E+3: Road To Emmaus

Wednesday After Easter: Gospel Luke 24:13-35 & Reading from Acts 3:1-10 .

One of my favourite passage of Gospel. After the crucifiction of Jesus, two of His disciples dejected and depressed and are going out of Jerusalem to Emmaus. On their way two of them are met by a 'stranger whom they do not recognise'. Upon knowing that the reason for their dejection was the death of their master, a man called Jesus of Nazreth, He goes on to expound scripture and reveals the plan of God which meant that the messiah had to suffer and die on the Cross and only then be raised. He opens their minds to understand the deeper revelation of all that was their in the Scriptures. Their spirits were lifted and upon reaching their place of dwelling, they constrained this stranger to stay and the stranger obliged and entered their place. As they sat down to eat , they blessed God and broke bread and gave it to them. At this breaking of the bread, the two disciples recognised Him......... The stranger was indeed the  risen Lord and as they recognised Him, He vanished from their presence. When did He disappear?....At the breaking of the bread . Another confirmation that the Lord can manifest Himself  in His own way / is present himself in a form during the Holy Mass. Where did He go ? .....As they took the blessed & broken bread, the Lord became present in them.   I have always felt such an exhilarating experience reading this passage. Once I receive the Eucharist, the Lord becomes present in me. WoW !! . I also realised how important it is to allow the Lord to open our minds to the Scriptures, so that we understand and interpret it the right way in order to grow more in Him.

 The two of them were so filed with joy and  excitement that they immediately rose and went back to Jerusalem and told the other disciples about their encounter with the Lord. As the scripture says "....They told them (other disciples) what happened on the road to Emmaus and  that He was known to them in breaking of the bread". Again a sign of true encounter with the Lord, that once we meet Him, we can't control ourselves but just go and share this new found Love with everyone near us. Such was their excitement and yearning to tell others that these two disciples walked back to Jerusalem, which is about 7-8 Kms, the very same night. They had just walked the same distance to Emmaus but did not rest or think that they could go back the next morning. They just started immediately.

In the reading from Acts , Paul continues to walk in his new found boldness and the Spirit's anointing. He is no longer the guy who would shoot of his mouth and then run for cover. The difference this time  s the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In this passage, he and John encounter a beggar who is lame by birth and has been sitting at the temple gate for many years. They are able to heal him of his life long disability with one command in the name of Jesus. Everyone who saw it was amazed and praised the Lord....It is here Paul says those famous verses "Silver and gold I have none but I give you what I have. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth,walk ".And Paul took him by the hand and he stood up and immediately felt strength in his legs and started walking and entered into the temple leaping and praising God. All the people who knew him were amazed and filled with wonder.