April 23: Easter and Emmaus / La Pascua y Emaús

One of the true gems of the whole Biblical tradition is the account of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, after Jesus had risen from the dead (Luke 24, 13-35). The Emmaus story is a living paradigm (or model) for Christian discipleship. It strongly suggests that if we travel life’s journey with others, sharing our faith and our doubts with them, Christ will be with us, opening our minds to the truth. Just as He gave those two disciples deeper insight, so He does today for all who listen to Him. His promise remains, “I am with you, always!”

In truth, we are all on an Emmaus journey, a camino or pilgrimage of faith. We may be perplexed by events in our own lives, like the death of our Pope! But other disappointments come our way as well: loss of a job, a failure, the collapse of a relationship, shattered dreams, and betrayals by friends. We are also deeply disturbed by the lack of peace in our world, the injustices of our society, and worries about the future. Everything, indeed, may seem very dark at times. And we may feel as helpless and as hopeless as those two disciples on the road to Emmaus did.
 If so, we need community! We cannot fight alone. We cannot make sense of things alone. We need to lean on one another for support. We need to search the Scriptures together in order to see what answers they may have for us. We need to gather frequently to pray together and celebrate the liturgy of the Church. Only then can we go out and spread the Good News in a fruitful way.

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A nosotros nos puede pasar como a los discípulos de Emaús (Lucas 24, 13-35): que en el camino de nuestra vida estemos como peregrinos desalentados y sin ilusión.
Sin ser conscientes de la presencia de Dios, viajamos, conversamos con extraños o con amigos, comemos, somos indiferentes, y a veces tenemos poca esperanza. Pero, cuestionados por las palabras y la presencia del Señor Resucitado, seguimos caminando con Él como con nuestro hermano y Señor, le reconocemos en los demás y, de modo particular, “al partir el pan” en la Eucarística, y así llegamos a ser un pueblo de esperanza. 

Le reconocemos también al partir y repartir el pan con los hermanos y hermanas, cuando compartimos los unos con los otros todo lo que tenemos. Y si lo hacemos así, la gente seguramente reconocerá también a Jesús en nosotros. 

¡Ojalá también nosotros pudiéramos decir con los discípulos de Emaús: “¿No sentíamos arder nuestro corazón mientras Jesús caminaba con nosotros por el camino y nos revelaba su Buena Noticia?”