Gospel: The Road to Emmaus
Today is the Third Sunday of Easter and the Gospel is lifted from the account of St Luke. That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occured.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleofas, said to Him in reply, "Are You the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And He replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to Him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed Him over to a sentence of death and crucified Him.
"But we were hoping that He would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group astounded us; they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find His body. They came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that He was alive.
"Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but they did not see." And He said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them what referred to Him in the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going, He gave the impression that He was going on farther. But they urged Him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So He went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while He was with them at the table, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and recognized Him, but He vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The incident in Emmaus tells us that God is near to those who seek Him. He showed us that He will be there to those who are disappointed and crushed in spirit. Jesus did not leave us alone, because by the memorial of His death and resurrection, He manifests Himself to us through the breaking of the bread. It is a constant reminder that God is indeed with us.
As they were walking along, Jesus also opened their eyes on what the Scripture really says. It teaches us of the light of the Paschal Candle, where we are reminded that we are not walking alone because the light of God guides us.
Easter is also a great reminder of our renewed spirit that we share with God. He came to die so all of us could live. Our baptism constantly points us to this renewal by the fulfillment of the resurrection in Christ our Lord.
x----x
Picture from Pixabay.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleofas, said to Him in reply, "Are You the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And He replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to Him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed Him over to a sentence of death and crucified Him.
"But we were hoping that He would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group astounded us; they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find His body. They came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that He was alive.
"Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but they did not see." And He said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them what referred to Him in the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going, He gave the impression that He was going on farther. But they urged Him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So He went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while He was with them at the table, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and recognized Him, but He vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The incident in Emmaus tells us that God is near to those who seek Him. He showed us that He will be there to those who are disappointed and crushed in spirit. Jesus did not leave us alone, because by the memorial of His death and resurrection, He manifests Himself to us through the breaking of the bread. It is a constant reminder that God is indeed with us.
As they were walking along, Jesus also opened their eyes on what the Scripture really says. It teaches us of the light of the Paschal Candle, where we are reminded that we are not walking alone because the light of God guides us.
Easter is also a great reminder of our renewed spirit that we share with God. He came to die so all of us could live. Our baptism constantly points us to this renewal by the fulfillment of the resurrection in Christ our Lord.
x----x
Picture from Pixabay.
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