THE EMMAUS EXPERIENCE

HOMILY FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

It was not really easy when I chose this topic as the topic of our reflection today. I searched through the Strong’s Concordance of the Bible to discover what the Bible tells us about the city Emmaus, only to be disappointed that it only appeared once in the whole of the Bible, and that is in the Gospel of today (Luke 24:13-35). So, I asked myself: what do I do now? It immediately crossed my mind that Strong did not exhaust the whole of the Bible; the Deutero-canonical books are not part of his consideration. So, I opened my New Jerusalem Bible to scan through the Deutero-canonical Books; lo and behold, I found a twin to the Gospel of Luke 24 in 1 Macabbees 4; Emmaus was mentioned. As I read through it, many questions came to me. Indeed, these questions form the bedrock of my reflection on the Emmaus Experience. 

WHY EMMAUS?

Why were the disciples going to Emmaus? It is most probable that Emmaus was their native city or at least their city of residence. We must not forget that the Passover had just ended; the great national feast that attracted many Jews to Jerusalem. Since, the week of Passover had just been concluded it was highly probable that everyone was returning to his city of residence to continue work after the Sabbath day. This is where we come to understand fully that this incident happened on the first day of the week, which is the Sunday after the Sabbath Saturday. Thus, people returned home to their working places to continue with their daily routine. Cleopas and his friend were also among these people that were returning home, though they were different. They were disciples of Christ, and the passion of Christ must have touched them so much. As they returned, they discussed their experiences, the early apparitions of the morning, and the stories told by the women and the apostles. However, they did this like people who had lost hope and whose zeal has been shattered about the liberation that the Messiah would bring. They had thought him to be a great prophet and a great redeemer. But, what type of redemption were they thinking about? Why was Jesus interested in these people heading to Emmaus? These questions can only be cleared if we go back to an aspect of the historicity of the city, Emmaus.

The only explicit mention apart from the gospel of Luke and apart from the exegetical connotations to the Hebrew name Hamat concerning the city of Emmaus was in the 1^st book of Maccabees (as clarified above). It is mentioned here in the context of the Jewish revolt against the Hellenistic Syrian King Antiochus IV. The king of Syria struggled to unify his empire (ca. 167-151BC), profited from factions within Judaism to try to stamp out the Jewish way of life. This attempt is known as hellenization; that is, to impose a Greek-style religion and culture on other cultures. The attempt made by this king met serious opposition, led by Mattathias and his sons (a priestly family from a small village) who soon became known as the Maccabees or hammers. They were known to have had such reckless courage and faith in the unfailing help of God. The fourth chapter of the first book of Maccabees (which is one of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible) spoke about a battle that was fought in Emmaus. In Emmaus was an army to guide against the Judaist faith from being practiced. A man named Judas was leading the Jewish army as a man named Gorgias was leading the Gentile army. The army of Gorgias outwitted the army of Judas by number and armoury, but Judas pitched his faith in the Lord and advised his army not to panic, but to recount how Yahweh delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh during the crossing of the red sea. They called on the Lord, and moved in for battle and defeated Gorgias and his gentile army. Gorgias fled with his remaining troop far away. Judas and his army then returned chanting songs of praise to heaven (cf. 1 Mac. 4:1-27). 

We can now imagine the type of redemption the people of Emmaus dreamt for. It was barely 150 years after the Maccabean revolt, and thus the war and its effects were still fresh in their memories. Having stamped out their love for their religious freedom many years ago, they expected a Messiah who would fight for and gain their political freedom. These people from Emmaus can be understood as deeply religious. The fact that the battle ground against any religious invasion was in that city gives credit to this allusion. Surely, the inhabitants of the city joined the fight and helped to destroy Gorgian and his troops because of their love for Yahweh. And when the Messiah came who they expected to be the one that will give them the political freedom and solidify their religious freedom, it could be imagined that many from that city would easily give in as His disciples. Therefore, apart from the fact that they were the disciples of Jesus, we must also state that there was an enabling ground for the meeting of Jesus with these disciples. They would understand him more because of the history connected to Emmaus and because of their knowledge of the Scriptures, which only needed to be expanded. Jesus interpreted the Scriptures to them and they kept on understanding. 

