Their eyes were opened and they recognised him

The Third Sunday of Easter

Collect

May your people exult for ever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading
Acts 2:14, 22-33

It was impossible for Jesus to be held by death.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,
   raised his voice, and proclaimed:
   “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
You who are Israelites, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God
   with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
   which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
   you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
   because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:
      I saw the Lord ever before me,
         with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
      Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
         my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
      because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
         nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
      You have made known to me the paths of life;
         you will fill me with joy in your presence.

“My brothers, one can confidently say to you
   about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
   and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
   that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
   he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
   that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
   nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
   of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
   he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father
   and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
16:1-2, 5, 7-11

R. :

℟. (11a) Lord, you will show us the path of life.
  or:
℟. Alleluia.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
   I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
   you it is who hold fast my lot.

℟. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
  or:
℟. Alleluia.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;
   even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
   with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

℟. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
  or:
℟. Alleluia.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
   my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
   nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

℟. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
  or:
℟. Alleluia.

You will show me the path to life,
   abounding joy in your presence,
   the delights at your right hand forever.

℟. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
  or:
℟. Alleluia.

Second Reading
1 Pt 1:17-21

You were saved with the precious Blood of Christ, as with that of a spotless, unblemished lamb.

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Peter

Beloved:
If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially
   according to each one’s works,
   conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,
   realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
   handed on by your ancestors,
   not with perishable things like silver or gold
   but with the precious blood of Christ
   as of a spotless unblemished lamb.

He was known before the foundation of the world
   but revealed in the final time for you,
   who through him believe in God
   who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,
   so that your faith and hope are in God.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
cf. Lk 24:32

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us;
make our hearts burn while you speak to us.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Lk 24:13-35

They recognized Jesus in the breaking of bread.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

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.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection

The account of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus has been commented on many, many times, because it is of great value for disciples of every age and every country. Some of the Church Fathers identify these two disciples as two of the seventy-two whom Jesus sent out after he had sent the Twelve. They say that Cleopas was Jesus’ uncle (the brother of Saint Joseph) and that his companion was called Simon. They were friends and brothers in Christ. It is clear from the account how confused and shaken they were by the experience of Jesus’ death. This was a great crisis of faith. One of the disciples replies to the man on the road: “We had hoped … we had believed … we had followed him … yet, although Jesus had shown himself powerful and mighty in his deeds, we thought he was the Messiah—but it seems he failed, and we are disappointed.” Who has not gone through such an experience? At times our faith experiences a crisis, and, because of negative experiences, we may feel abandoned and even betrayed by the Lord. Yet this story of Emmaus shows us that, even today, it is possible for Jesus to meet us—and for us to meet him.

There are two moments in which Jesus makes an impact on the disciples. The first is when he meets them where they are. Our disappointments are God’s appointments. This is shown in the experience of countless disciples around the world throughout the centuries. The dialogue between Jesus and the disciples is an example of the kind of dialogue Jesus wishes to have with you, wherever you are. He finds you in the darkest moments of your faith. Are you aware of this reality? Are you going through a time of confusion? Do you have friends with whom you share your disappointments?

During this encounter, Jesus opens their minds to the truth of the Scriptures, so that they come to say, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” How familiar are you with the Scriptures? How much do you allow them to shed light on your situations, your emotions, and your journey?

The second moment is when he breaks bread before them. How deep an experience is the celebration of the Eucharist for you? Perhaps it has become routine, just another ritual? For these two friends, the breaking of the bread led to this: “their eyes were opened and they recognised him.” Is this your experience? If not, why? This experience is the result of a journey, of a spiritual pilgrimage.

Prayer

Jesus, you seek me and desire to encounter me along the path of my life. Open my eyes, that I may recognise you each time you walk with me on my journey, and lead me to grow in your knowledge. Amen.

 

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