Walking With the Risen Lord: The Emmaus Experience Today
Listening the Spirit
Emmaus Prayer
Lord, as we walk down the journey of life,
we ask that you would be our constant companion,
particularly on those days when we are disheartened
or when we have strayed off of your path.
When we are downcast,
we ask that you lift our spirits.
When we are confused,
We ask that you enlighten our minds.
When we are disappointed,
we ask that you give us hope.
You, Lord, have blessed us with your gospel.
Open our minds and hearts to receive your word,
and send your Holy Spirit to give us understanding.
May your teaching take root in our lives
and guide us in your ways.
While we have faith in you, Lord,
we also have our moments of doubt.
We ask that you would deepen our faith,
so that rededicated to you,
we would give bolder witness,
and freely and gladly give generous service.
You gently ask us to invite you into our hearts and homes.
With a spirit of welcome and humility,
we invite you to dwell with us always.
We offer our praise and thanks for the many ways that you feed us
and provide for our many needs.
Listening the Word: Luke 24:13-35
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 occurred.
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 Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to 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 the 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, however, have 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 him 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 all 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 table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they 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 bread.
Reflection
Have you ever experienced the distance from Jesus? or have you ever felt yourself far from Jesus?
Brethren, the liturgy of this Third Sunday of Easter, in line with the Resurrection of the Lord and the Divine Mercy Sunday, offers for our meditation the apparitions of our Saviour Jesus the Risen Lord. We also listen to the courageous testimony of Saint Peter in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. He expresses his conviction that Jesus is alive. Praise the Lord!
As he went to journey with the disciples who were going to Emmaus, today too we can enter into conversation with Jesus and listen to his Word. Today too, he breaks bread for us and gives himself as our Bread. And so, the encounter with the Risen Christ, which is possible today too.
- Jesus, the faithful companion of our journey
Throughout this Easter period, when we gather in community to celebrate the Eucharist, we are like the disciples of Emmaus, whom Jesus joins to warm their hearts in order to recognize him.
He himself drew near and started walking with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
Let us notice a detail here: only one is named, Cleopas. The other disciple has no name. It is a clear invitation to recognize ourselves through this story, always joined by the Lord who knows our fears.
Another detail regarding the two disciples: the gospel shows their disappointment. They were full of hope before the event of Jerusalem, that Jesus is the Messiah. But, after his Passion and death, they are now doubting, regretting, anchored in uncertainties. They were even trying to erase that experience from their life. That is why they decided to go to Emmaus, coming from Jerusalem, where Jesus was put to death. Therefore, what are they going to do in Emmaus? We don’t know, the gospel does not give the reason.
But while proceeding, Jesus made himself their companion of the journey. He could not let them alone, because of his love. He joined them, asked them to recount the story of their sorrow and disappointments.
- Called to share our sorrows with the Lord and always invite him
We are full of zeal and trust at the beginning, just as the crowds did at Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem. we proclaim Jesus as the Messias announced by the prophets, the One awaited to transform our lives. But while facing difficulties or misunderstandings, we forget that blessed truth of our faith. Despite our lack of faith, Jesus is not distant. He tries to join us even where we do not expect him to come. He comes to hear our uncertainties and to open our eyes into the interpretation of the Scriptures. That is why the invitation is to open our wounds so that we may share with Jesus the source of our sorrow.
Actually, while asking them to recount the story, Jesus teaches us that when we share our experiences with him, when we try to name our wounds and disappointments, the true process of healing starts. Jesus is the faithful companion who comes in the silence of our hearts. And with him we can see even our failures as ways of our restoration and salvation. That is why hope is not only in the future, but it is seeing the loving hand of God even through our failures and shortcomings. In other words, if you look at your past in thanksgiving, you will be always enjoying the Lord’s blessings. If you always regret, sadness will take over your life and you will be having a bitter life. Indeed, let us be grateful and let Jesus become our true guest who is actually our Host in the breaking of the bread, in the Eucharist.
The topic remains the same: the Resurrection of Jesus, the source of life for believers.
In the first reading, Peter addresses the crowd gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. Peter reminds them at the end of the discourse that God has exalted the Son : “God has made him Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). His entire aim is to share his faith in the Resurrection of Christ, because the Father cannot abandon him, nor anyone of us. The responsorial psalm of today’s liturgy (Ps 16:10), is really expressive about it: “He was not abandoned to death, neither did his flesh see corruption”.
The implications today are:
- To trust in the Father of Jesus, following his example even in the midst of the persecutions of the Passion;
- To abandon ourselves into the Divine Providence.
- To work hard for our constant union with the father.
It is this inner transformation that the two pilgrims of Emmaus experienced, under the guidance of a Jesus full of care and wisdom. After joining them on their journey, they rediscovered their thirst for Jesus. They have retained everything; they have all the elements in their hands, they have even heard of the “empty tomb” and angelic apparitions, but they still lack the essential, faith... Encountering the Risen Lord requires to become a true and interior experience. It is a source of joy and anticipation of Heaven. This is what we too are called to live wherever we go.
Reflection Questions
- In moments when I feel distant, disappointed, or confused like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, do I take time to recognize Jesus walking with me and share honestly with Him the wounds of my heart?
- How can I grow in a deeper, living faith in the Risen Christ—not just knowing about Him, but truly encountering Him in the Eucharist, in Scripture, and in my daily journey?
