The Appearance on the Road to Emmaus

Today's Reflections

The Appearance on the Road to Emmaus 

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Lk 24:13-35

¹³That very day [the first day of the week] two of [Jesus’ disciples] were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus... ¹⁵And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, ¹⁶but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. ¹⁷He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” ... “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene... ²⁰how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. ²¹But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel... ²²Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning ²³and 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. ... ²⁵And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. ²⁸As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. ²⁹But 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. ³⁰And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. ... ³³So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them ³⁴who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Reflection:

Stay with us. This is a very consoling gospel. Jesus walks incognito with the frustrated and dejected disciples. At the lowest moment of their life, he comes to them and makes their hearts burn once more as he explains the Scriptures to them and reveals himself at the breaking of the bread.

Jesus is never absent from our lives. He walks with us even and especially at our lowest and darkest moments. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta experienced spiritual darkness for the greater part of 50 years. But all throughout, Jesus remained with her.

Walk in the dark believing that Jesus,

the light of the world, walks with you.