#On the Road to Emmaus

[lionofchaeronea]

The Road to Emmaus, Altobello Melone, ca. 1516-17

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Hans Bol (Dutch, 1534-1593) Landscape With Christ On The Road To Emmaus, A Woman Herding Cattle To The Right, 1585

[momentsbeforemass]

The road away

Today’s Gospel is the one about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. It’s a real town, a suburb of Jerusalem that goes by Al Qubeiba these days. But the name really doesn’t matter.

What matters is the name of the road. Because whatever you call the town, the road to it really isn’t the road to anything. In truth, it’s the road away.

For the disciples who are headed home, with the tragedy and horror of Good Friday fresh in their minds, with their hearts broken? For them, it’s the road away from the Jesus they knew and followed.

It’s the road away from deliverance. The road away from healing. The road away from hope.

You and I know exactly how it feels. Because we’ve gotten our hearts broken too, and found ourselves walking down the road away.

Maybe it was the road away after a death. Maybe it was the road away from a relationship that didn’t work out. Maybe it was the road away from sobriety. Maybe it was the road away from family that rejected us. Maybe it was the road away from faith.

Whatever it was, whether someone did it to us, we did it to ourselves, or it just happened, the reason we’re on the road away really doesn’t matter. Because it all hurts just as much.

But no matter what heartbreak sets us on the road away, just like the disciples in today’s Gospel, there’s Someone waiting for us on the road away.

Right in the middle of your heartbreak, the God who made you, the One who has always loved you, is waiting for you. Just for the chance to be with you.

Just for the chance to walk with you, at your pace.

To listen to you, as it all comes tumbling out.

To talk with you, about what’s breaking your heart. 

To love you, unconditionally.

To stay with you, always.

To heal you, for however long it takes.

Until the road away becomes the road to Home.

Today’s Readings

[littleflowerfaith]

The road to Emmaus

[religioused]

Sermon - Jesus’ Face in a Burrito

[walphs]

Believing Without Seeing

By Ralph R. Sarza

Original final script | April 23, 2023 Preaching for Open Table MCC | Gospel Reading: Luke 24:13-35

SA MISMONG ARAW NG MULING PAGKABUHAY NI HESUS, dalawa sa mga tagasunod Niya ang papunta sa Emmaus, isang komunidad na nasa labing-isang kilometero ang layo mula sa Jerusalem. Habang naglalakad sila at nag-uusap tungkol sa mga nangyari kay Kristo sa Jerusalem, they were interrupted by Jesus. Ang sabi ni Hesus, “Ano ang pinag-uusapan ninyo?”

Now, Luke states that the eyes of the disciples “were kept from recognizing Jesus.” Ibig sabihin, hindi si Hesus ang nakikita ng mga mata nila kundi isang estranghero.

Nakatayo lang yung dalawa, malungkot, at ang tanong ng isa sa kanila kay Hesus, “Ikaw lang ba ang nag-iisang estranghero sa Jerusalem na hindi alam kung ano ang mga naganap doon?” Now, this is actually a funny and ironic scene because, kung meron mang nakakaalam sa lahat ng mga bagay na nangyari sa Jerusalem, that was the stranger in front of them — that was Jesus.

So ang lola n’yo, patay-malisya: “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a PROPHET (emphasis sa PROPHET)… and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.”

I would like to emphasize the use of the word PROPHET, instead of MESSIAH, because it’s an implication that the two disciples had lost their faith in Jesus. In fact, sabi sa verse 21, “We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel.” HAD HOPED. Past perfect tense. Nawalan na nga sila ng pag-asa, nawalan pa sila ng pananampalataya.

And before I go on, I want to validate the disbelief of the two disciples. For indeed, we have witnessed numerous instances that have left us disenchanted and disheartened, ranging from the complexities of family dynamics, the intricacies of financial matters, and the often turbulent realm of Philippine politics.

LAST MONTH, sa loob lamang ng isang linggo, actually sa loob lamang ng dalawang magkasunod na araw, na-reject ako sa dalawang in-apply-an kong trabahong bet na bet ko talagang makuha. It was a humbling experience, it made me realize that I am not the best and the world doesn’t revolve around me, but it was also a very frustrating experience. Ang sakit kasi breadwinner ako, three years na kaming walang pay raise dahil sa ABS-CBN shutdown, at oras ang kalaban ko. I need a better-paying job, not today, not yesterday, but months ago.

At tulad ng ��pagkabulag” ng dalawang tagasunod ni Hesus, nakakabulag din sa pananampalataya ko ang mga panahong frustrated ako, galit, malungkot, at talunan. “Bakit hindi ko maramdaman ang sinasabi nilang grasya ng Panginoon?” “Totoo ba ang ‘Jesus story,’ o inimbento lang ‘yan ng mga sinaunang tao para paniwalain ang mga sarili nilang may ‘forever’ after death?” “MAY DIYOS BA TALAGA?!”

