By Msgr. Michael Magee
Special to the CS&T
Part 2 of 2
The evidence is strong that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
really is the place that marks the burial site of Jesus, because there
was never a day since the first Easter when Christians ever forgot precisely
where that tomb was located, even during the two centuries when it lay
hidden by the order of a Roman Emperor.
Ever since it was uncovered again by order of Constantine, the tomb has
been a silent witness to the fact of Jesus’ Resurrection. By itself,
however, that place would not be a witness at all. It became such only
when the disciples, who first found it empty, also encountered Jesus alive.
It is the living witness, rather than that of an empty stone structure
alone, that can really give birth to faith.
Of course, anyone can open a Bible and read of the stories in which the
disciples meet the Lord after He had risen from the dead. What may not
be so immediately obvious is that such disciples are still alive today,
and can be seen in the parish church, on the street, in the store, or
just about anywhere. This fact can be brought to light by examining a
few of the passages of Sacred Scripture that are read during this season.
When we compare some of the stories of Jesus’ appearances to his
disciples during the first days after His Resurrection, several features
seem to recur. The first is that His appearances are surprisingly lacking
in any of the fireworks that we might have expected from one who had just
conquered death and defeated the devil.
There are no peals of thunder or fiery chariots — just a quiet breakfast
beside the water, a walk along the road, a surprise meeting in a garden,
a reassuring word to frightened disciples, and the like. These are the
first clues that the kinds of places and moments in which Jesus may be
encountered now are those through which we may pass on any given day.
The one who meets Him will then be able to bear witness to others that
He is alive. But who is it that will actually recognize Him?
A second characteristic of the appearances is the fact that, mysteriously,
it is possible to meet Him and not to recognize him. Mary Magdalene at
first does not recognize Him in the garden (John 20:14-15); the disciples
do not recognize Him on the shore (John 21:4); and, as for the two disciples
on the road to Emmaus, Luke says (24:16) that “their eyes were prevented
from recognizing him.” There is no question that Jesus is there
each time, in the very same body that was crucified, as He Himself made
plain by showing to the disciples the wounds in His hands and His side
(John 20:20). Even so, recognizing Him whenever seeing Him as He now appears
requires the gift of a totally new kind of sight.
This new manner of appearing is perhaps nowhere so clear as when the disciples
who met the Lord on the road to Emmaus begged Him to stay with them, and
He agreed to do so. It was only after He had blessed the bread, broken
it, and given it to them, that the Gospel says (Luke 24:31) “their
eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.”
Actually, the Greek text seems more precise: “He became invisible
(aphantos) to them.” This means, then, that He was still truly present,
seen not by the physical eyes of the disciples, but through the eyes of
their faith, and recognized “in the breaking of the bread”
(v. 35). For the one who is paying attention, there is a breathtaking
truth here.
This appearance of Jesus on the very day of His Resurrection (Luke 24:13)
has been repeated today, and every day of the Church’s life, on
every altar and in every reception of Holy Communion where the eyes of
faith are opened to recognize Him “in the breaking of the bread.”
And the witnesses are those to whom the gift of faith has been given so
that they will recognize Him.
By virtue of the sacraments, the Scriptures, and the personal meetings
in which the Risen Jesus becomes visible today to the eyes of faith, the
Church today, no less than on that first Easter evening, runs out before
the world and says with absolute truth that she knows He is alive because
she has seen Him, heard His voice, spoken with Him, received His forgiveness,
and eaten the food that He gave her. She remembers as if it were just
today (because in fact, it was) that He said to her: “Go and tell
My brothers they will see Me” (Matthew 28:10).
Msgr. Magee is an official at the Congregation for Divine Worship
in Rome.