Today’s Gospel is one in a series of post-resurrection appearances of Jesus that nearly always follow a similar pattern. The risen Jesus appears quite unexpectedly—on the shore, in the garden, beside travelers on the road, among the disciples in the Upper Room. In most instances, Jesus’ first words are words of peace, perhaps to forestall the fear of those who may think they are seeing a ghost. And nearly always food is involved— for example, baked fish for breakfast or an evening meal.

Unexpected presence, words of peace, a shared meal.

How do we recognize someone? Often recognition follows an action or a word that is typical of the person—the tilt of the head, the timbre of the voice, the gait, the bubbling laugh. In today’s story from Luke, recognition dawns when Jesus breaks bread and offers it to those at table. How often Jesus would have dined with his close followers. How often he would have recited the table blessings over bread and wine. How often he would have broken the bread and passed the cup as they gathered at day’s end. Of course they recognized him in the breaking of the bread!

Routine reception of communion could make us sometimes inattentive. Perhaps we, too, could pray for that same grace of recognition.