In fact, nung may kinonsulta ako kay Pastor Joseph tungkol dun sa isang job application kung saan na-reject ako, I told him na nagiging agnostic na ako recently at nahihirapan akong magdasal.

Kapag napapagod na tayo sa buhay, kapag hindi natin nakukuha ang gusto natin, mas madaling sisihin ang universe o kuwestyunin ang existence ng Diyos dahil ‘yon ang mas convenient.

So the two disciples became doubtful after they learned that the body of Jesus was nowhere to be found: Verses 22-24: “Some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find His body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that JESUS WAS ALIVE. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Him.”

Sinabihan na silang JESUS WAS ALIVE, pero they still chose not to believe and just leave. So naimbyrena si Hesus at inawardan sila. Verse 25: “Then He said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into His glory?’”

So ang ginawa ni Hesus, “nagpa-Bible study” ng Old Testament para i-remind ang dalawa tungkol sa ugat ng pananampalataya nila. And that’s very noteworthy, kasi minsan, kumbaga sa halaman, ano ba ang pumipigil sa pag-blossom ng bulaklak? Baka naman hindi nakakakuha ng sapat na nutrients, so didiligan mo nang sapat at maayos ang mga ugat nito. Minsan, kapag nawawalan na tayo ng pananampalataya at pumupunta na lang tayo sa MCC para sa mga “baklaan” at hindi dahil kay Hesus, kailangan nating balikan ang ugat ng problema na tumulak sa’tin para maghanap ng espasyong tulad ng MCC. At ang ugat ng problema na ‘yon ay ang katotohanang hindi tayo binigyan ng dati nating mga Simbahan ng espasyo na maging Kristyano at queer at the same time.

Kaya tayo nandito sa MCC kasi kailangan natin ng chosen family na gagabay sa’tin para mag-blossom tayo by being our authentic self. Kaya tayo nandito kasi alam nating may potensyal tayong maging magagandang mga bulalak, at alam nating hindi tayo mamumukadkad habang nasa konserbatibong hardin tayo at ang pinandidilig nila sa’tin ay kung anu-anong mga kathang-isip na kasalanan.

Nung malapit na sila sa Emmaus, nagpatay-malisya ulit si Hesus, and He walked ahead as if He were going on. Pero pinigilan Siya ng dalawang desipulo. “Stay with us because the day is nearly over.” Sumama sa kanila si Hesus. No’ng nasa hapag na sila, kumuha si Hesus ng tinapay, binasbasan N’ya ito, biniyak, at inialay sa kanila. Pagkatapos ay namulat sila, nakilala nila si Hesus, at bigla Siyang naglaho sa kanilang paningin.

“Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and He has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road and how He had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The story of the Road to Emmaus prompts us to contemplate the profound impact of encountering the risen Christ and underscores the importance of community in our personal journey of transformation. It reminds us to actively seek guidance and support from others and to remain receptive to the possibility of encountering the Divine in unexpected and unconventional ways.

Naramdaman ko noong nakaraang eleksyon ang frustration na naramdaman ng dalawang tagasunod ni Hesus. Alam ko ang pakiramdam ng magpakapagod para sa kinabukasan ng bansa, at ang mapangakuan ng pag-asa at makita itong maglaho na parang bula dahil sa maling pagpili ng mga taong biktima ng bulok na sistema at nilang mga namulat na sana ngunit mas piniling hindi makakita.

Nakakagalit. Nakapanghihinayang. Pero tulad ng nangyari sa Daan Patungong Emmaus, mga estrangehero rin ang nagpakita sa akin ng daan pabalik sa muling paniniwala at patungo sa panibagong pakikibaka. Mga estrangherong galing sa iba’t ibang karanasan at katayuan sa buhay, ngunit pinagbubuklod ng isang kulay — isang kulay na simbolo ng pag-asa, hustisya, at totoong pagbabago.

The story of the Road to Emmaus is a compelling reminder that the Resurrection of Jesus transcends mere historical significance, but rather represents an enduring invitation to encounter the Divine and undergo transformation. It enlightens us to the unpredictable ways in which the risen Christ can manifest in our lives, be it through chance encounters with strangers or through introspective reflection. Embracing this invitation sets us on a transformative journey of growth, change, and renewal, affording us the opportunity to flourish into a life imbued with deep meaning and purpose.

Finally, the story of the Road to Emmaus reminds us that, if we have unwavering faith in Jesus, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, not even death can make us part.

-30-

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

by C.R. Carmichael | As we walk down the road to Christmas Day, may we as joyful disciples draw alongside the true Jesus, our risen Lord and Savior, and learn from Him as He tarries with us along the way. Yes, sometimes it is hard to see Him in the dimness of this dark world; but through faith, our Savior is as real to us as if we saw Him with mortal eyes...

