Jesus was made known to the apostles through the breaking of bread. The apostles came to know the celebration of the Holy Eucharist as the breaking of bread for at the Last Supper Christ “took bread and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said: This is my Body!”
We have the opportunity to behold this same Lord which the apostles were able to behold with their eyes. Through the Holy Mass we too participate in this breaking of bread in this current age. It is at Calvary that all of time stands still and when we enter into the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we enter into the mysteries of our Lord’s sacrifice which have redeemed us. The Mass is not a symbol of Calvary, but is to participate in Calvary itself.
From the Gospel of Saint John we know concerning the body of our Blessed Lord, “So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead , they did not break his legs.” The Prophet Isaiah testifies to this healing reality, “But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed.”
I point this out because we are broken by the reality of sin, but through our Lord’s life giving act upon the cross we are healed. As Saint Paul puts it in his 1st Letter to the Corinthians, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”
As Saint Ignatius thought concerning the Eucharist, “I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible.”
Throughout the Easter season the hearts of the apostles would continue to grow in their love and understanding of Christ. Through the Breaking of Bread they came to know Him more intimately as He prevailed Himself to them in His Flesh and in His Blood. The thought of such an action should humble us in the Lord’s presence for this is what happens for us each and every time that we attend the Mass. We come to behold Him in the Breaking of Bread.
As Pope Francis has stated, “The Eucharist in the summit of God’s saving action: the Lord Jesus, by becoming bread broken for us, pours upon us all of His mercy and His love, so to renew our hearts, our lives, and our way of relating with Him and with the brethren.”
Therefore, may this Easter season remain fruitful for each of us. Let us develop devotion to the Eucharist and proper understanding of the importance of the Mass where Christ becomes manifest with us in the Breaking of Bread. We have grown burdened over the passing of time, but Christ awaits to console us. Through the Breaking of Bread may we come to know and love the Lord our God who pours Himself out for us upon the cross. Let us be sent forth into the world filled with His grace and and joy to proclaim the Good News that the Lord has risen and how we have come to know Him in the Breaking of Bread.
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