Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus

The Sunday Gospel [May 8, 2011]

Luke 24:13-35

Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus

13 Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, 14 and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. 15 And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, 16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. 18 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?" 19 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, 20 how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. 21 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. 22 Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning 23 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. 24 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."

25 And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer 8 these things and enter into his glory?" 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. 29 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. 30 And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. 31 With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. 32 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?"

33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them 34 who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" 35 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.

Reflection

“Were not our hearts [burning within us] while he [Jesus] spoke to us?” ~ Discouraged disciples in v.33

Once upon a time the devil decided to go out of business. He offered all his tools for sale. He attractively displayed the whole bad-looking lot: Malice, Hatred, Envy, Jealousy …. Each was marked with a price tag.

Apart from them lay a harmless-looking wedge-shaped tool, very much worn out, but priced higher than any of the others. Someone asked the devil what tool that was.

“That’s discouragement,” he replied.
“But why is it priced so high?”
“Because,” answered the devil, “discouragement is more useful to me than all the others. With discouragement I can pry open and get inside a person’s conscience, when I cannot get near him with any other tools. And once I am inside his conscience, I can use him in any way that suits me best. It is so much worn because I can use it with nearly anybody, since very few people know that it belongs to me.”

A person is never weaker than when he or she is fed up, is down-in-the-dumps. He or she couldn’t care less about anything…and then anything can happen – and usually does.

Credits: Bruno Hagspiel, The NEXT 500 Stories

Life is a process. What have I learned from the discouraging moments of my life?

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).