Reflection for April 19 Third Sunday of Easter: Luke 24:13-35

Gospel: Luke 24:13-35

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 the bread.

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Reflection:

Do we truly realize that the Lord Jesus is always walking with us—both in the highest moments and, even more so, in the lowest episodes of our lives?

In the Gospel, as Cleopas and the other disciple journeyed to Emmaus, the Risen Christ drew near and walked with them. He spoke with them, listened to them, and shared in their sorrow. Yet, they did not recognize Him. Their eyes were closed to His presence. Why? Because their hearts were fixed not on the Risen Christ before them, but on the memory of the Christ who had suffered and died on the cross.

How often are we like them?

When they reached Emmaus, night had already fallen, and they urged Him to stay with them. At the table, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. In that sacred moment, their eyes were opened—they recognized Him. It was in the breaking of the bread that they encountered the Risen Lord, just as He had revealed Himself during the Last Supper.

In the same way, we too can fail to recognize Jesus walking beside us. We become preoccupied with our worries, our struggles, and the demands of daily life. We focus so much on surviving that we forget to see, to listen, and to feel His presence within and around us.

Yet the truth remains: Jesus never leaves us. He walks with us in our confusion, in our disappointments, in our silent tears, and even in our moments of doubt. He is there—patiently waiting for us to recognize Him, to invite Him in, and to enter into a deeper relationship with Him.

All that we strive for in this world will ultimately fade if it is not rooted in a living, personal relationship with Jesus. Without that awareness of His abiding presence, we risk missing the very One who gives meaning to our journey.

God desires that we walk closely with Him—that we grow in awareness that He is always with us, guiding us, loving us, and sustaining us, even in our lowest moments.

So today, let us pause and reflect:

As we go through the ordinary and the difficult moments of our lives, are we truly aware that Jesus is walking with us—or are we too distracted to recognize Him?—Marino J. Dasmarinas