Luke 24:13-35

Acts 2:14, 22-33

Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

1 Peter 1:17-21

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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you inspired the prophets of Israel who foretold the day when you would send your only begotten Son as your Servant. You gave him the mission of establishing justice and peace on earth and, through his suffering, expiating the sins and iniquities of your people. Open my mind and heart today to contemplate your Son as the Suffering Servant.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Breaking of the Bread and the New Exodus: In the Gospel of Luke, the two disciples who encountered the risen Jesus on the way to Emmaus and in the breaking of the bread, returned to Jerusalem and recounted to the other disciples what happened. The phrase “breaking of bread” refers to the four actions that occurred at the feeding of the five thousand, at the Last Supper, and at Emmaus. In the Acts of the Apostles, this phrase refers to the community’s celebration of the Eucharist (Acts 2:42; 20:7, 11). In our day, Jesus continues to make himself known to us in the Eucharist (see Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, p. 396). Just as the risen Jesus opened the minds of the disciples on the way to Emmaus, he opened the minds of his disciples in Jerusalem to understand the Scriptures. The risen Jesus also commissioned his disciples. He called them “to proclaim the good news of His new exodus to the whole world, proclaiming the ‘release’ of sins. ‘Release’ (aphesis) is the jubilee term that Jesus had made a central part of His ministry. Now it is to be at the center of the Church’s mission. The disciples are to proclaim to the scattered children of Israel and Adam that there is a way out of their exile, for in Jesus one can find release from the bondage to sin and death” (Gray, Mission of the Messiah, p. 147).

2. Peter’s Sermon in Acts: In the First Reading, we read from Peter’s first sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-36). Peter explained the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a fulfillment of the prophecy from Joel (see Joel 3:1-5) and the death and resurrection of Jesus as a fulfillment of Psalm 16. He concluded that Jesus is Lord and has ascended into heaven, been glorified at God the Father’s right hand, and today pours out the Holy Spirit upon his followers.

3. Christians are Redeemed Sojourners in This World: In the Second Reading, we read from the First Letter of Peter. The letter aims to prepare the churches of Asia Minor for suffering in imitation of Christ. “As members of God’s household, they need to know their new identity in Christ, learn how to relate to others both within and outside the Church, and be ready to undergo affliction for their faith. In fact, the characteristic feature of this letter is the sharp contrast between the sober call to suffer in imitation of Christ and the ‘indescribable joy’ (1:8) that is ours because of our new standing in Christ” (Keating, First and Second Peter, Jude, 17). Peter wants to teach that the Christian life is marked not only by hope and joy, but also by suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. The verses we read today are part of a call to holiness in conduct. We need to live reverently in view of Christ’s spotless offering. God the Father will judge us not according to our race or tribe, but impartially and fairly according to our works and our faithful obedience to God’s Word (1:17). Peter asks us to have filial reverence. Peter addresses his readers as “sojourners.” This calls to mind the sojourn of Israel in Egypt and later in Babylon. It depicts Christians as sojourners scattered among the nations of the earth. “Just as Israel had no permanent home in Egypt or Babylon, so Christians have no final dwelling among the nations where they now live” (Keating, First and Second Peter, Jude, 43). Peter’s readers have been ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ, the spotless, unblemished lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus is also the Suffering Servant, who has been raised from the dead by God the Father.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I encounter you in the Word of God and in the Eucharist. And just as you sent out your disciples, you send me out on a mission to proclaim to the world that you are the way to salvation. Help me to bear witness to you today just as your disciples bore witness to the mystery of your Resurrection.

Living the Word of God: How am I concretely bearing witness to Jesus? Peter was fearless in his witness. Will I let the Holy Spirit empower me to testify to all that God has done for us?