“Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!”
What harsh words to hear from Christ! True, the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not realize (yet) that He was the one speaking. But even after this gentle rebuke, they still invite Him to stay with them after a long day of travel. There is something in their hearts that longs for more words from their Teacher. After all, the truth Christ speaks to them is what they were made for – not the panic and worry of the town they’ve just left behind.
“Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way?” Even before Christ made Himself known in the breaking of the bread, He was revealing Himself to them. In their heart of hearts, they recognized Truth when He spoke, and it brought them courage and hope.
How often in the journey of life are we discouraged along the way? The news programs, the media outlets, our next-door neighbor, the tabloids in the check-out aisle … the sources of disheartening news go on and on, and there seem to be more of them every day. We can imagine the disciples from Emmaus felt much the same. They have faithfully followed Christ, only to see Him tried unfairly and then brutally killed, and His followers virtually disbanded. They were sure Christ must have been the Messiah – but where are all His promises now?
Naturally, they are surprised when Christ asks them about the cause of their dismay. What traveler in or out of Jerusalem wouldn’t know about the death of the Christ? “Haven’t you heard? It’s all over town!” For these disciples, the blustering and blowing of temporary news has nearly drowned out the lasting words of Scripture and of Christ’s teachings before His death.
So, Christ journeys with them, both literally and figuratively, encouraging them on the road. He delves into Scripture, explaining how each Old Testament prophecy has been fulfilled in Him. His gentle rebuke, His explanation of Scripture, and His sanctifying presence at their meal, all remind them – and us, thousands of years later – about lasting truths: God’s promises in Scripture, His enduring love for us, the hope He has been offering us since man’s fall from grace. He has not left us alone for a single moment.
Christ’s presence in this passage serves as a reminder of a much deeper, lasting peace that endures beyond the tempests of the world. Are we, like those disciples, also foolish sometimes? Have we been slow of heart to believe His promises, the truths that endure even after empires fall and peoples perish? His word has been true from the very beginning of time, and it will be true to the very end. No matter what storms the journey of life brings, He reminds us that we will always encounter Him in Scripture and the sacraments, and in Him, find true and enduring peace.
Daily Reading
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Reading I Acts 11:1-18 The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to…
Saint of the Day
Saint Hunna
Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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