The readings for Third Sunday of Easter may be found at:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042323.cfm
In this week’s passage from St. Luke we hear the story of two disciples, walking on the road to Emmaus.
This takes place right after Jesus’ resurrection on Easter and
Before Jesus appeared to His other disciples, who were hiding for fear that they would also be killed.
We know, even today, that it’s not always easy to be known as a disciple of Christ, don’t we?
So here they are - walking, trying to get as far away from Jerusalem as possible.
Going, for all intents and purposes, in the wrong direction.
Good thing we don’t ever do that.
You see, the entire build up in Luke’s gospel is towards Jerusalem.
The city where Jesus set his face, cleansed the temple,
celebrated His Last Supper and did battle with the enemies of Israel.
Where He sent the Holy Spirit and formed the Church,
Where He was wrongly convicted, tortured and murdered.
Where He rose from the dead.
Jerusalem was the center of the universe for God on Earth.
Yet these two disciples were walking away from it.
They had believed Jesus would save Israel.
Yet here they were.
They probably felt foolish, confused, discouraged and defeated.
Good thing we don’t ever feel like that.
As they walk, a stranger joins them and they begin to talk about the events of the past few days. Holy Thursday. Good Friday.
The stranger is Jesus. But they don’t see it.
So caught up in their own stuff.
Not able to recognize Jesus right there with them.
Good thing we don’t ever do that.
So this stranger begins explaining to them, in great detail, the meaning of the Scriptures.
Showing them how everything that has happened was foretold in the Old Testament.
They are intrigued.
So as they approach their destination, they invite this stranger to stay with them.
And while at dinner, the stranger takes bread, blesses it, and breaks it, and finally they recognize Him.
It’s Jesus!
And once again they are filled with joy, wonder and renewed hope.
This story is a good reminder for us:
That we need to have our eyes open to see what God is doing in our lives.
To not get so caught up in our own daily expectations and disappointments that we miss His presence.
To not lose sight of the power of the Scriptures to reveal God's plan for us.
To help us better understand how God has been at work throughout all of history.
To remember that God is not a liar.
To find hope and encouragement in His promises.
Like these disciples, we may not always recognize His presence.
But we can trust He is working all things together for our good - always.
This story is a good reminder of the Eucharist.
And how when we come together in Holy Mass - that Jesus is present with us in a real and tangible way - even if we don’t always recognize that, because our mind is somewhere else.
It’s a good reminder that if we worthily receive His body and blood, we are filled with His grace and love.
When the Eucharist is on our tongues, we are closer to Jesus than his disciples ever were.
When we take time with Jesus physically present, like during our weekly Holy Hour each Wednesday night at 6pm here in the Church - even if we only come for a few minutes,
We recognize His real presence and remember he is really and tangibly with us.
They say that if you don;t learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it,
So let us learn from the disciples experience on the road to Emmaus:
To be open to the ways God is at work in our day-to-day lives.
To recognize how important it is to spend regular time with the Scriptures.
To worthily receive the Eucharist with joy and gratitude.
To spend time in the presence of Jesus each week.
Let us learn that by doing these things we can receive great grace, renewed hope and encouragement,
to help us stay on the right path, going the right way as we endure the daily hardships and difficulties of life.
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