[trustfallwithgod]

Day 11: His Ways, Not Ours

Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

Ever tried feeding a sick cat/pup medication? Ever brought them to the vet? How does one explain that the very thing they fear and struggle with is actually good for them? We can’t. Simply because our ways are higher than theirs. There’s no wiggle room for this: our understanding of existence and a future they do not imagine, are simply not concepts that they can fathom the way we do.

Job 13:15 finds itself mirrored in yet another passage of the Bible: Daniel 3.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[a] from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

God's miraculous intervention in a moment of crisis is not always promised. If it were, believers would not need to exercise faith. The lesson here is that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God and were determined to be faithful without any guarantee of deliverance.

Whatever is happening in your life, when the pressure is increasing, all the more you have got to hold on. You prayed that God will save you from the fire, you thought that God would save you from the fire, but yet it remains. But don’t despair, cos when the devil is turning up the heat, so too is God ever increasing His shield as He promised in Isaiah 43:

Thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Fires are great trials, but they also refine. Like a silversmith, working to purify silver until he sees his reflection. So too is God waiting to see His reflection in you. Through God's miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that day, Nebuchadnezzar declared that the remaining Israelites in captivity were now protected from harm and were guaranteed freedom of worship. And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego received a royal promotion.

[fearlesswriterblog]

Jesus Appeared....Emmaus Road

I have been silent this last week since Easter, as I was working with my Sister and trying to heal my back. I want to remember Easter and dive into the post resurrection appearances as we journey towards Ascension day and then Pentecost 10 days later. As we celebrated on Easter morning, Jesus did not stay in the tomb but rose from the dead. After his resurrection, he appeared many times to…

[exquisitelyeco]

Why the disciples did not get a head start

Many of us seem to think that if we had just been there in person, when Jesus was alive, we would be fine. Better! Had something that we are missing. But is that true? For the only people who recognised Jesus for Who He was, were the demon possessed! Matt 8v29, Mark 3v11, Luke 4v41. Whereas the disciples had no clue Who Jesus really was! Mark 4v41, John 14v9. The disciples of Christ did not…

[lionofchaeronea]

Christ on the Road to Emmaus, unknown American artist, ca. 1725-30

[eremosjournal]

a post Christian Sunday Reflection

by Sam Espiritu

When I was in college and deeply involved in campus ministry, we used to go on “Emmaus Walks.” On every retreat, without fail, the leaders would read this week’s Gospel, “randomly” pair us up, and ask us to go on a walk. We were charged with getting to know the other person. We were asked to be curious, to ask questions, to listen and, hopefully, if we’d done it right, see the face of God in them. For all the messed up things I was taught on retreats or in theology class, the Emmaus walk was one thing they got right. I can’t tell you the number of people I saw more clearly because I walked with them, listened to them, and even prayed with them. Just like the apostles on the road with Jesus, my eyes and heart were opened to the experiences of others.

These days there is so much fear of the “other”; so much hatred for people we don’t know. If I could, I would prescribe an Emmaus Walk as medicine. Not to talk about what it is that divides us, but to ask questions, be curious, to look for the best the other person has to offer, and listen, not to respond but to understand. And then maybe, we might glimpse the face of God.

[adoseofgodtoday]

Via Magnets

April 23, 2023 – Third Sunday of Easter Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042323.cfm) Easter Season proclaims: “The Lord has risen. Let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia”. But how do we recognize the risen Lord in our life now? In a class inside the seminary, their professor asked the seminarians to discuss how do people recognize the presence of our risen…

[frangipani-wanderlust]

CLEOPAS: Have you been living under a rock?

JESUS: No, but I was dead under one. Does that count?

Are you like the only guy who hasn’t been in Jerusalem this weekend? still one of the funniest beats in Scripture

[thedecadenceofwar]

Elle Argent as Jesus Christ: Heartstopper art analysis.

Yesterday, I made this post where I wordlessly compared Elle's art piece for the Lambert School to the painting that draws her attention at the Louvre, Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus, a depiction of Jesus breaking bread for his disciples after his crucifixion and subsequent rising.

Elle's perspective on the painting / a full view of the painting (source)

The first thing I noticed that helped me draw the connection between these two paintings was their composition, the basic triangular lines that guide the eye in each painting; from Jesus and Elle in the center to the innkeeper and Tao at the top.

Heartstopper also clearly wanted us to make some connection between Elle and this Caravaggio: they focus on her face before they show us the painting, so we wonder what exactly it is she's seeing, which increases its narrative importance. I assumed she recognized herself in a painting; she did, but not in the way I expected.

