Fr. Roger J. Landry
Conversations with Consequences Podcast
Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Vigil
April 22, 2023
To listen to an audio recording of this short Sunday homily, please click below:
The following text guided the homily:
- This is Fr. Roger Landry and it’s a joy for me to be with you as we enter into the consequential conversation the Risen Lord Jesus wants to have with each of us this Sunday, when we enter into one of the most famous dialogues of all time, one that reveals so much about how he seeks to engage each and all of us during the journey of Christian life.
- It’s the conversation that took place the night Jesus rose from the dead, when he met two disciples walking along the seven-mile path downhill from Jerusalem to Emmaus. That the two disciples were heading away from Jerusalem going downhill into darkness was not just an historical fact, but also a symbol of how they were heading away from the light of faith that Jerusalem symbolizes. Their hearts had just been put in a blender. They had believed in Jesus, deeming him to be the long-awaited Messiah. Yet their hopes were crushed when they saw him mangled and executed by the Romans. Earlier that day, women had said that his tomb was empty and that they had seen a vision of angels saying he had arisen, but they were obviously reluctant to believe again and have their hopes crushed anew. Jesus met them along the way — he met them where they were at, with all their questions and doubts — but their sadness, and likely some undescribed changes in Jesus’ resurrected appearance and voice, prevented them from recognizing him. This seeming stranger stuck his nose into the middle of their conversation and asked, “What are you talking about?” They thought he had no idea, as if he were the only person in Dallas on Nov. 23, 1963 who hadn’t heard of the Kennedy assassination the previous day. So they told him about their hopes for this person named Jesus, a “prophet mighty in deed and word,” who they thought might be the one to “redeem Israel,” but who was “betrayed and crucified.” The incognito Jesus, however, upbraided them, called them “foolish and slow of heart to believe” and, starting with Moses and all the prophets, interpreted for them all the passages of Sacred Scripture that referred to why the Messiah “had to suffer these things to enter into his glory.” Doubtless he would have mentioned the just Abel’s being killed by his envious brother Cain, Isaac’s carrying the wood for the sacrifice on his shoulders, Moses’ through the Passover leading the people through the Red Sea and desert into the promised land, Isaiah’s prophecies about the Suffering Servant, the Book of Wisdom’s foretelling that the just man would be beset by evil doers, the many Psalms, like 22 and 69, that had foretold so many details of the crucifixion, the prophecy of Jonah spending three days in the belly of the earth, and so much more. As he was talking, the light of truth began to penetrate the great darkness of their sadness. They would later recount that their hearts, which had been previously slow to believe, began to burn as this Companion spoke to them along the way, even though they still had no idea who he was. They didn’t want the conversation to end. Hence they invited this Wayfarer into their home: “Stay with us!,” they said. Jesus, who never wants to impose himself on us, accepted their invitation.
- But Jesus had something far greater in mind than merely staying with That’s why when he was at table, “he took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to them.” These four verbs are the ones that the evangelists used to describe the multiplication of the loaves and fish as well as the celebration of the Eucharist. They were a sign that he entered their home to make it an Upper Room and do what he had done three nights before during the Last Supper. As soon as he had given them the “Bread” he had taken, blessed and broken, the “Bread” that he turned into himself, he seemed to vanish from their midst, but he hadn’t vanished at all, because he remained with them under the sacramental appearances. They could no longer see with their eyes the Guest who had journeyed with them, but they could see him now with the eyes of faith under different appearances. He remained with them in the Eucharist. The Lord did not want merely to stay with them, but to remain within them through Holy Communion. Then, even though it was already night and there were no streetlights in the ancient world, even though they were probably tired from the seven mile journey downhill, they burst through the door of their home and ran those seven miles uphill in pitch blackness in order to spread the word to the apostles that they had encountered the Lord Jesus. They had come into contact with Jesus — and with burning hearts and likely burning feet — they could not wait even until the morning to share the news.
- We learn so much from this scene.
