Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR
Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year A
Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN
Sunday, April 19, 2026
It is impossible to go through life without encountering people who are clearly walking the wrong way. Some of you listening to me now know someone like that. If you were invited to a conversation about how to help someone get back on the right track, what would your approach be? Join me as we examine how Jesus handled his disciples who were walking the wrong way.
The Gospel of Luke says, “On the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus.” Metaphorically, this is a journey away from salvation. How so? Everything was happening in Jerusalem. That is where the action is. The passion, crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus occurred there. The descent of the Holy Spirit happened there. As Jesus neared the end of his public ministry, he resolutely set out for Jerusalem. The Early Church was gathered there. Yet two of his disciples were walking away from Jerusalem, meaning they were walking in the wrong direction. By the way, we are meant to identify with them. They represent all of us, who, from time to time, find ourselves walking in the wrong direction, away from the path God intended for us. But here is the good news. Even though they were walking the wrong way, away from the Church, Jesus came and walked with them. This is the primacy of grace, once again on full display, a central theme of the Bible. You don’t have to perform exceptionally well to attract God’s attention or God’s love. St. Paul says, “God proves his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis spoke often about accompaniment. This is what the Lord is doing here. He sees Cleopas, his uncle, and another disciple going in the wrong direction; he accompanies them, though they do not recognize him at first. Of course, why would they? When the soul wanders miles from God, its ability to perceive God’s presence is diminished.
As he walked with them, he asked, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” I tell you, this is a wonderful pastoral approach to dealing with someone who is walking the wrong way. If you simply come to such people and start lecturing them, pontificating, and giving the impression that you are standing on a higher moral and spiritual ground, that won’t work. The first step, as we see here, is to enter someone’s world and walk with them, even as they walk in the wrong direction. Try to understand them. Find out what they are thinking. Don’t assume you know them or their thought patterns. Responding to Jesus’ question, one of the disciples, Cleopas by name, said to him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” When Jesus asked again, “What sort of things?” Cleopas and his friend told him the basic details of Jesus’ own ministry: he was a prophet mighty in deed and word. But the chief priests and rulers sentenced him to death and crucified him. We were hoping he would be the one to redeem Israel. It is now the third day since this happened. However, some women from our group have astounded us by saying that he has risen from the dead. What is so evident in their speech? They got the basic structure of the story right. But if they had the correct details of Jesus’ life and ministry, why were they dejected? Why were they walking the wrong path? Though they knew the story, they had the details, they had the data, they didn’t know what it meant. Someone can know and recount the major events in the life of Jesus without grasping their meaning, significance, and implications.
At this point, Jesus, who has been listening to them all along, hearing their views in a nonjudgmental way, turned the tables on them: “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Check this out, everybody! We have talked about entering the world of others, walking alongside them, hearing their viewpoints, and listening to them nonjudgmentally. Jesus did all that. But one thing he did not do was wander aimlessly with the two disciples. At a decisive moment, he began to teach them the meaning, significance, and implications of Christ's own passion, death, and resurrection. He conducted a Bible study for them, beginning with Moses and all the prophets. He interpreted for them the passages that referred to him in all the Scriptures. I tell you, these two disciples were so fortunate. There is no other passage in the New Testament where Jesus had this in-depth Bible study except here. The Lord went right into the Bible and exposed the Scriptures to his disciples. If you want to know the Lord, begin with the Bible.
As they approached the village they were going to, Jesus wanted to leave them, but because they were so captivated by his teaching, they pleaded with him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” Jesus complied. At dinnertime, Jesus took the bread and broke it—Eucharistic gestures. What is the Eucharist? It is divine mercy fully expressed. This is why, as soon as he broke the bread, their eyes were opened, and they finally recognized him. This is why coming to Mass is so important. Is the preaching of the word important? Yes indeed! Good preaching stirs us to long for the Lord. But it is at the breaking of the bread, the reception of the Body of Christ, that we are christified. Those Catholics who have granted themselves the indulgence of watching Mass only on television or online are missing the most essential part of the Mass. You are missing out on the Eucharist. Jesus says, “Take and eat, this is my Body.” “Take and drink, this is my Blood.” You are refusing the Lord’s greatest Gift of Himself. By the way, what is happening here? It is the Mass: the Liturgy of the Word, followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
How did the story end? The two disciples who were heading the wrong way returned to Jerusalem. After their encounter with Jesus, they returned to the church and found their identity and mission. Despite the dangers of the road, the lateness of the hour, and what might happen to them in Jerusalem, they went back to the holy city. At the end of Mass, how does the priest dismiss us? He says, “Ita Missa est.” “Go, the Mass is ended.” “Go, and proclaim the gospel.” “Go, and glorify the Lord by your life.”
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