April 19, 2026

3^rd Sunday of Easter (A)  

With Jesus on our Journey

Msgr Thomas Gervasio

 
In last Sunday’s Gospel we met the “Doubting Thomas.” Today we encounter the “Despairing Disciples.” On Easter Sunday afternoon, two disciples of the Lord, Cleopas and an unnamed friend, travelled away from Jerusalem, the place of light and resurrection, convinced that everything was over…that all the hopes they placed in Jesus were dashed. The cross had turned their fidelity into despair. They could not bring themselves to believe what the women and the apostles told them.  
 
As they commiserated, Jesus joins them and takes an interest in their conversation, but they failed to recognize him. There had to be a discontinuity in the Lord’s appearance before and after his resurrection, or their eyes were intentionally held back from recognizing him. When Cleopas explained their troubles, the Lord was not sympathetic but admonished them for being “foolish and slow of heart" to believe all the prophets had foretold.
 
Our Lord then proceeded to give them a comprehensive scripture class, explaining all those passages that pertained to the Messiah’s mission. He helped them “connect all the dots” and make sense of everything that happened.  
 
With the day drawing to a close, the disciples pressed him to stay. At the meal they shared, Jesus took bread and wine and repeated the great gestures at the multiplication of the loaves and at the Last Supper. Only then were their eyes opened and they recognized him. They finally grasped the stranger’s identity and the certainty of his resurrection. Despite the late hour, the dangers of the road at night, and the threat of possible persecution, they rushed back to Jerusalem.  
 
St. Luke is giving us an image of the Church—a pilgrim Church, a Church that journeys through history accompanied by the Lord through days of sun and days of shadow.  
 
He also gives us an image of the Mass…Our Lord’s Scripture class with the disciples is found in the Liturgy of the Word at every Mass. We come to Mass, like the disciples, at times distraught and burdened, at times trying to connect the dots, trying to make sense and find meaning in what we experience. At Mass, the Scriptures are opened to us where God directs us, reassures us, comforts us, and encourages us.  
 
The meal the Lord shared with the disciples at Emmaus points us to the Eucharist, the sacred banquet of the Holy Mass where we too recognize the Lord in the breaking of the bread.  
 
Sacred Scripture and the Most Holy Eucharist are the two great columns that sustain our journey of life, the journey of faith.  
 
We should be ever vigilant to receive the Word of God at Mass and in our personal reading, with reverent attention. We should listen with an open mind, receptive to what the Lord says to us, even if we find it disconcerting. St. Augustine said, “The holy scriptures are our letters from home.” But he also warned, “If you believe what you like in the Gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”
 
The Eucharist warrants our utmost reverence and awe. We should be careful to receive the Lord worthily, free from serious sin, observing the Eucharistic fast and in prayerful adoration. Let’s not allow ourselves to fall into any casual or mechanical attitudes so that this food from heaven can be our sure strength to face the challenges of life and sustain us in our service to our brothers and sisters.
 
Our life is a journey and how grateful we should be that Jesus accompanies us and sustains us by his Word and Sacrament.