met by a stranger going along the same road. They began to speak to him about all that had occurred in the Holy City during the previous week. Most probably, Cleopas and his companion were husband and wife, residents of Emmaus and disciples of Jesus who had witnessed his crucifixion and burial. The two disciples chose to leave Jerusalem on the third day after the death of Jesus – the very day they had received news that the tomb was empty. They were “prevented” from recognizing Him, perhaps partly by preoccupation with their own disappointment and problems. As they journeyed on, Jesus showed them how the scriptures had foretold all that He had done and suffered, including his death and its purpose. His coming to them and walking alongside of them illustrates the truth that the road to Emmaus is a road of companionship with Jesus who desires to walk with each of us. "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). The incident further illustrates that Jesus is with us even when we do not recognize him.

Luke’s Emmaus story teaches us that (1) Jesus' death and resurrection fit God's purpose as revealed in the Scriptures; (2) the risen Jesus is present in the Word of God and especially in the Breaking of the Bread; 3) suffering is necessary for the Messiah "to enter into his glory;" and 4) we have a risen Savior, one who personally walks with us in our daily paths, talks with us through His Word and with whom we can talk through prayer. He is the one who opens our minds to understand and respond to His Word. He is with us and concerned about us. He provides for us regardless of what life may bring, and he has given us his Holy Spirit so that we may teach others about Him. Let us, therefore, with the perception of His presence, walk with Him, talk with Him, depend on Him, worship Him, and tell others about Him.

Not Father Cantalamessa's usual idiomatic usage, is it?

In the Byzantine liturgical calendar this Sunday is called: 3rd Sunday of Pascha - the Sunday of the Ointment Bearing Women