It is a foundation stone of our faith that Christ is present with us. He is not present in the same way as he was with his disciples before his death, but his presence with us is no less real. The two disciples, returning broken-hearted to their town of Emmaus, discovered him with them when they sat at the table and their mysterious guest blessed and broke the bread. They immediately understood that Christ was risen and that it was he who accompanied them along the road. This is the faith of the Church from the very beginning and which St. Paul developed in his commentary about our being the Living Body of Christ. The same Christ, present in the Church, is the head of the Body.
The presence of the Risen Christ establishes and characterizes the new community of the Church. His presence truly changed the disciples from a group of followers into a genuine community with its own identity and mission. After Jesus’ death only fear and hopelessness held his followers together. Some sought refuge in a room with locked doors. Others, like the disciples from Emmaus, went back with crushed spirits to their towns. All this was transformed when the Risen Christ appeared in their midst. The darkness gave way to the light. Joy replaced sadness. The painful emptiness was filled with the presence of the one who had risen.
The appearances revealed a new vision of reality that beforehand no one could have imagined or dreamed. That the disciples could not understand what was happening did not matter. The presence of the Risen Christ overcame their sadness and fears as lightening transforms the night. The day of the Resurrection began in them a transformation that would be completed with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. With the presence of the Spirit the community would discover the identity of the community of the Risen Christ—the Easter community. The Resurrection gave meaning and form to the assembly of believers.
What does it mean to be the community of the Risen Christ? Firstly, it says that the Risen Christ is alive and is present within the community. Moreover, the community is the Living Body of the Risen Christ. Through Baptism we are united with him, already sharing his divine life and sharing his mission to proclaim the Good News and build up the Kingdom of God. It means also a transformation of attitude and outlook. Fear and anxiety can no longer dominate our vision of the world. We are not living to fulfill dry obligations imposed from outside but we live to love. Freed from the power of sin and death, we are living as the sons and daughters of the Father which we truly are.
This new reality and attitude gave the foundation to the witness of the apostles before the people in Jerusalem and before all the peoples of the pagan world. The community of the Risen Christ shone like a new light that penetrated the darkness and offered a new hope to all. Even persecution and the corruption of pagan society could not suffocate the flame.
Today we are this community of the Risen Christ, or as we say, we are an Easter community. This is our reality and we are called to live it. We can and we ought to live with confidence, hope, and joy. We are the Living Body of the Risen Christ.
Fr. David Foxen, MSC
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