Christ Walks With Us

𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟏𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐀𝐜 𝟐:𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟐-𝟑𝟑

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟔:𝟏-𝟐, 𝟓, 𝟕-𝟏𝟏 “𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.”

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐: 𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟏:𝟏𝟕-𝟐𝟏

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟐𝟒:𝟏𝟑-𝟑𝟓

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬?” (𝐯.𝟑𝟐)

           Have you ever wondered why there are some liturgical readings particularly with the Gospel narratives that are repeated within the year or within the same season. This is done on purpose because the Liturgy is not just a reading matter, but it’s living the mystery of the Gospel which should not be treated like a history lesson.

           Instead, the Liturgy is something that comes alive and present. Take for instance our Gospel passage for the Third Sunday of Easter that we read in 𝐋𝐊 𝟐𝟒:𝟏𝟑-𝟑𝟓 which is about the experience of two disciples who encountered Jesus on their way to Emmaus. We have read and heard this Gospel many times and we wonder why it is being repeated.

           This story is read several times during the Easter Season primarily because the Resurrection event is too rich to be exhausted in just one sitting. Each time this Gospel narrative is used and read, it allows the faithful to enter the experience like the two disciples who recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

           We should remember that in Bible reflection, we may be reading the same passage, but the context changes the meaning we have received. On Wednesday in the Octave of Easter when this passage was read, the focus was immediate, an emotional mix of confusion and shock and the first recognition of the risen Lord.

           And today on the Third Sunday of Easter, the same story is now directed to a community that had spent considerable time reflecting on what happened at Calvary. On this day, the focus shifts to spiritual growth by understanding the role of Scripture and the Eucharistic recognition of Christ. So, we have the same Gospel but a different spiritual approach.

           The story of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus is in fact the answer to the question of why certain passages are repeated. These two disciples not only heard but they were witnessed to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They learned that the tomb was empty, yet they still walked away – in confusion, feeling depressed and unbelieving of what was happening.

           The truth of the Resurrection may have filled their ears, but it never reached the depths of their being. It was at this point that the Lord comes to them not with something new to tell them, but by walking them again through what they had already witnessed and heard. The Lord opens the same Scripture they already knew by heart and Jesus led them in retracing the promises that were already made.

           It is only through this patient repetition did the two disciples begin to understand until their hearts burned within them and their eyes were opened in the breaking of the bread.

           So it is with us. Our Church repeats the Gospel we find in 𝐋𝐤 𝟐𝟒:𝟏𝟑-𝟑𝟓 that we heard on the Wednesday after Easter Sunday and is repeated today not because we have failed but because we are still in the process of being formed. The Word of God is like a seed that is sown again and again into the soil of our hearts, waiting for the right moment to take root more deeply.

           A passage that we hear only once is meant to inform. When we hear it again it touches the heart and when we hear it again, it may begin to transform our lives. We may think that we already understood the Scriptures but repeating it again, things begin to unravel with greater clarity.

           Thus, repetition is not redundancy – it is grace. Such repetition of the Liturgical readings is not an accident. It is intentional because it is the way of Our Lord to draw near to us in our spiritual journey, patient with the slowness of our understanding, yet faithful in the face of our confused state of mind.

           The reason why these two disciples went to Emmaus simply because they were overwhelmed by how their expectations turned out. Jesus came at the right time because these two disciples – one was identified as Cleopas – have lost hope “𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝑰𝒔𝒓𝒂𝒆𝒍” (𝒗.21) and their dreams of being liberated was shattered when Jesus was crucified and died on the cross.

           What they thought was the beginning of a victorious life now looks like the end of everything they hoped for. Their journey to Emmaus was not just an escape from the trauma and confusion they experienced at the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus but it was a way for them to process what happened by trying to make sense of the events.

           It was only when they sat down at the table with Jesus explaining the Scriptures to them, and as he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, it was the only time their eyes were opened, and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight (𝐯𝐯.𝟑𝟏-𝟑𝟐).

There are at least two points that make this narrative remarkable: (1) Emmaus is to the West of Jerusalem. Hence, the two disciples were walking towards the sunset as it was already dusk. This is the exact opposite of what a Christian should be.

It has been said that a Christian must set his sights towards the sunrise and not towards the sunset which means that we as Christians must not allow whatever frustrations or problems that come our way to hinder us from seeking that which is good.

The other point was (2) that the joy that the two disciples experienced moved them to rise and head back to Jerusalem. This was a seven-mile journey on foot, and it we go by what this Gospel passage says the two disciples did not have time to rest as they stood up the moment Jesus vanished.

  And following their encounter with Jesus,  all they could think about was to share their experience with the other disciples and this is a question we need to grapple with  – how far would you go to share a beautiful experience you had or to be more straightforward about it, how far would you go to bring Christ to others?

When they reached Jerusalem, they found their fellow disciples sharing their own experiences of their encounters with Jesus. They told of Jesus appearing to Peter (𝟏 𝐂𝐨𝐫 𝟏𝟓:𝟓) and the two disciples shared their own experiences with Jesus who broke bread with them (𝐯.𝟑𝟓).

This should be the same with us. As with the two disciples who trekked back to Jerusalem because they could not contain the joy of encountering Jesus, we too should not keep the Gospel to ourselves because the gift we have received, we must give as a gift to others.

More importantly, we should always keep in mind that even when we walk away, Christ still walks we us until we find our way back to Jerusalem. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 19, 2026)