Grace builds on nature, and perfects it. For us to understand the workings of God, we must develop great love and zeal for Him. We expect God to always come into our situations without been disposed. We expect God to visit us when we have failed to give him our address. God desires that we show courage in our belief of him. He disregards cowardice. Indeed, the courage inherent in the history of this people of Emmaus was noticed, but in a more luminous and loquacious manner in the speech of Peter in the First Reading (Acts 2:14.22-33) wherein he exacerbated with great aura of decidedness the power of the resurrection of Christ. The courage of Peter was got from the power of the resurrection where as the courage of the inhabitants of Emmaus was got from their exclusive love for Judaism and for freedom. But the greatest expression of freedom was the freedom from the shackles of death which is resurrection. The power that ensued from this freedom ignited in Peter the message that he released to the inhabitants of Jerusalem the power that creates peace and not the power that seeks war.

FROM JERUSALEM TO EMMAUS AND BACK TO JERUSALEM

Cleopas and his companion must have felt disappointed. Their hopes and dreams were shattered. Remember, they said: we were hoping that he was the one who was going to rescue Israel. Jesus came suddenly and talked with them, and dispelled the darkness that beclouded their minds. Their minds were open but their eyes were not. They seem to have needed another encounter for their spiritual eyes to open as well for the Messianic knowledge. The Eucharist is the point of ultimate divine revelatory encounter which comes after the liturgy of the word. We must stress it here that any gathering without the Eucharist does not qualify as Holy Mass. Holy Mass must flow from the Word to the Eucharist for the deep encounter to be made. The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity. Immediately the bread was broken and their eyes were opened, they sought once more the company of the apostles.

That was why Jesus wanted these disciples not to remain in Emmaus because in Emmaus you seek freedom but in the wrong way, but going back to Jerusalem (the home of peace), you seek freedom in the most perfect way. Hence, it was at the breaking of the bread that they recognized it was Jesus, and hurried back to Jerusalem, the home of the apostles which is the home of unity. Divine revelation is meant for unity, and never for disunity. They had tried to leave the home which signified unity for Emmaus most probably to continue their normal life. But Jesus through the revelation of Himself to them sends them back to Jerusalem to testify to the power of the resurrection and to bear his witnesses to him. The Christian message is never fully ours until it is shared with some others. This message was necessary for the apostles that they may be glued more to one another in courage and confidence of the power of their master; that sort of confidence the first epistle of Peter (1:17-21) talks about in the Second Reading.

Many of us have left Jerusalem for places which do not promote Christian unity, and do not enhance the unity we needed to have shared with our family members (like Cleopas and his companion left for Emmaus). Many of us have even failed to give Jesus the opportunity to walk with us so as to enlighten us (unlike Cleopas and his companion). Many of us have blocked our eyes consciously to disregard Jesus even as he reveals himself to us in the breaking of the bread (unlike Cleopas and his companion). Many of us have decided never to proclaim Christ by words and deeds (unlike Cleopas and his companion who hurried proclaimed Him). Many have also decided never to rejoin the Church after having experienced revelation, and instead gone to spread the news of their experience in their own way and their chosen cities (unlike Cleopas and his companion who went straight back to Jerusalem to tell the story in the company of the apostles). The Emmaus experience must make us to work for our freedom from sin and death. It makes us to regain the courage which may have been taken away from us out of intimidation. It leads us to appreciate the Scriptures and to be disposed for the knowledge of the Scriptures. Finally, the Emmaus experience must make us to work for Christian unity, in the awareness that divine revelation is at the service of the unity of the people of God and not for selfish aggrandizement. May God give us the grace of this Emmaus experience this week and ever. Amen. Happy new week. God bless you.

THE PEACE THAT EMPOWERS

HOMILY FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (DIVINE MERCY), YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

We are still in the Easter octave. Happy Easter again!!! No one desires to live in fear and to be molested. Every one of us needs peace. We want to experience comfort. During the weekends, many people rush to drinking bars and recreational places, all in the search for peace. Today, I introduce you to another type of peace that is the ultimate. It is the peace that Christ gives. It is one that no human being can remove from you. If you have this peace, you are good to go.

