3th Sunday of Easter – Year A: What is our Emmaus?

What is our Emmaus?

“Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
Luke 24:13–35:

The Church celebrates the mystery of Easter over seven weeks, from Easter to Pentecost, a period of fifty days, the time of “holy joy”, considered by the early Fathers of the Church as “the great Sunday”. Throughout this time, liturgical prayer was offered standing, as a sign of the Resurrection: “We consider that it is not permitted for us to fast or to pray kneeling on Sunday. We observe the same practice with joy from the day of Easter until Pentecost” (Tertullian).

These seven Sundays invite us to celebrate Easter… seven times (the fullness!). Last Sunday was the Easter of Thomas; today is the Easter of the two disciples of Emmaus, as recounted by Luke. With this, the (three) Sundays in which the Gospel presents us with accounts of the Resurrection come to an end.

Luke’s three appearances

In chapter 24, which concludes his Gospel, Luke recounts three appearances:

1. the first, on the morning of Easter, that of the angels to the women at the empty tomb;
2. the second, in the afternoon of the same day, the appearance of the Risen Lord to the two disciples walking on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus;
3. the third, in the evening, the appearance of Jesus to the Eleven in Jerusalem.

These three appearances serve not only to bear witness to the Resurrection, but also to help the disciples understand the meaning of what had happened, which had so scandalised them and left them in deep dismay.

Everything concludes with the Ascension into heaven. Let us note carefully that everything takes place on the same day, the day of Easter. It is an extraordinarily long day! How can this be explained? How can it be reconciled with what the other evangelists recount? We must remember that the Gospels were written several decades later. The events were already known within the Christian communities, handed down orally. In writing, the evangelists take into account not only history, but above all the situation of their communities. In other words, they have a theological and catechetical intention. Here Luke wishes to present what a typical Christian Sunday is like. It is a literary device. Indeed, at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles he presents things somewhat differently: “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them over forty days” (1:3).

The account of the appearance of the Risen Lord to the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus is one of the most evocative in the Gospels. It is a “Gospel in miniature,” comments Cardinal Martini, “a narrative in which faith and emotion, reason and feeling, sorrow and joy, doubt and certainty are fused, touching the deepest chords of the reader, whether believer or simply a seeker, creating profound resonance with the desire to set out on a journey towards the One who offers the fullness of happiness.”

THE FLIGHT. Who are the two disciples?

Who are the two disciples fleeing from Jerusalem? One is called Cleopas. According to a second-century tradition, Cleopas was an uncle of Jesus, the brother of Saint Joseph, a person known in the Christian community. The other disciple is not named. This allows us to identify with him or… with her! Yes, because according to John 19:25—see the Jerusalem Bible—Cleopas may have had as his wife Mary, sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The other disciple, therefore, could be… his wife! So, a couple?

The journey towards Emmaus is not a leisurely walk, but rather a return to their village, to their past, after great disappointment; a flight from the Crucified One after the dramatic defeat. “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”

The theme of the road is dear to Luke. Speaking while walking is what Jesus does in his “great journey” towards Jerusalem, which occupies ten chapters (9:51–19:27). While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, these two are moving away. Flight is the original sin of humanity, and each of us has our own Emmaus. It is not a place, but a mechanism of escape that often repeats itself in our lives.

What is our Emmaus? Faced with disappointment in God and in his promises, doubt and temptation assail us. Have we not been mistaken? Have we pursued a mere illusion? Have we taken the wrong path? Have we perhaps wasted years or even our entire life? Would it not have been better to remain in the village and live as everyone else does? Yet the flight and the desire to return “to the life before” will prove to be a vain attempt, because nothing can ever be as it was before!

THE ENCOUNTER. A travelling companion

“Jesus himself came near and went with them.” But they were too sad and disappointed to recognise him. The Lord lets them recount their (his) story and, through the Word of Scripture, helps them to reread it and understand it; he enlightens it and gives it meaning. Then their hearts are warmed and hope returns: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road and opening the Scriptures to us?”

It is the Word that interprets life. Our view of the meaning of existence, of the significance of the events of our history, all depends on the word we listen to. Which word do we choose to listen to in order to reinterpret our life? That of the world or that of Christ?

