THE WORD
Ac 3,1-10 / Lk 24,13-35
Now that very day two of them 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 Messiah 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 the bread.
IN OTHER WORDS
Emmaus. There is not much information about this place aside from what the Scriptures tell us that this is a village which is seven miles from Jerusalem. Emmaus is, however, a place where anyone and everyone can go. Emmaus is a place of the heart. The Gospel today narrates to us that two of the disciples were walking on their way there when they met our resurrected Lord. Unfortunately, the disciples did not recognize Jesus and our Lord asked them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” One of the disciples named Cleopas then began to tell the story about the Lord. Jesus asks questions and gently draws the story of His own death and resurrection out of them. But the two disciples were still clueless. Jesus - still unrecognized – said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” He then interpreted to the two the prophecies concerning his life. The two disciples were willing to listen to this stranger, because they sought wisdom and understanding. This is the beauty and essence of the
Emmaus walk: It is about (re)discovery and growth.
Walking to Emmaus is a spiritual rather than a physical exercise. It is an exercise of the faith rather than of the legs. Cleopas and the other disciple were evaluating and exploring their faith and their belief. Walking to Emmaus gives us an opportunity to rediscover the presence of the Risen Christ in our life and to refresh our understanding of God´s transforming grace. As we exercise our body often, so should our soul. Let us do our Emmaus walk often.
- Fr. Jovito Osalvo, SVD | Portugal
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