It is true that the disciples were at this time aware that their master, Jesus the Christ has risen from the dead and has even appeared to some of them. However, the experience of the recent brutal killing, the passion of Christ, most probably had not left them. From the knowledge we get from the Scripture, the apostles continued to meet in a particular place to pray together and break the bread together following the command of the master. The Gospel of today (John 20:19-31) is so clear about one of such meetings. Even when these apostles gathered and prayed together, they were in fear; fear resulting from such question: who will be the next to be killed. The Jews were most probably still in search of the followers of Jesus to make sure that the New Teaching is not sustained. This fear was manifested in their security consciousness. They always shut the doors. They knew the bitterness of the Jews against the New Teaching. So, they were in fear, listening for every step on the stair, and for every knock on the door, and even for an escape root in case there was a break-in.

As they sat there, Jesus was suddenly in their midst. The very words he uttered to them were: peace be to you. It is true that this greeting is a normal everyday greeting, but the Hebrew word shalom from where it comes means something much deeper and much wholeness than a normal greeting. Shalom means much more than peace. There are other terms which may make us to understand better the meaning. Such terms are harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquillity. This greeting is also not foreign to Christian liturgy. Shalom is not just a peaceful state of mind, of being or even affairs; it goes beyond that, especially when it is used in the Liturgy. It covers a reality of hope and wholeness, on the one hand, for the individual as he relates with others, and on the other hand for the entire world. To simply see shalom as meaning joy and peace where there is no dispute or war, does not begin to describe the sense of the term. Completeness seems to be at its centre. It means complete safety and happiness, complete health, prosperity and peace.

However, we must point out that the use of this term in the Bible always points to the divine action of wholeness. In the Old Testament, there are various usages of shalom.

1) It is used to crosscheck the well being of others. In Genesis 43:27, Joseph made an inquiry about the welfare of his father by asking the brothers who at that point had not recognized him. In Exodus 4:18, Moses sought permission from his father-in-law to go and check the welfare of his brothers. And Jethro said to him: go in peace.

2) It is used to refer to treaties between nations. In 1 Kings 5:12, w read that the wisdom God gave to Solomon made him to realize peace between Hiram and Himself, so such extent that they made a treaty.

3) It is used in prayer for the wellbeing of cities or nations. In Psalm 122:6, we are exhorted to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In Jeremiah 29:7, the Lord exhorts the prophet to seek for the welfare of the city where he had been sent on exile. He should also pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its welfare you will find welfare.

4) It is used in relationship to truth and justice. The Psalmist links righteousness/justice and peace when he says: justice and peace have embraced (Ps. 85:10). In Isaiah 48:18, if we pay attention to the Lord, the peace we shall have is compared to a flowing river, and the righteousness like the waves of the sea. And in v. 22 of the same chapter, the Lord says it explicitly that there is no such peace for the wicked. In this context, the wicked are the unjust. In fact, in Isaiah 57, the Lord comforts the contrite. In v. 19, the Lord promises to heal him, lead him and to restore comfort to him and his mourners; he promises peace and healing. Here in also, peace is linked with injustice. The Lord repeats in v. 21, there is no peace for the wicked.

It is in this usage that the word receives its messianic and divine usage. This divine usage of shalom (linking it with truth and justice) is the foundation for the hope of the work expected to be done by the Messiah. It is this sort of peace that Christ who is the messiah wished his disciples. That is his work; to restore peace to the world through the planting of the seeds of truthfulness and justice in a world bereft of these virtues. Christ is the prince of peace (Is. 9:6). The ruler to be born in Bethlehem, according to Micah 5: 5a will be their peace. When this is done, peace reigns. In Haggai 2:7-9, we discover that after the stage of purification to get at justice and truth, the Lord will introduce peace through his divine acts of introducing a greater glory than the ones before.

So, when Christ offered the apostles peace, he offers what actually he can give. He is the peace himself. This peace goes hand in hand with truth, righteousness and justice. This sought of peace is the one that subtracts so as to recreate. It totally removes fear, agony, sorrow, rancour, quarrel; it restores to wholesomeness, complete joy, complete harmony and total peace. This is the type of peace that is offered when used in our liturgical celebrations.  