The Risen Lord follows us in our flights, like the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep that has strayed from the community. The Italian theologian Pierangelo Sequeri even says that God goes before us on our paths of confusion to set a trap for us, so that we may fall into his arms. He is “the God of a thousand ambushes.”

THE RETURN. An invisible presence

Drawn by the mysterious traveller, the two wayfarers invite him to remain with them: “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” And in the “breaking of the bread” (an expression of the Eucharist), “their eyes were opened and they recognised him. But he vanished from their sight.” When they finally see him, he can become invisible. For he is no longer outside them, but within them! And they return to Jerusalem, to the community, to share their joy and, in turn, to be strengthened by the witness of others. For joy, like faith, is multiplied when it is shared.

In conclusion, this account is a small masterpiece, a refined summary of Sunday, with its reference to the Christian community, to the Liturgy of the Word, to the Eucharistic liturgy, and to the mission of the Christian: to bear witness that Christ is risen. And we, which path are we following? Are we fleeing, or are we on the way back to Jerusalem? Have we recognised the Risen One along the road of our life?

Sunday, every Sunday, is Easter Sunday: a day of gathering from our diasporas, to rediscover the “great joy” (Luke 24:52).

P. Manuel João Pereira Correia, MCCJ

GOSPEL REFLECTION 
Luke 24:13-35

It is the month of April in the year 30 A.D. Two disciples of Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. They have witnessed dramatic events: the execution of their teacher, a prophet, who was mighty in work and word. The days of this sad feast passed. They prepare to return to Emmaus when, early in the morning, someone run towards them with the shocking news: the tomb was found empty. Some women claim to have had a vision of angels and that Jesus is alive. At home, however, they have families waiting for them. It is spring and it’s the time to harvest barley and they must leave. Along the way, a traveler joins them. He accompanies them and in the evening something extraordinary happens.

The story of the disciples of Emmaus is one of the most beautiful pages of the Gospels. It introduces in a celestial world, where dream, instead of being dissolved, is transformed into reality. After this lovely first impression, however, perplexities and questions arise: Where is Emmaus? There was, yes, but twenty miles from Jerusalem, not ten as the text says (Lk 24:13). Some ancient manuscripts, probably to remedy this difficulty, speak of one hundred and sixty stage (about thirty miles), but it will create another problem: it transforms the two disciples into marathon runners.

It is also unlikely that having heard that something extraordinary had happened (vv. 21-24) the two left without having first checked what could really have happened.

Why couldn’t they recognize Jesus in the traveler? What sense has a miracle of this kind: is it used to create suspense? One notices that the text does not say that Jesus was hidden under a false guise, but that their eyes were kept from recognizing him … and it will be important to establish the reason for this blindness.

Why is the name of the second disciple not told to us? Did Luke already forget it?

Back in Jerusalem, the two recount to the apostles their experience of the Risen One. They were informed that the Lord appeared also to Simon (vv. 33-35). Then the story continues. While they are gathered and are talking about these things, Jesus appears in their midst. Astonished and frightened, they are convinced of seeing a ghost. They are unable to believe that he is alive. To convince them, Jesus must eat of the bread and fish in front of them (Lk 24:36-42). The reaction of the disciples is really inexplicable. They seemed taken by surprise as if nothing had happened before.

These are just some of the difficulties that are raised by a literal interpretation of the text. But some indexes orient us toward a less superficial reading. How could one not notice, for example, that the sentence: “When he was at table with them, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them” explicitly recalls the celebration of the Eucharist? And, before sitting down at the table, the mysterious traveler also presides over a solemn liturgy of the Word with its three readings (“and beginning with Moses and all the prophets he explained to them in all the Scriptures …” [v. 27]) and his good sermon (“Were not our hearts burning within us when he opened to us the Scriptures …” [v. 32]). In short, he officiated a full-blown liturgy.

Then again, the phrase: “Is it not written that the Christ should suffer all this, and then enter his glory?” (v. 26) is the unopposed proof that the person who is talking is the Jesus already ascended to heaven. This situation, more than that of the two disciples of Emmaus, resembles that of the Christians of the communities of Luke. Let’s try to rebuild it.

