THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER, APRIL 19, 2026
- Maria Knox
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Gospel 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 bread.
REFLECTION
"Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
A few Sundays ago, during the daytime Easter Gospel, we read this passage. We circle back to it today.
Who was Cleophas? Several authors such as St. Jerome and Cornelius, a Lapide, mention that Cleophas might have been St. Joseph's brother, thus, that would make him Jesus' uncle. He was also the father of St. James the less, St. Jude, and Mary Salome. Mary Salome was the mother of St. James the Greater and of St. John, thus making him the grandfather of the "Sons of Zebedee". So Cleophas was not a meek stranger. He was pretty close to Jesus in many ways. He was family.
In this book of the Bible, just a few verses before, we read that Peter ran to the tomb and found it empty (Lk 24:12), and there is no mention of him seeing Jesus yet. They are not aware of the Resurrection yet. Can you imagine the despair they were feeling? They are probably thinking: Jesus was horribly tortured, and now He is dead. On top of that, His body is missing. What is happening? Am I next? I'm out of here!
They are hurting and afraid. They mourn Jesus, and think they have lost Him forever. They start walking away from Jerusalem into the night, into darkness.
As they move towards Emmaus, Jesus joins them. He starts talking to them, and soothes their souls with His words. After supper and how they recognize Him, they say how "their hearts were burning", just like St. Augustine tells us, how "our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee".
We can really appreciate how Jesus rescued them from their own despondency. Many times we think "we can do things on our own". Here we see how much they (we) need Him, for everything. God comes to our rescue, we just need the "eyes" to be able to "see".
Mngr. Charles Pope equates this passage of the Bible to a whole Mass:
There is a gathering (walking along the road)
A penitential rite (Jesus gently nudges them from their negativity into the truth)
Liturgy of the Word (He explains the scriptures to them)
Liturgy of the Eucharist (He takes the bread and blesses it)
They go in peace (they head back to Jerusalem not sad anymore)
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