Third Sunday of Easter Reflection

“Stay with us.”: The Road to Emmaus
Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB, Executive Director
 
This is a story that has shaped who I am and the ministry I am called to. There is something deeply human about this Gospel story. Two disciples are walking away; from Jerusalem, from hope, from everything they thought would be. Their steps are heavy, their conversation filled with confusion, grief, and disappointment. They had believed, they had hoped, and now, it seems, it was all lost. And so, they walk away.
 
How often do we find ourselves on that same road? There are moments in life when we quietly turn away when expectations collapse, prayers seem unanswered, and God feels distant. We keep moving, but our hearts are burdened. Like those disciples, we rehearse the story of what went wrong and say: “We were hoping…” And yet, the heart of this Gospel is not their departure, but Christ’s pursuit.
 
Jesus comes near. He walks with them, not in glory, not in a dramatic revelation, but in quiet companionship. He listens, he allows them to speak their grief, and then, gently, he begins to reframe their story, not as one of defeat, but of fulfillment.
 
What is striking is that they do not recognize him right away. Isn’t that often true in our own lives? The risen Christ walks with us in ways we do not immediately see; in a conversation, in a moment of unexpected peace, in the presence of another person who listens deeply. God is not absent. God is often hidden in plain sight.
 
The turning point comes at the table. “Stay with us,” they say and he does and, in the breaking of the bread, their eyes are opened. This moment is not just about recognition; it is about transformation. Their sorrow gives way to burning hearts. Their retreat becomes mission. They who were walking away now run back to Jerusalem, back to community, back to hope to proclaim the joy of the resurrection.
 
The Resurrection does not erase the pain of Good Friday, it transforms it. It reveals that even in the midst of confusion and loss, God is still at work, drawing near, speaking truth, and inviting us into deeper relationship. This Gospel invites us to ask: Where am I walking away in my life? Where might Christ already be walking beside me, even if I do not yet recognize him? And what would it mean to invite him to “stay with me”?
 
Each of us is on a journey, sometimes marked by clarity, sometimes by doubt, but one thing is clear; we are never alone. The risen Christ walks with us, opens the Scriptures to us, and meets us in the breaking of the bread. And when we truly encounter him, we cannot remain the same. Our hearts burn, our eyes are opened, and our hope is restored. And we are sent back into the world, not as people of despair, but as witnesses to hope.
 
We are Easter people. This is our story.