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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. Luke 24:13–16
Why were these two disciples prevented from recognizing Jesus when
He appeared to them on Easter Sunday? Earlier that morning, as Luke
recounts (Luke 24:1–12), Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary—the mother of
James—and other unnamed disciples found the tomb empty. While they
were there, “two men in dazzling garments appeared to them”
proclaiming that Jesus had risen. When the women told the rest of
the disciples, their story “seemed like nonsense, and they did not
believe them.” Surprisingly, for some of the disciples, Jesus’
Resurrection was not immediately a cause for rejoicing—it was a
cause for uncertainty and, sadly, disbelief.
Today’s Gospel recounts what happened later that day when two
disciples who had heard the women’s testimony took a seven-mile
walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus. In John’s Gospel, when Jesus
appeared to Mary Magdalene, she didn’t recognize Him until He said
her name, “Mary!” (John 20:16). By speaking her name, Jesus not
only showed He knew her but also revealed His resurrected presence
to her.
When Jesus appeared to the two disciples walking to Emmaus, He
revealed Himself in a different way. He walked with them, allowed
them to express their confusion and even doubt, and then
interpreted the Scriptures to them, beginning with Moses, so they
understood how the Scriptures pointed to Him as the Messiah.
So back to our original question: Why were the eyes of these two
disciples prevented from recognizing Jesus when He appeared to
them? Because faith in the Resurrection doesn’t come from physical
sight alone; it comes by hearing and understanding the Word of God,
which opens our hearts to believe. Jesus preached the Gospel to
these two disciples, and through that preaching, they came to
believe.
The story of Emmaus not only recounts an encounter with the risen
Christ but also offers a model for our own encounter with Him in
the Mass. First, the Word of God is read and preached. Then, the
bread and wine are consecrated into the True Presence of Jesus,
which we consume. In the story of Emmaus, Jesus’ preaching inspired
faith in these disciples. Once they understood and believed, Jesus
“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” (Luke 24:30–31). In this breaking of the
bread, they recognized Him. Jesus had given them faith through the
Word of God and nourished that faith with the Eucharist.
Why did Jesus vanish at that moment? Because He now dwelled within
their souls—a presence sustained each time we receive Him in the
Eucharist, His True Presence entering our own hearts and lives. His
bodily presence was no longer necessary for them; they now carried
Him within. The Word of God instills faith, preparing our hearts,
and the Eucharist brings us into intimate union with our Lord, who
dwells within us.
Reflect today on how you encounter Jesus in the Mass. At Mass,
Jesus appears to us in the exact way we need Him, through Word and
Sacrament. When we listen to the Word of God, internalize it, and
let it spark deeper faith in our hearts, we have truly met our
Lord. When we kneel before the Eucharist and consume Him in Holy
Communion, Jesus is even more intimately present to us than if He
were physically before us. Each Communion infinitely blesses our
souls, for through this gift, Jesus enters and makes our souls His
sanctuary.
My Eucharistic Lord, You truly come to us every time we
participate in the Mass. Please help me to make my participation in
the Mass a reflection of the encounter of these two disciples on
the way to Emmaus. Open my mind to the gift of faith as I hear Your
Word proclaimed and preached. With faith, may I then receive You
openly in Holy Communion, so that my soul will become a sanctuary
in which Your resurrected presence may dwell. Jesus, I trust in You
and welcome You with all my heart.
Image: Christ's Appearance to the two Disciples journeying to
Emmaus.
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