We are in Asia Minor in the years 80-90. Almost all the witnesses of the Risen Lord have already disappeared. The Christians of the third generation are asking themselves: will it be possible for us to meet the Lord? How to testify that he is alive if we have never seen him with our eyes, nor touched him with our hands, and have never sat at table with him? Would we be led to believe just from what others have told us, as what happens in the courts where judges put their trust in credible witnesses? This, however, cannot be called an act of faith, but it’s the conclusion of a reasoning of common sense. We also would like to really meet the Risen Lord.

Let’s reread Luke’s story as a response to the aspirations and expectations of these Christians.

We begin with the name. One of them is called Cleophas (a very well-known figure in the early Church because he was the brother of Joseph, the “father” of the Lord) and the other? The other, could be an invitation to every reader to insert one’s name. It is an invitation to go with Cleophas along the path that leads to recognizing the Risen Christ present where two are gathered in his name.

The two disciples are sad: they have seen the collapse of their dreams, the failure of their plans. They expected a glorious Messiah, a mighty and triumphant king but found themselves in front of a loser. The rabbis taught that the Messiah would have lived a thousand years, Jesus instead was dead.

It’s the story of the Christian communities of Luke. They are persecuted, victims of abuse. They see the triumph of the works of death; the wicked have the better situation over the pure in heart. They find themselves in the same state of mind as the disciples of Emmaus. They also stop with sad faces.

It is our story. We too find ourselves sometimes in the same state of mind. It happens when we have to admit that cunning prevails over honesty; when we are forced to acknowledge the lie becomes the official truth, imposed by those in power; when we see the prophets silenced or killed. Even then, we stop, sad, resigned in the face of an inevitable reality, forced to admit that the new world announced by Jesus probably would never come true.

But can a community born of faith in the Risen One indulge in these thoughts of death and give in to sadness? Are the sleepy and distracted but disappointed faces of the many participants in our Sunday assemblies mean anything? Are they signs of certainty in the victory of life or discouragement and despondency?

The two disciples of Emmaus are very familiar with the life of Jesus. They make a perfect summary of it, identical to what was taught in the catechism of the early Church (vv. 19-20), but their synthesis has a serious flaw. It stops upon seeing the triumph of death. “Our leaders—Cleophas explains—handed him over to be sentenced to death and then killed him” (v. 20) and three days have already passed. This death is to be considered final.

Luke deliberately puts on their lips the thoughts of many Christians of his communities. They know well what Jesus did and taught. They considered him a wise person, one who, with his messages of peace and love, has changed the hearts of many people, but he ended up in death like everyone else.

Whoever thinks in this way discovers only the outward appearance, the historical events in the life of Jesus. He does not have faith in him because he does not believe in his resurrection, which cannot be observed and demonstrated. The consequence of this incomplete knowledge is sadness. Without faith in the resurrection, defeats are defeats, life ends with death, and is a senseless tragedy.

How to get to this desperate situation?

The two of Emmaus have responsibilities. They have made mistakes.

First of all, they left the community whose members continued to search for an answer to what had happened. They preferred to go on their own, convinced that no one can make sense out of certain tragedies.

They have not verified if the women’s experience could be enlightening for them.

Many Christians were behaving as such in the time of Luke: in front of difficulties and persecutions, some abandoned their communities; others, almost on principle, refused the answers that came from faith. They did not even verify if they could have logic and sense.

A third error: The two disciples of Emmaus did not have the slightest doubt that their ideas about the triumphant messiah could be wrong. They were stubbornly clinging to tradition, to what they had been taught. They were impervious to the surprises and novelties of God.

Jesus does not abandon the people who choose the roads that lead to sadness. He becomes their companion in the journey.

As it always happens, the Risen One is not recognizable (someone thinks of seeing a ghost; Mary Magdalene takes him for a gardener; by the lake, he is considered a skilled fisherman). It’s not about miracles. It is a way to present the new situation of one who entered into the glory of God. It is a completely different condition from that of this world. The life of the resurrected ones is not an extension of the present life and the human eyes cannot capture it. That is the reason why the evangelists say that it was Jesus, but he was no longer the same. It was Jesus whom they touched, with whom they had eaten and drank. He was the one who was dead: “Look at my hands and my feet and see that it is I myself” (Lk 24:39)—but he was completely different.