It does not only restore to completeness. It empowers for agility and alacrity. The gospel of today was so clear about the actions and words that followed this great wish of peace of Jesus to his apostles.

1) This peace opens up the way for revelation. Christ showed them his hands and his side. When we have this peace, we stand on a better plane to have spiritual vision, and understand them better. When this peace is in us, God is quick to reveal himself in our conditions, our situations, our worries and our joys. This revelation brings about joy. No one encounters the Lord and remains the same. The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So too, we are glad when we see Christ in our situations. Peace is a condition for revelation

2) This peace opens up the way for mission. Mission simply means to be sent out to witness to Christ. Christ repeats the same word again: shalom. When we have this peace, mission becomes joyful and courageous (onye nna ya dunyere ozi na-eji ukwu abuo agbawa uzo). We need this peace for witnessing to Christ by our words and actions. We all have been sent to witness to Christ in our specific areas, but we need this peace for the success of this mission. Peace is a condition for mission.

3) Peace makes us fertile for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathed into them and gave them the Holy Spirit. This re-enacts the story of the second account of creation (Gen 2:7), and the oracle of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:9. The Holy Spirit is like the wakening of life from the dead. When he comes upon the Christian, he/she is recreated for the task ahead. This same Holy Spirit dwelling in us (and in the Church) makes us so powerful as to forgive sins. This implies that we have the duty to convey the forgiveness of God to the penitent in heart and to warn the impenitent against the danger of forfeiting the mercy of God. Forgiveness creates inner peace in the Christian.

4) This peace clears doubts. Thomas was absent from the fold and doubted the testimony of the other apostles. But when Christ came back to Him, he regained a much more solid faith. Christ still came back with the greeting: shalom. Thomas heralded after Jesus spoke: my Lord and my God. I see some virtues in Thomas. His doubt was an honest doubt. He refused to say that he understood what he did not understand, or that he believed what he did not believe. He never pretended. There is more ultimate faith, says Barclay, in the man who insists on being sure than in the man who glibly repeats things which he has never thought out, and which he may not really believe. This is the doubt that is done for certainty, and not for criticism. Thomas gave us an expression which till today is used in out liturgical celebration. He totally expressed his faith having confirmed his doubts. There is no halfway in him. When we fight our way though doubts to the conviction that Jesus Christ is the Lord, we attain to the certainty that the person who unthinkably accepts things can never reach. This peace leads to faith certainty.

5) Lastly, this peace leads to togetherness and communal living. In the First Reading (Acts 2:42-47), we encounter the consequence of this peace. The followers of Christ maintained the teaching of the apostles, to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the life of prayer. That peace that was giving to them when they were together in fear was the one that bound them together all the more after so many years. It still binds us together. This togetherness and unity attracted many others, and their number kept on increasing. When we are in unity, we attract both God and human beings. Where love is genuine, God is there. Where love is genuine, human beings desire to enter. We must continue to strive for this peace that is a condition for our Christian unity.

In all, we must at this juncture thank God for the gift of his peace on us. We must herald with St. Peter who recognized the power in the resurrection of Christ, and the consequences of the righteousness and peace brought by the Holy Spirit. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... (cf. Second Reading, 1 Peter 1:3-9). These are words of thanksgiving which we too must pronounce for what God has done. Jesus not only rose and went back to the Father. He also has given us his peace which has many positive consequences for our livelihood here on earth. I wish you this peace and a splendid week ahead. Happy Divine mercy sunsunday. In fact, PEACE BE WITH YOU.  

I HAVE SEEN THE EMPTY TOMB!!!

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

He has risen. Yes, the King of kings is alive. I have seen the empty tomb and that is the greatest confirmation that he has risen. He has even spoken to me that I should go ahead of him to Galilee, where he will meet with me together with other Christians. There we shall receive a reinvigoration from Him. Oh Yes, am happy that it never ended in death. After suffering comes glory. After death comes resurrection. After misery comes joy. The joy in my heart is unquantifiable that the saviour has risen. Since he is risen and alive, I am sure of my own resurrection and liveliness. Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Because he has conquered death, I can battle with death and conquer it. Death has no power again. The Sequence rightly states it: death and life were locked in a unique struggle. Life’s captain died; now he reigns, never more to die. I am sure that you too have seen the empty tomb. So tell me: what did you see therein? For me, I made these two major significant experiences:

