Have you ever been in a place in your life that you felt like you were going in the wrong direction? I was there about 23 years ago in a high-pressure sales job that was totally consuming my life. I was under a lot of pressure and was thinking about this job every waking moment. The only time I found peace was maybe for a few minutes during the Sunday Mass when I received the Eucharist. I wanted that peace to last longer, but I just didn’t know how it was possible. During this time, I was invited multiple times to attend a parish retreat but just couldn’t see how I could afford any time away from work and family responsibilities. After a third personal invitation I finally decided to reluctantly go on the retreat. When the day came for the retreat, I had already made up my mind to leave early. I felt that I just couldn’t commit the time as my job was more important that my relationship with God. I was on my own walk to Emmaus but doing it alone, or at least I thought so.
In the Gospel today we hear about the disciples on their way to Emmaus. Where was Emmaus and why were they going there? The exact location of Emmaus is unknown, but it was thought to be a Roman military outpost, about seven miles away from Jerusalem. Why would they be going there? They were grieving the death of Jesus who they believed to be the Messiah who was going to rescue them from the Roman occupiers. They were leaving Jerusalem because they were depressed about the suffering and death of their friend and were afraid the same would happen to them. So, with troubled hearts and lost hope, they walked away from Jerusalem, the center of their faith where they worshipped God in the temple and turned toward the forces of world.
But while they were walking the wrong way, Jesus walks along with them, although they didn’t recognize him. Their troubled hearts clouded their ability to see Jesus was with them. But Jesus wanted them to see, so he asks, “what were you discussing as you walked along the way”? At this point they did something significant: They engaged in a conversation with Jesus.
So, they tell Jesus everything that happened the last few days: that Jesus, who they thought to be the Messiah to redeem Israel, was condemned to death by crucifixion and died. Now after three days some women from their group who went to his tomb reported that Jesus’ body was gone, and an angel told them that he was alive. How could this be possible? They were confused, fearful, and did not know what to believe.
Jesus desired to help them understand all that happened to him, the suffering on the cross, death, and resurrection was foretold by the prophets in Scripture of the Old Testament. The disciples knew the Scriptures, but they needed a new way of interpreting them, through the lens of Jesus’ as a suffering Messiah. He fulfilled the prophecies through suffering love.
But what finally opened the disciple’s eyes was when they asked Jesus to stay with them, where he took the bread, blessed it, and gave it to them.
How often do we go in the wrong direction because we have not engaged with Jesus in our struggles? We may have our own troubles that cause us to travel in the wrong direction, away from God. We may be suffering due to a broken relationship, job loss, a serious illness, or loss of a loved one. These issues may cause us to turn to the world for pleasure and entertainment to distract us from our own suffering. But this worldly pleasure also distracts us from seeing Jesus in the midst of our suffering.
Jesus is always there in our suffering and stays with us even when we are traveling in the wrong direction. God doesn’t abandon us. He seeks us out. He is always right there for us, just like he was for his disciples. He is ready to bear the cross with us, because he knows about suffering and the redemption it can bring. His own suffering through love brought resurrection and new life. How can our eyes be opened and recognize Jesus when we’re troubled? By engaging with Jesus when we are on our own journey to Emmaus so he can help us return to Jerusalem. We do this by turning to him in prayer and through the Church. We may be just like the disciples and unable to see Jesus, but even if we don’t recognize him right away it’s ok. At least we are traveling in the right direction.
Through the Church we can encounter Christ who will be there to walk with us on the journey. We can do so at Mass where we will experience what the disciple did on the way to Emmaus. We will hear the Scriptures, have them interpreted to us, and feed on Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Eucharist. We will also have the body of Christ in the church to rely on, to walk with us when we’re troubled. Our priests, deacons, lay ministers, and parish friends are there to listen and provide support. We also have parish and diocese support services such as food pantries, emergency assistance, counseling services, bereavement ministry, caregiver and divorce support groups, which can provide ongoing help. But most of all we have help through our brothers and sisters in Christ to help support us. We just need to let them know we need help and recognize Jesus in them as they help us.
Returning to my own story about the parish retreat. After a few hours of being there, I decided to stay. I heard Scripture and brothers in Christ sharing how prayer and relationship with Jesus helped them in their struggles, which was a turning point for me. One of the highlights of the retreat was a walk to Emmaus, but I wasn’t alone as I previously thought. I shared my troubles with another brother in Christ who helped me see that Jesus was there with me. It opened my eyes to recognize Jesus’ presence with me on my journey through life, and to turn to him in prayer and the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. Through this experience it helped me build a personal relationship with Jesus and men who are like brothers to me, and see the Church is there for me when I am in need.
Our troubles may still be with us just like the disciples on their way to Emmaus, but we’ll have the hope in knowing that through Jesus’s suffering, death, and resurrection that he’s there with us in our struggles and leads us to return Jerusalem, through his Church.
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