Emmaus, the Eucharist, and the Mission After Mass.
Recognizing Christ in the Breaking of the Bread
“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.”
— Luke 24:30 (NRSVCE) Icon by: Ria Kinghorn ©
By: Deacon Mike Walsh ©
Walking the Road to Emmaus
There is a quiet, deeply human moment in the Gospel of Luke.
Two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem. Their hearts are heavy. Everything they had hoped for seems lost. The cross has shattered their expectations, and they are returning home confused and grieving. And then, without their knowing, Jesus draws near.
He walks with them.
He listens.
He speaks.
They do not recognize him. And yet, something begins to change. Later, they will say:
Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road? (Luke 24:32)
That moment—the road to Emmaus—lies at the heart of our ministry.
Recognizing Him in the Breaking of the Bread
When the disciples reach their destination, they invite the stranger to stay. At table:
He takes bread,
Blesses it,
Breaks it,
And gives it to them.
And in that moment, their eyes are opened. They recognize Him.
This sacred encounter is captured in the Daily TV Mass icon, written by iconographer, Ria Kinghorn. In it, Christ is revealed in the breaking of the bread, drawing his disciples into communion and understanding. This is why the icon was created.
Because each day, through the Daily TV Mass, we too encounter the risen Lord—
in the Word proclaimed, and most profoundly, in the breaking of the bread.
Like those first disciples, we may not always recognize him immediately. But something within us stirs.
Our hearts begin to burn.
“Go in Peace” — A Sending, Not an Ending
The Mass does not end with the sharing of communion- and for the Daily TV Mass the prayer of Spiritual Communion.
It ends with a sending.
Go in peace.
These words can feel familiar, even routine. But they are a commissioning.
After recognizing Jesus, the Emmaus disciples do something remarkable. They do not remain at the table. They rise and return to Jerusalem. They go in haste. They go to share what they have seen.
From Emmaus to Pentecost to Corpus Christi
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room.
Fear gives way to courage.
Uncertainty becomes mission.
Hearts that were quietly burning are now set ablaze.
Filled with the Spirit, the disciples are sent out into the world to proclaim Christ and glorify the Lord by the way they live. And yet, the Church’s mission is always rooted in the same encounter first experienced on the road to Emmaus—in the breaking of the bread.
This is why the Feast of Corpus Christi is so important.
The Eucharist is not simply a remembrance. It is the living presence of Christ among His people. In every Mass, we encounter the risen Lord who feeds us, strengthens us, and sends us forth. The disciples were sent out at Pentecost, but they were sustained by the breaking of the bread. So too for us.
Each Eucharist becomes both encounter and mission: Christ comes to us so that we may go out to others.
And so, Go in Peace seeks to continue that journey after Mass—walking together as companions of faith, carrying the peace of Christ into our daily lives.
Jesus in the Upper Room: “Peace be with you.” -Luke 24:36 (NRSVCE)
Go in Peace —and Glorify the Lord by your Life.
