23 April 2023 – 3rd Sunday of Easter (Year A)

by Fr Joachim Robert

Dear friends,

Last week we had the story of the Doubting Thomas and today also we have this story where those who doubted God or was disillusioned with what was happening was drifting away towards Emmaus, a town which was moving away from the whole centrepoint where it all happened, from Jerusalem.

And as we approached this Gospel, dear friends, I would like to invite you to look at perhaps the areas of life that you have been struggling with. Perhaps the areas of life that you have doubted, that you feel disillusioned, that perhaps areas of our life that we grapple with. Because as Christian disciples, we have a sense of hope that if we are a follower of Jesus, like the disciples, that things will be better. And like Cleopas and the other companion, they walked along with Jesus, asking what this whole story was about. They heard so many things about what was happening but they were unable to recognise Him, even though they knew Him.

And as Christians, dear friends, we live our daily life trying to be faithful in what God wants of us. We live our lives following all the commandments of God given to us. But very often, we find ourselves in a situation that others are better than us. People who perhaps who do not believe in God are in a better position perhaps than we are. People who have not taken this life’s so seriously perhaps are doing better than us.

And perhaps that was the hope of all the early disciples together with Jesus. They were looking for a Messiah who was able to save Israel but when that dream vanished, they lost hope of this person they were following and they were grappling with what was happening. And gradually we see them drifting away towards Emmaus, moving away from Jerusalem.

Let us ask ourselves, with the scenarios and situations of our lives, perhaps our own family issues, with perhaps our own situations where we are unable to grapple with the problems we are confronted with. Maybe examination, worry of our examinations. Worry about our financial burdens. And perhaps relationship issues, things that makes us drift away and move away from Jerusalem towards Emmaus.

In that disillusionment, dear friends, as we drift away, Jesus comes to journey together with us. In the same way like how He journeyed together with Cleopas and his companions. Journeyed together with them, explaining to them. He knew that they were grappling with the situation of what has happened. But Jesus allowed them to be where they are. He journeyed, allowing them to talk, to speak of what the problems, the frustrations, the challenges, the obstacles. And gradually as He journeyed with them, He broke open the scriptures to them, to make them understand and realise how this whole scenario of what really had happened, that Christ was to suffer, His passion, His death and ultimately His resurrection and ascension.

And very often, dear friends, we focus too much on the sufferings and the challenges and the obstacles of our lives, where we are unable to see beyond what is happening. Because our own grief, perhaps the situation of our own sickness, perhaps the situation of our own problem clouds us, our own burden clouds us from seeing things as it is bt Jesus accompanies us together, opening the scriptures and making us realise where God is present in those moments.

And we see that their hearts as they journeyed towards Emmaus were opened. They were not able to understand or grasp what was happening. But as they walked along, their hearts were open to receiving Jesus and asking Him to come and stay together with them. And after staying with them, He gradually set a table, took bread, said the blessing and broke it and handed it to them. And after doing that, they recognised Him. And after recognising Him, He vanished.

But after that experience, dear friends, after the experience of breaking the bread and making Himself be aware to them, the disciples returned back to Jerusalem, to affirm and confirm what really had happened. And even among the eleven, they too were sharing stories of the resurrection and that affirmed their faith.

And very often, dear friends, in our own situations of life, we need each other. We need one another as we go through this journey of life together. Because faith is a free gift that has been given to us and we need people to encourage us, inspire us and make us realise how God comes into our broken situation and leads us and heals us to identify who He is in our lives. And to express His deep love for us.

And as we look at so many ministries in the Parish, so many encounters of people, so many ways of how parishioners are able to touch the life of each other, these are important moments where we walk along with people like Cleopas and his companion, where we need to be Jesus with one another in journeying, allowing them to drift apart for a while but always having the intention of leading back into the community. And as the CEC children as well, as they continue with the camp, that awareness, that realisation of the accompaniment of the teachers and the facilitators, trying to make their eyes open to see the work of Jesus in their lives, these are moments of recognition. These are moments where Jesus breaks the bread and allows us to see beyond what we are able to see. To rid of our own burden, to remove our blindness and when we are able to recognise Jesus, dear friends, we will definitely do what Cleopas and the companion did. To return back to Jerusalem and be inserted into that community once again.

And let us pray. Let us pray that in our own struggles, in our own disillusionment, that we may have people like Jesus coming to accompany us. And let us praise and thank God for those people, events perhaps, people who is able to be with us at those lowest points of our lives and made us see beyond our problems, beyond our circumstances, beyond our challenges. And to acknowledge that Jesus is truly present in those moments.

In my own journey of life, dear friends, I come to realise that very often in those difficult and painful moments of my life, that is where God was present, that is where God really was reaching out to reach me and to lift me up.

And I am sure in your own journey of life, in the testimony of faith that you share with your family and with the community, there are many many moments of that ‘breaking bread‘ moments. And let us continue to inspire one another. Let us continue to support and encourage one another so that we can build this community of faith. Because as we journey together, all of us must be single-mindedly follow Jesus and to allow that light of Christ to shine in our lives and in our community.

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