ON the Road to Emmaus-3rd Sunday in Easter

Way(Road) to Emmaus... 

Good morning/evening every one, I am so happy to welcome you all for today's Holy Mass. 

Once a woman who called her neighbor from her vacation, said, "How is my cat doing?" The man said, "I am so sorry to say that your cat died". What? My cat died? You know how emotional it is for me. You should have built my emotion little by little. First day, you should have said that my cat ran away and the second day the cat was on the roof and the third day, the cat died and then it would be easy for me to digest and not just saying my cat died. Then a week later she called her neighbor again and said, "How is my grandma doing?' The man said, "Your grandma is on the roof today". 

Friends in Risen Christ, On the road to Emmaus is our journey. Though the disciples knew what the scriptures talked about Christ, though they knew that the Messiah had to go through suffering and death and though they knew that He would rise again; they because of their humanness, struggled and suffered, they were sad and distressed. It is our story and our journey of life. It's because though we know Christ is with us, we too struggle to cope with our everyday happenings and we too struggle to trust in the Lord and we too struggle to experience His love and forgiveness for us. 

From today's gospel, we come to know that 

1. Jesus is with us: 

Once an ocean fish said to an older fish, "Excuse me, you are older than me and please tell me where I can find this thing they call the ocean. The older fish said, "The ocean...you are an ocean fish and the ocean is the thing you are now". This is just water. What I am seeking is the ocean said the disappointed fish and he swam away to search elsewhere. 

God is with us and He is everywhere. But our eyes are kept from recognizing Him. It is because we are so into worldly things and we are so worried about ourselves. Things are happening for a reason and God who brought us here will lead us to light. As the two disciples were so worried and sad about what happened to Master and as they were losing hope. What happened? Christ Himself came and joined them. He asked, "What are you discussing with each other as you walk along?"  

They said, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days? 

As they talked about Christ and what happened to Him and why they were sad and disappointed, Christ explained everything about Him beginning with Moses and all the prophets and using the scriptures and divine words. 

It is easy to forget the presence of Christ with us as we go through difficult times. We should remember that challenging situations are our blessings too. A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go through the heat of the furnace to become porcelain. 

2. Jesus opens our hearts and minds in the Holy Eucharist 

When Christ was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it and then their eyes were opened. They recognized Him. They say that about ten strong things. Iron is strong, but fire will melt it. Fire is strong but water will quench it. Water is strong but the cloud will evaporate it. Clouds are strong but wind will drive them away. Man is strong but fears will cast him down. Fear is strong but sleep will overcome it. Sleep is strong, yet death is stronger. But Christ survives death. As the two disciples talking to each other saying, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us, while He was opening the Scriptures to us and while He broke the bread...that is surviving death and dear friends when we come to church, we all get the same experience knowing that Christ survives death and we too like him will rise again new. 

They say that the old cathedral of St. Paul's in London, England was completely destroyed in the great fire in 1666. After the fire, the brilliant architect Christopher Wren designed a new cathedral. The first stone that Christopher Wren picked up from the old building bore a Latin inscription whose meaning is, "I shall rise again". 

Jesus is with us and let us continue our journey. In our pain and suffering; in our rejection and disappointment, He will rise again to make us new. Let us be with Him and thus rise with Him. Amen.