The Glory of Easter: Retell the story of the Lord
Acts 3:13-19; Ps 4; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48
On this third Sunday, Jesus comes to encounter us on our roads of life as he appears to two disciples of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). Often, we have moments of deception in our lives and we can make wrong decisions and fall away from the Church or from the right way. However, He always meets us on our journeys of life so that we may discover as Hugh of St. Victor wrote that,
“All sacred Scripture is but one book, and this one book is Christ!”
By sharing the word of God with the two disciples, our Lord insists on the importance of Scriptures in the life of the Church and in our individual lives. Saint Jerome confirms this when he tells us that
“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ!”
Lost sheep, found on the way
The disciples of Emmaus, after the death of Jesus, were disappointed and decided to leave Jerusalem, the Church. By leaving Jerusalem, the disciples are the first “fallen away” Catholics and its offices. It happens sometimes that in our times of difficulties and troubles, we fall away from the Resurrected Christ, our King, from Mary, our Queen Mother, from the teaching of the Church and the Apostles, the first bishops. Our joy this Sunday is that the risen Christ always seeks the lost sheep (Luke 15) as he did with the two disciples of Emmaus. Let us pray for those of our family who have fallen away from the Church for years. Let us pray for ourselves that we may return to the Lord through the sacrament of confession and receive the Eucharist!
Breaking the bread
Luke tells us that in spite of journeying together for a long distance, the disciples did not recognize the Lord and maybe because their hearts were cloudy with sadness, hopelessness and lack of faith. It was only when the disciples opened the door of their heart (Revelation 3:20) and Jesus came to stay with them and revealed himself upon “breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:30–31), were they transformed and decided to go back to Jerusalem and retell the story of Jesus on the way to Emmaus.
Be a reporter of the Gospel
The story of the disciples of Emmaus helps to retell the story of Jesus. This makes us effective witnesses today. The story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told. We must share Jesus with others, in that way, we are spreading peace, joy, and healing even the doubts of unbelievers. Is this not an invitation to parents to keep telling the story of Jesus to their children? Instead of indulging in social media, maybe every evening, we may read a piece of the Bible to our children. A little story about what Jesus did. To our neighbors and surroundings, Jesus can become the topic of our discussions. Why can’t we announce the name of Jesus and his story at times and at counter times? Let us make it as viral as possible. St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:16
“Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.”
Encounter with the Lord should transform us and make us effective witnesses for Christ. Day and night retell the story of the Lord. Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus let us invite Jesus to stay with us!
Fr. Georges Bidzogo SAC