Dear Friends,

When we meet the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it is evening, and the sun’s glow of that first Easter day has already begun to fade. The resurrection of Jesus for Cleopas and his travelling companion, at this point, is nothing more than a story or a rumor; however, buried deep within their nervous chatter rests a deep yearning and a holy hunger. As they make this frantic journey away from the epicenter of action, where Jesus was crucified and buried, they experience themselves as bundles of ambiguities. Their minds and hearts, like charged electric particles, race between the intimately intertwined contradictions of: skepticism and hope; severe doubt and their need for Jesus to be alive; the sense of abandonment and their profound longing for His Presence; their fearful running away and their courageous readiness to run back. But amidst their words of doubt, sadness and despair they are impeded to believe what Jesus had told them and they failed to recognize Him, as He accompanied them on their perilous journey. After meeting the stranger along the road, however; something stirs deep within them and their hearts begin to burn with that original faith, hope and charity that was stirred into flame by Jesus of Nazareth. They are inspired to take the risk of speaking to and inviting this stranger, who seemed to be familiar … one of them, into their place of lodging and to share a meal.

“Stay with us, Lord, for it is almost evening.” (cf. Lk 24:29) This was the insistent invitation that the two disciples journeying to Emmaus on the evening of the day of the resurrection addressed to the Wayfarer who had accompanied them on their journey. Weighed down with sadness, they never imagined that this stranger was none other than their Master, risen from the dead. Yet they felt their hearts burning within them (cf. v. 32) as He spoke to them and “explained” the Scriptures. The light of the Word unlocked the hardness of their hearts and “opened their eyes” (cf. v. 31). Amid the shadows of the passing day and the darkness that clouded their spirit, the Wayfarer brought a ray of light which rekindled their hope and led their hearts to yearn for the fullness of light. “Stay with us,” they pleaded. And He agreed. Soon afterwards, Jesus' face would disappear, yet the Master would “stay” with them, hidden in the “breaking of the bread” which had opened their eyes to recognize Him. The image of the disciples on the way to Emmaus can serve as a fitting guide for … the Church [focused on] … living out the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Amid our questions and difficulties, and even our bitter disappointments, the divine Wayfarer continues to walk at our side, opening to us the Scriptures and leading us to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of God. When we meet Him fully, we will pass from the light of the Word to the light streaming from the “Bread of life,” the supreme fulfillment of His promise to “be with us always, to the end of the age.” (cf. Mt 28:20) The “breaking of bread,” as the Eucharist was called in earliest times, has always been at the center of the Church's life. Through it, Christ makes present within time the mystery of His death and resurrection. In it, He is received in person as the “living bread come down from heaven;” (Jn 6:51) and with Him, we receive the pledge of eternal life and a foretaste of the eternal banquet of the heavenly Jerusalem. (Pope St. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Mane nobiscum Domine, 7 October 2004; Introduction)

In this Easter season, let us let Jesus share the burden of the contradictions of our minds and hearts and entrust them into His wounded hands. Let us experience Jesus gazing deeply into our eyes and calling us to follow Him and our “Yes!” Let us recognize Him in the stranger who challenges us, in the one who comforts us, in the One who reveals Himself in the Holy Eucharist. May our prayer be unceasing, “Mane nobiscum, Domine! Remain with us, Lord.”

Be of good cheer, and blessed week!

Msgr. Grous

A WARM AND HEARTFELT WELCOME TO BISHOP JOHN MCINTYRE AS HE CONFIRMS OUR YOUNG BROTHERS AND SISTERS. GOD’S ABUNDANT BLESSINGS AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE CONFIRMANDI! MAY YOU ALWAYS SEEK THE STRENGTH AND GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND STRIVE TO LIVE THE LIFE OF GRACE WITH THE SEVEN-FOLD GIFT YOU RECEIVE TODAY!