salliesART: Holy Week, 2012, Column 3

Icon, "The Road to Emmaus: Were not our hearts burning within us?"
drawn by Sarah "Sallie" Thayer, 2011

On the first day of the week, two of the disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about 11 kilometres from Jerusalem ... Jesus came near and walked with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. Jesus said to them "what are you discussing?"... They replied "... about Jesus of Nazareth ... who was handed over, condemned to death and crucified... We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel...."
Then Jesus said to them: "Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared..." Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them the things about himself in all the Scriptures. As they neared the village, they urged him strongly, "stay with us..."

When He was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; He, then, vanished from their sight."

That same hour they got up and hurried back to Jerusalem where they told the disciples and followers what had happened on the road to Emmaus and how they had recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.
[Luke 24: 13-35 (condensed by me). The alternate Gospel for Easter Sunday afternoon or evening Mass.]

"Jesus was now noticeably different – so much so that the disciples did not at first recognize him. Jesus had to perform specific familiar actions to show the disciples that he was indeed Jesus: he called Mary’s name, he supplied a huge catch of fish for the disciples in the boat, he broke bread with the two on their way to Emmaus and he forgave Peter three times on the shore. He appeared out of nowhere, seemed to be in more than one place at once and passed effortlessly through thick walls and locked doors.

"Although we do not fully understand all the implications of the Resurrection, this we do know: Easter celebrates the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, but not that alone. We also celebrate the resurrection that has already begun in each one of us. Wherever fragile life is cared for, where tears are wiped away, where the lonely are visited, where forgiveness is extended, where a starving child is being fed, where honesty and integrity abide, where genuine peace is established, where an unjust situation is being made just – all of these are seeds of the Resurrection, seeds of new life. The Resurrection is not only a past event or future event. It is already in process here and now. This is Easter’s promise: that we, too, “will appear with Him in glory!” This is Easter’s joy! What else can we say but Alleluia!"