Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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 the bread.

On the road to Emmaus

1. They did not recognize Him. They were Jesus’s disciples, but fear and despair prevented them from recognizing Him. That is what happens many times to you and me; we walk along the path of life without recognizing Jesus, without seeing Him. It’s hard to see Jesus in your life’s journey, but He is there. I assure you that He is there and walks along with you, but He wants you to tell him what has happened, what you are going through. Don’t get discouraged, talk to Jesus, tell him what is happening to you. He can help you.

2. Jesus explains to them. These disciples did not understand the Word because they expected something else to happen, they had another vision, a human and political vision. We can also distort the Word of God and not understand it in all its richness. But remember that “not knowing the scriptures is not knowing Christ”; it’s important that you meditate the Word of God, it only takes a few minutes to read the Bible and to recognize its wealth. The Bible is pure teaching and works for your whole life.

3. Your heart burning within you. Today let’s ask Jesus to help us recognize Him. It’s in the Eucharist that we recognize Jesus, that’s why the Holy Mass is so important, it’s our home and school of communion. The Eucharist is the Church’s strength and your life’s strength as well. May our heart burn in every Eucharist. May we not be gripped by the routine that chills us and leads us to live the Mass as a matter of mere compliance. The Word and the Eucharist are pillars of Christian life. Without them there is no community, there is no priesthood and there is no fire in our heart. 

Jesus, we pray that our heart may burn, so that we may fill this world with your love. 

Always remember something good is on the way!

The Lord bless you and keep you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.