“The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread.” Luke 24:35
Have you ever stopped to notice where people encountered Jesus?
It’s often in the humble, ordinary moments of life… while people are at work—maybe fishing; while they’re gathered with family and friends—remember the wedding feast of Cana? Even while they’re traveling from one town to another—as in the story of the Good Samaritan. Then there’s the story of the Walk to Emmaus… the resurrected Christ meeting two of his disciples and changing their lives, and ours, forever.
The two men were saddened by the loss of Jesus. Where was God’s purpose in the Crucifixion? As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus appeared in their midst. When they arrived in Emmaus, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and gave it to the disciples. At that moment, they recognized him as their risen Lord. Their spirits were renewed. They returned to Jerusalem filled with a desire to witness the Gospel and the living presence of Christ.
Emmaus is a reminder of the many pathways to God. In the ordinary activity of everyday life, Jesus is always present if we are open to receiving him and sharing him with a world anxious for healing. That ordinary activity of ours could be anything from shopping and running errands to waiting on line or saying the Rosary on Zoom with a parish prayer group.
Finding Christ in the simple journeys of everyday life is especially comforting right now. Who hasn’t experienced isolation in the past year? It’s been so much harder to attend Mass and receive the Sacraments, harder to get together with family and friends. But that doesn’t mean that Jesus has abandoned us. Quite the opposite. What the disciples experienced on the road to Emmaus was the enduring presence of our God, always at hand, especially in the most
difficult moments.
Friend, the words of today’s Gospel are a comfort and a consolation. Receive the gift of our Risen Christ knowing that you are never alone, never without the strength you need to love and serve the Lord… just like the disciples who found Christ on the road to Emmaus.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Raymond J. Finch, M.M.
Third Sunday of Easter
When all hope had vanished and
all our dreams destroyed,
you came to us, Lord Jesus,
as a stranger on the road
who opened the scriptures to us.
How our hearts burned within us
as You taught us it was necessary
for the Messiah to suffer and die!
At table after giving thanks to God
you broke bread and bid us take and eat
and our eyes were opened and
our spirits soared with the Good News:
You are risen! Your presence and perfect love
cast out all fear from our hearts
as we ran to share the Good News.
Help us, Risen Lord, to seek and find
You in the ordinary places and events of life.
Come to us in our everyday activities
so we might see there is no work so small,
no task so insignificant that it cannot be dedicated
to Your kingdom when performed with love.
Amen
Prayer by Maryknoll Missioner, Father Joseph Veneroso