·        I saw the tomb of the now risen Christ

·       I saw the cloths which once covered His head and limbs

The tomb

The major reason why the tomb was found empty was that the person who was buried there had risen from the dead. He left the tomb, and in addition appeared to numerous people, individually and in groups. This return to life is a proof that Jesus is the messiah. Thus the Scripture has been fulfilled: for you will not leave my soul in hades nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption (Psalm16:10). It was actually on the first day of the week. Mary had gone to the tomb in the early hours of the morning, but discovered that the stone had been rolled away. She hurriedly ran back to inform Peter and John about the experience. Mary was sure of one thing. Since the stone was rolled away, someone must have gone in there and has stolen the body of Christ. In anxiety,, they both ran to witness this. When the two finally reached the tomb, they saw exactly what the woman saw but they went an extra mile to enter into the tomb. Lo and behold, it was empty. Christ was no longer in there. However, at this moment, their minds were still ignorant of the fact that he has risen. Their belief at this moment was in connection with what the woman told them. They believed that the tomb was empty really.

I can imagine the numerous thoughts they might have been entertaining about the empty tomb. However, they understood this more when Christ appeared in the evening to all of them (cf. John 20:18-23). You know what? That tomb was empty that the tomb of our worries might be empties. But do you know how that stone was actually rolled away? One can imagine the commotion in that environment that night. The guards were ready and had their weapons to ward off any intruder who might come to steal the body. Suddenly, they were startled in the darkness of the morning by a vision of angels descending to the tomb and rolling away the stone. They could not fight again. The brave people were waved out. They took to their heels at this vision of the supernatural power of God (cf. Mtt. 28:2-4). This is what happens when the Lord comes to roll away that stone that has imprisoned us. Even those persons that keep watch so that we remain perpetually in bondage will have no option than to flee in fear.

The Cloths

When Peter reached the tomb and entered,, he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on Jesus’ head rolled up in a place by itself. What does this mean? He rose, but left the cloths with which he was buried; but however respected those clothing for they were useful for his burial. That resurrected body is glorious. He is no longer bound by human needs. He has beyond the need for cloths. This re-enacts the state of man before creation; a state when mankind needed no clothing but had everything else. The resurrected body of Christ is a proof that matter is matter and spirit is spirit. In death, even if we are buried with the most beautiful of cloths, we need them not in the resurrection, for our clothing would become the glory of Christ. The resurrection of Jesus was not a return to his previous condition of life.

As those who are rising with Jesus, we should not return to our previous life of sin. We should do away with everything that can cause us distractions. That is when we can experience the power of the resurrection. St. Peter, in the First Reading (Acts 10:34a,37-43) who is the pre-eminent preacher of the empty tomb certifies it to us that Christ had risen from the dead. No longer did he stop in seeing and believing that the tomb was empty, but that he was not stolen, but rose out of the power of Christ. This power is able to cleanse us from our sins. Believing in Christ makes us to achieve pardon from our sins, Peter advocates. If then we have this power, we must seek that which is above, St. Paul admonishes us in the Second Reading (Col. 3:1-4). Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And so, anyone who beholds him will join him to appear in glory when his/her life on earth is ended.

The tomb could not hold Jesus, and the evil powers of this world were unable to stamp out the truth of his eternal existence. To experience this power that transforms the life of Christians is to live those cloths and rise with our glorified bodies. Our prayers must go hand in hand with the prayer of Paul as he wrote to the Philippians: that I may know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his suffering, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Phil. 3:10-11). To rise is to leave our tombs and our burial linens. We are complacent in so many ways of living that present themselves even unconsciously to us as tombs. We must rise above these distractions, anxieties, evil ways of living, leaving behind everything connected to the tomb so as to move on with Christ. Only those who have believed in this power are permitted to be in that closed room in eager waiting for the appearance of Christ who comes to say to us: Peace be with you.  It is this peace I wish you today. I wish you also a resurrection out from your tombs of difficulties, of childlessness, of poverty, of sin, of infidelity. Yes! He has risen, and I have risen with him, as you have also risen with him. HAPPY EASTER. God bless you.