- First, we learn about what Jesus wishes to do with us in life. He wants to enter into conversation with us, to join us on our journey, and, just like he helped them, he wants to assist us in interpreting present events, including and especially our crosses, in the light of what he has revealed. He wants to give light to the questions we have. Are we aware that he is with us on the Road to our home and accompanies us on our journey?
- Second, we learn about the Mass. Many saints and scholars have seen in Jesus’ interaction with the two disciples the outline of the Mass. We start the Mass with the “liturgy of the word,” in which Jesus seeks to open us up to the truths of Sacred Scripture, help us to see how all Scripture is fulfilled in him, and make our hearts burn again. The more we hear God’s voice speaking to us through Sacred Scripture, the easier it will be to recognize Jesus in the Eucharist, just as the disciples did in Emmaus. The reason for this is simple. The more attentively we hang on what Jesus is telling us in the Gospel and through the other readings that point to him, the easier it is to hear his voice and trust in him as he says to us in the Mass, “This is my body, given for you,” and, “This is the chalice of my blood… poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.” The more we read about Jesus’ miracles the easier it is for us to accept the mind-blowing, continuous miracle of the Eucharist. And the more aware that Jesus is speaking to us at Mass as he interprets for us the Scriptures and stays not just with us but in us in the Eucharist, then we will be bursting with the desire to share him with others and run with enthusiasm to share news with others. The disciples of Emmaus couldn’t wait to share with others their encounter with Jesus, what he had revealed to them about Sacred Scripture, what he done for them in celebrating Mass in their home. How can we keep to ourselves Jesus’ similar love for us?
- The last application I’ll mention is with regard to what Jesus teaches us about sharing the faith with those we know who might be journeying away from Jerusalem downhill into darkness. Many today are like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, confused, saddened, scandalized, wandering away from the practice of the faith. As Pope Francis said in a powerful address to Bishops in Brazil in 2013, Jesus shows us that the reasons for their departure often contain the seeds for their return. Just like the two disciples were leaving because they thought Jesus’ crucifixion was a contradiction of Messianic prophecies, when the unrecognized Jesus helped them to see that it was rather a confirmation of those prophecies, that’s when their world was flipped right side up. We need to do the same with those who have drifted from the Church, accompanying them, entering into dialogue with them, taking their questions seriously, and trying to bring a proper understanding of revelation to their doubts. If they’re leaving because of the lack of holiness manifested by the sex abuse scandals, we need to help them focus not on the Judases but on the successors of the other 11 who remain faithful. If they’re leaving because they think the Church hates those with same-sex attractions, we need to help them to see how Jesus and his Church loves them even more because it loves them with the truth. If they’re leaving because of unanswered prayers to save the life of a loved one, we need to help them to see that God’s will for our loved ones involves a life far greater than even the best of earthly experiences. If they’re leaving because they find Mass boring, it’s a sign that they’re looking for God and haven’t yet found him where they should, and we need both to try to bring them to Churches that are truly on fire and help those Churches in which many go through the motions to remember their first love, implore a new Pentecost, and, with hearts aflame with love for God and each other, help to make others’ slow hearts burn anew. Pope Francis poignantly asked in Brazil whether we are still a Church capable of warming hearts, of leading people back to Jerusalem. When our hearts are on fire with God’s love in his word and in the Sacraments, we sure are. And just like the risen Jesus entered into dialogue with Cleopas and his companion on Emmaus Street, so he wants to enter into conversation with us each day in life, so that he might ignite us with the light of his resurrection and equip us to be his instruments to set the world ablaze.
- So as we prepare for Mass this weekend, let us as the Lord to help us look differently not just at the Liturgy of the Word by which Christ does for us what he did for these two disciples, not just at how Jesus responds to our plea to stay with us by taking, blessing, breaking and giving to us bread and wine that he totally changes into himself, but how he seeks to make our life a conversation just as consequential as the dialogue he had with his disciples Easter night. God bless you all!
The Gospel on which the homily was based was:
Gospel
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
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