In the first reading, Peter explains the phenomenon of Pentecost. Peter had earlier explained that speaking in tongues is not the result of drinking fresh wine but is the intoxication of the Spirit, of which the prophet Joel spoke. He that the events which have happened in Jerusalem are the fulfilment of scripture.
Peter first explains that the resurrection of Christ from the tomb is the fulfilment of Psalm 16: ‘You will not abandon your holy one to see corruption’. Furthermore, the full sense of the Resurrection and exaltation of Christ is explained as the fulfilment of Psalm 110 which is used frequently in the New Testament to show the glory of the Risen Christ.
In the second reading, St. Paul highlights that it is not easy to be a Christian. Jesus paid a great price for our redemption. The context of this passage is the Old Testament sacrifice, particularly the sin offering. In these rites, the blood is valuable not for the pain it represents but for life. There can be no reconciliation without blood, according to Leviticus 17:11, for blood means life. The blood of a living creature belongs to God because it represents the God-given life. Once the blood is shed there is no more life. The blood is a cleansing and enlivening agent, renewing life. It takes away and overrides the deadness of sin. The blood of Christ cleanses us since it represents the divine life which is given to us. In the Book of Revelation, the garments of the martyrs are washed white in the blood of the Lamb, that is, they receive new life. This also explains the importance of the Eucharistic blood of Christ, which gives us Christ’s own divine life and enables us to live with his life.
The journey to Emmaus accounts for the journey to faith in the Risen Christ. It occurs in any Christian instruction, and especially in the Eucharist, formed from instruction based on the scriptures, and then brought to its fulfilment in the sacrament. The two disciples start off deep in depression and disappointment. They met someone on their journey and are open-minded and willing to learn as he explains to them the meaning of events from scripture. Their hearts burn within them at his words, but their eyes remain closed. They only recognized him at the breaking of bread.
Like the disciples, the Eucharist brings us to the intimate, personal encounter with Christ. Once we have been enlightened and have learnt the profound meaning of the events, the truth of the scriptures and the resurrection, we return to the world and carry on our own Christian apostolate by spreading the news of the resurrection.