Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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This is one of the most vivid and moving scenes in all the Gospels. Two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem on the very day of the Resurrection, heading home to Emmaus. Their hopes had been placed in Jesus, whom they believed would be “the one to redeem Israel.” But now, as far as they understood, he was dead.
Yes, they had heard reports that the tomb was empty. They themselves had even gone to see it. But an empty tomb was not enough to convince them. Confusion lingered. Hope had given way to disappointment.
So they walk along the road weighed down—grieving, perhaps even a little angry—trying to make sense of all that had happened.
And then Jesus comes alongside them.
They do not recognize him. His risen body is glorified, and his identity is hidden from their eyes. To them, he is simply another traveler on the road.
But what a traveler he is.
Jesus meets them exactly where they are. He walks with them. He listens. He asks questions. And then, gently, he begins to open the Scriptures to them. Step by step, he helps them see that the suffering of the Christ was not a failure, but part of God’s plan. The one who was crucified is the true Passover lamb, given for the salvation of the world.
Only through suffering could he enter into glory.
Something begins to stir within them. Their hearts are no longer cold. They are drawn in by this stranger’s words, by the truth he unfolds before them. So when they reach Emmaus, they make a simple but profound request: “Stay with us.”
And he does.
At table, everything comes together. Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them. In that moment—so familiar, so sacred—their eyes are opened. They recognize him.
And then he vanishes from their sight.
But perhaps he has not gone away at all.
Perhaps he has drawn even closer.
In the breaking of the bread, we see more than a memory—we see the gift of the Eucharist. Christ is not simply before them anymore; he is within them. They do not just look at him—they receive him. They become united with him in a way deeper than sight.
And the same is true for us.
The risen Lord walks with us each day, even when we do not recognize him. He meets us in our confusion, our disappointments, our questions. He speaks to us in the Scriptures. He reveals himself to us in the Eucharist.
He leads us, just as he led those disciples, from sadness to joy, from doubt to faith.
And so our prayer becomes their prayer:
“Stay with us, Lord.”
And he does — he comes to us as the living bread and saving cup of his Risen Body and Blood — and he abides in us as we make our Holy Communion with him.
And when he stays with us, and unites himself to us, everything changes.
Have a blessed week everyone.