WORDS FROM FATHER YOHANES: Alpha and Omega at Emmaus

By Father Yohanes Akoit

The journey of the two disciples of Jesus to Emmaus ends with the breaking of the bread in their home (Luke 24:13-35). This moment prompts them to remember the spiritual events they experienced with Jesus during the Last Supper. In the Last Supper, especially in the breaking of the bread, Jesus gave them His real body and blood (Matthew 26:26-28) to strengthen their journey of faith. And now, in the story of the journey to Emmaus, Jesus reveals that memory to them once again. The act of revealing that memory is not just to serve a nostalgic purpose, but to present the actual presence of Jesus. It renews their spirit, and as a result, they return to Jerusalem and continue their mission. Here, the act of returning to Jerusalem can be reflected on not just as showing the aspect of a renewed spirit. Rather, we can say it also contains the identity of Christ as the Alpha and the Omega. And from this self-identification of Christ, we will see the connection with the Holy Eucharist.

We can start the explanation by saying that the act of returning to Jerusalem becomes the alpha because, after this moment at Emmaus, the disciples go back to Jerusalem and restart their journey. It symbolizes a new beginning, the alpha. The breaking of the bread becomes the rite of sending the Apostles to carry out their mission. It refreshes and recharges their spirit. Though the situation and obstacles will be the same, the power they receive from Jesus as the bread of life empowers them to overcome the challenges. That is why, although they were initially upset, their encounter with Jesus in the breaking of the bread transforms their sadness into joy, and with that joy they return to Jerusalem. At the same time, the breaking of the bread also becomes the omega for them. It is called the omega because it takes place after the disciples complete their journey to Emmaus. It is like when, before we go to bed at the end of the day, we surrender ourselves to God through our prayer. This prayer is nothing but an act of completing the day with God. No matter the various experiences - good and bad, we undergo during the day, as believers all these experiences need to be united with God. This is what actually happened in the breaking of the bread at Emmaus. They were upset and felt discouraged, but Jesus renewed their spirit at the end of the day, and it symbolizing the omega.

The biblical interpretation above regarding the breaking of the bread as the alpha and the omega supports the theological meaning of the Holy Eucharist. The breaking of the bread at the Last Supper, and on several occasions after the resurrection of Jesus, refers to the Eucharist. And because of that essence, the Church attributes the Eucharist as fons et culmen, the source and “summit” of Christian life (CCC 1324). The Eucharist becomes the source because from it flows all the graces needed for the spiritual life of the faithful. Christ Himself becomes present and gives Himself as spiritual nourishment. For this reason, all the other sacraments of the Church are rooted in and draw their power from the Eucharist. Therefore, the Eucharist is the source, the alpha. And on another flip, the Eucharist is also known as the “summit” because the entire life and activity of the Church are directed toward it. All prayer, devotion, apostolic work, acts of charity, and the daily lives of the faithful find their fulfilment in the Eucharistic celebration. Therefore, the Eucharist becomes the ultimate goal of the Christian journey. Every prayer and act of charity must be united with and find its summit in the Eucharist. By calling the Eucharist the fons et culmen, the Church expresses a complete dynamic: from the Eucharist the faithful receive divine life, and to the Eucharist that life is returned as an offering to God. This is why the Eucharist stands at the center of the Church’s life and at the heart of Christian spirituality.

Father Yohanes Akoit is pastor of St. Julian and St. Anthony Catholic churches in Kentucky.