Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On Sunday, April 6, in his brief address before the recitation of the Regina Caeli with faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, the Holy Father Benedict XVI reflected on the gospel passage of the Third Sunday of Easter.
The Gospel tells of the two disciples of Emmaus who meet the Risen Lord. “The story is told of two disciples of Christ who, on the day after the Sabbath, that is, the third day after Jesus’ death, sad and dejected, leave Jerusalem and set out for nearby village called, precisely, Emmaus. Along the road, the risen Jesus comes and walks beside them but they do not recognize him. Seeing that they were disheartened, he explained, on the basis of the Scriptures, that the Messiah had to suffer and die to enter into his glory. Having entered into the house with them, he sat down at table with them, blessed the bread and broke it, and at that point they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight, leaving them full of wonder before the broken bread, new sign of his presence. And immediately the two returned to Jerusalem and told the other disciples what happened.”
In his explanation of the passage, Benedict XVI pointed out that the town of Emmaus has never been identified with certainty and that this leads us to believe that “in reality Emmaus represents every place: The road that leads there is the journey of every Christian, indeed, of every man. Along our roads the risen Jesus is our companion on the journey, to rekindle in our hearts the warmth of faith and hope and the breaking of the bread of eternal life.” The Pope also spoke of the “drama” of the disciples of Emmaus. One of them even says, “We hoped...” “This past tense verb says everything,” said the Pope. “We believed, we followed, we hoped, but now it is all over. Even Jesus of Nazareth, who had shown himself to be a powerful prophet in deeds and words, failed, and we are disappointed. This drama of the disciples of Emmaus is as a mirror of the situation of many Christians of our time. It seems that the hope of faith has failed. Faith itself enters into crisis because of negative experiences that make us feel like we are abandoned by the Lord. But this road to Emmaus on which we travel can become a way of purification and maturation of our believing in God.”
The Pope reminded the faithful that “even today we can enter into conversation with Jesus listening to his word. Even today he breaks the bread for us and gives himself as our bread.” At the close of his address, Benedict XVI added that the Gospel account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus “contains the structure of the Mass: In the first part the hearing of the word through the sacred Scriptures; in the second the Eucharistic liturgy and communion with Christ present in the sacrament of his Body and his Blood.” He then invoked the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, asking “that every Christian and every community, reliving the experience of the disciples of Emmaus, rediscovers the grace of the transforming encounter with the Risen Lord.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 7/4/2008 righe 39, parole 543)