The National Gallery (see above source) has this to say about the Caravaggio:

On the third day after the Crucifixion two of Jesus’s disciples were walking to Emmaus when they met the resurrected Christ. They failed to recognise him, but that evening at supper he ‘... took bread, and blessed it, and brake and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight’ (Luke 24: 30–31). Painted at the height of Caravaggio’s fame, this is among his most impressive domestic religious pictures. He brilliantly captures the dramatic climax of the story, the moment when the disciples suddenly see what has been in front of them all along. Their actions convey their astonishment: one is about to leap out of his chair while the other throws out his arms in a gesture of disbelief. The stark lighting underlines the dramatic intensity of the scene. Typically for Caravaggio, he has shown the disciples as ordinary working men, with bearded, lined faces and ragged clothes, in contrast to the youthful beardless Christ, who seems to have come from a different world.

Jesus, in the story, opens the eyes of his disciples in more ways than one (I pulled my Bible out for this!). First, in the scene depicted in the painting, the disciples do not know that this man is Jesus until he blesses the bread and breaks it for them, revealing himself as Christ. Second is the context in which Jesus comes to share dinner with his disciples: they meet him on the road during the day before, and he interprets the Old Testament for them: (stay with me I promise we'll leave the Biblical stuff and get back to the gay stuff soon)

Luke 24:13-16 Now on that same day two of [the disciples] were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Luke 24:25-27 Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

If Safe Space is an exact analogue to Supper at Emmaus, then Elle takes the position of Jesus, and she draws from the story of Christ's crucifixion and rising a trans metaphor.

Death does not always mean death. For example, in the world of tarot, the card of Death does not signify literal Death, but a transformation: that the idea of death is a catalyst for change. If you're trans or non-binary, you understand the idea of the person you were being dead; that's why they call it a deadname. For me, the girl I was is dead. The person I am now, a living, breathing, non-binary person, is alive.

Jesus died and lived again; the boy Elle was died and the girl Elle is lived. Elle takes the spot of Jesus. Elle is risen.

There's another half to this metaphor: of the disciples that don't recognize Jesus. See where I'm going with this? At first, after Jesus had undergone his transformation, the disciples do not recognize him; literally "Their eyes were kept from recognizing him." The fault is not on them – it is another stronger force that maintains their blindness. But Jesus stays with them, despite the fact that they don't know who he is, and he talks to them about the scriptures.

We don't know much about Elle, pre-transition. But we know that Elle, Tao, and Charlie, at least, were friends before Elle's transition, and she had to come out to them at some point. So, in essence, she is Jesus on the road to Emmaus; unrecognized, a stranger, until she reveals herself for who she is.

She takes the moment Jesus tells his disciples who he is and shows what happens when Elle stays. We don't all have the luxury of being the Son of God, who can just pop away at a moment's notice after coming back from the dead (which is what he does, in the story: once the disciples have their eyes opened, he leaves). But this is Elle, out, resurrected, staying.

"So. There've been a lot of changes in my life over the last couple years. But with this piece I guess I wanted to capture a place that holds a lot of happy memories. Even in the darker times. Somewhere I always felt safe."

Safe Space comes after the moment of realization, after Elle comes out, after her friends' eyes are opened. But implied in its source and its inspiration is the moment of truth, the moment of coming out. There's been a lot of that, this season, coming out. There's people that want to and are scared, and people that refuse to and walk away. We never had to go on that journey with Elle. But she's telling us about it, now. She's telling us that it was glorious, that it was godly, that it was religious, that she died and was resurrected.

Before I leave, I want to touch on Tao's importance in this piece. The disciples in Supper are the two men that are seated; the man standing is the innkeeper, who is not quite a part of Jesus' world. Interesting, that Charlie and Isaac, the two people of Elle's group who are part of the queer community, take the place of the two disciples, and Tao, the token straight friend, is standing in the place of the innkeeper; not a follower of Jesus but a witness to the miracle of his resurrection anyway. They are all different people in this painting; different identities, different lives, different loves. But they were all there to witness Elle revealing herself in her resurrection. Tao, afraid of being left alone, is brought into this inner sanctum of Elle's world. Into her safe space.

[greater-than-the-sword]

The Beautiful Stranger

Luke 24:14-16

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

John 21:4

 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

John 20:14

Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.

Luke 24:31-32

Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

It seems that Jesus commonly chooses to present Himself in this way after His resurrection. How often does he present himself this way to us as well. He is a beautiful stranger with oddly compelling qualities, but we do not recognize him. Yet, it is not cruel, but fascinating that someone with whom we have such an intimate relationship can choose at any time to make himself mysterious and intriguing all over again. And perhaps this also is the role of the artist; not to paint an obvious portrait of Christ, but to show us again the beautiful stranger who we will eventually realize was Christ all along.