How do Cleophas and the unnamed disciple come to discover that Jesus, the loser, is the Messiah? How can they understand that life is born from death?

The way that the Risen Lord makes them travel is through the Scriptures: It is the Word of God that reveals the mystery.

Not having understood the Bible, the two disciples reason out as men. They cannot see with God’s eye that which happened. For this Jesus reminds them: “How dull you are, how slow of understanding! Is it not written that the Christ should suffer all this, and then enter into this glory?” (vv. 25-26).

The way of the cross is inconceivable and absurd for people. The only one who reads the Scriptures discovers that God is big enough to be able to extract from the great crime of men his masterpiece ofsalvation. It is not enough to read the Word of God. One must understand it. For this, it is necessary that somebody explains it and possibly does it, not as one who transmits an arid theological culture but as one “warming the heart.”

In the evening of that first “Sunday,” the disciples arrive home and Jesus is with them. When they were at table, he “took the bread, said a blessing, broke it, and gave each a piece” (v. 30). It is easy to understand what Luke wants to teach: the eyes of a Christian open and recognize the Risen Christ during the Sunday liturgical celebration.

In the story of the disciples of Emmaus, all elements of the celebration of the Eucharist are present: there is the entrance of the celebrant, then the Liturgy of the Word with the homily, finally, “the breaking of bread.”

Only at the time of the Eucharistic communion are the eyes of the disciples opened and they realize that the Risen One is in their midst. But without the Word, they would not have come to discover the Lord in the Eucharistic bread.

All must experience the encounter with the Risen One.

In the communitarian celebration they can contemplate him through the sacramental signs, but when they recognize him, he does not disappear, even if the physical eyes cannot see him.

A final important element of this passage: the disciples of Emmaus, as soon as they recognized the Lord, rush to announce their discovery to their brothers and sisters and with them proclaim their faith: “The Lord is truly risen …” It is, we can say, the final hymn with which the Sunday celebration concludes. Its notes accompany the disciples for the rest of the week. They are the expression of the joy that they will bring to all people.

I said that Luke wrote for the Christians in the communities of the years 80-90 A.D., and aimed to offer them the way to meet and recognize the Risen Christ in the “breaking of bread.” The way we are invited to travel today is not different.

Fernando Armellini
Italian missionary and biblical scholar

TWO KEY EXPERIENCES

With the passing of years, there spontaneously arose a very real problem in the Christian communities. Peter, Mary Magdala and the other disciples have lived through very «special» experiences of encounters with Jesus alive after his death. Experiences that for them brought them to «believe» in the Risen Jesus. But those who joined the group of followers later on, how could they awaken and nourish that same faith?

This is also our problem today. We haven’t lived through the encounter with the Risen One that the first disciples did. What experience can we count on ourselves? This is what the story of the disciples of Emmaus presents.

Two people are walking toward their homes, sad and heartbroken. Their faith in Jesus has been extinguished. They no longer hope anything about him. All has been an illusion. Jesus, who follows them without revealing himself, reaches them and walks with them. Luke presents the situation thus: «Jesus came up and walked by their side; but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him». What could happen to cause them to experience his living presence next to them?

What’s important is that these disciples aren’t forgetting about Jesus; «they are talking and discussing» about him; they remember his «words» and his «actions» as those of a great prophet; they let an unknown person go on explaining what had happened. Their eyes don’t open right away, but «their heart begins to burn within».

It’s the first thing we need in our communities: remember Jesus, plunge into his message and his deeds, meditate on his crucifixion… If in a given moment Jesus moves us, his words reach us within and our heart begins to burn: this is the sign that our faith is waking up.

It’s not enough. According to Luke, what’s needed is the experience of the Eucharistic meal. Though they still don’t know who he is, the two walkers feel the need for Jesus. They enjoy his company. They don’t want him to leave: «Stay with us». Luke underlines it joyfully: «Jesus went in to stay with them». In the meal their eyes are opened.

These are the two key experiences: feel our heart burn when we remember his message, his deeds and his whole life; feel that when we celebrate the Eucharist, his person nourishes us, strengthens us and consuls us. That’s how faith in the Risen One grows in the Church.

Jose Antonio Pagola