8 April 2026 – Wednesday of Easter Week
Acts 3:1–10; Luke 24:13–35
H O M I L Y
The Evangelist Luke recounts three appearances of Jesus on Easter Day: 1) the one to the women, who were the first to have the courage to come to the tomb early in the morning; 2) the one to the two disciples who had decided to return to their village and their daily tasks; 3) the one to the Twelve, who were still paralyzed by fear in the place where they had shut themselves away. It is the second of these appearances that we have in today’s text.
The encounter with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus has inspired many artists over the centuries. But I believe that most well-known paintings depict Christ at table with the two disciples, in the inn’s dining room, rather than on the road. Personally, I have always been particularly fascinated by their encounter on the road.
In reality, although what Luke describes certainly has a historical basis, his aim is not to describe a particular event in detail. It does not take much thought or a great deal of analysis to realize that what Luke describes in this passage is the life of the early Christian community, which goes about its ordinary business following the death and resurrection of Jesus, yet continues to feel his presence: 1) through the sharing of the Word and catechesis, 2) through the breaking of bread, and 3) through the profession of faith. Luke is not recounting here a miracle of power, but rather an event that gladdens the spirit and warms the heart.
Let us try for a moment to imagine how the Christian community (represented here by the two disciples) felt after Jesus’ death. Jesus’ life had been very disconcerting for them. He had appeared as a young prophet bearing all the signs of the Messiah; he had spoken like no other, he had gone about doing good and performing miracles; but all this had lasted but a short time. He had been put to death. One sentence in the account expresses their disappointment well: “We thought that he was the one…”
In each of our lives, there have certainly been moments when we have had a vivid experience of Christ’s presence. The absolute certainty of that presence gave us the strength to commit ourselves, as Christians, as responsible members of the Church, as nuns or monks. And then there were probably other moments when nothing seemed clear or certain anymore. Did we not feel like saying at such times: “We thought it was him…”? We thought we were doing his will; we thought he would be with us forever. We expected to experience his presence constantly. And now, it is the third day, the third month, the third year… And if someone asks us why we are so sad, we might feel like replying: “You’re the only one here who doesn’t know that everything is going wrong… in the Church, in the world, in my community, in my life”…
Today’s Gospel reminds us of the importance of remembrance, which is the fundamental Christian attitude (“Do this in remembrance of me…”). It reminds us that whenever, in a moment of doubt and trial, we have the courage to say: “I thought it was Him”… every time, He is there, walking beside us on the road, warming our hearts, opening our eyes to an understanding of the Scriptures — not just the Bible, but also the Scriptures of our own lives — and leading us to share bread with our brothers and sisters, enabling us to recognize Him in that sharing.
We are the disciples of Jesus... We are all on the road to Emmaus. We tell one another what has happened... or what has not happened. Because we have the courage to do this, in memory of him, he is there on the road, walking beside us. He is one of us; he is each one of us. He is what each of us must be for the other... “Do not our hearts burn within us?”
Armand Veilleux