Priest on a country road

On The Road to Emmaus (((HOMILY))) Third Sunday of Easter

by Father Brian J. Soliven on Sunday April 26, 2020

If you and I were there at the resurrection, we'd be just as confused as the two disciples we hear about in the famous story of the Road to Emmaus. Dumbfounded and dejected, they walk away from Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the holy city, the city of God, is the city of the utmost importance to Jesus' life. It is here he died and yet now they hear the tomb is mysteriously empty. Like so often happens with us, we walk away from God when times get rough. "We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel..." Notice they use the past tense; they've lost the faith. Christ, however, has not lost faith in them, nor does he ever lose faith in us. He will pursue us no matter how much we fail, like a priest who patiently waits in the confessional eager to forgive the sins of the biggest sinner. 

In this confusion, Jesus points to himself as the key to clarity. Only in him, can we finally see and understand. "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!" Look to me; follow my lead. "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." For any Catholic the pattern he lays out should sound very familiar to us. "He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them." My friends, Jesus repeats what he gave his Disciples at the Last Supper-- the Holy Mass. Only through the Eucharist can we finally understand.