The Third Sunday of Easter continues the Church's joyful celebration of Christ's Resurrection, emphasizing His post-Resurrection appearances to His disciples and their growing understanding of His victory over sin and death, which is central to salvation history.
The Third Sunday of Easter is a significant day within the liturgical calendar's 50-day Easter season, a period of intense joy and theological reflection on the Paschal Mystery, stretching from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. This particular Sunday often features Gospel readings that recount one of Christ's post-Resurrection appearances to His disciples, such as the encounter on the road to Emmaus or His appearance to the Apostles, including Thomas. In salvation history, these encounters are crucial as they solidify the reality of the Resurrection for the early believers, transform their sorrow into profound faith, and prepare them for the mission of proclaiming the Gospel, thereby illustrating the ongoing presence of the Risen Lord and the new life He inaugurates for humanity.
The Third Sunday of Easter stands as a luminous continuation of the Church's 50-day celebration of the Paschal Mystery, a period stretching from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. This Sunday, occurring typically in late April or early May, is not merely a remembrance of an event but an immersion into the ongoing reality of Christ's Resurrection. It serves to deepen the faithful's understanding and experience of the Risen Lord's presence among them, moving beyond the initial shock and joy of Easter Sunday into a more profound encounter with the transformative power of His victory over sin and death. The liturgical readings for this day are carefully chosen to highlight various post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus, emphasizing the disciples' journey from confusion and despair to recognition, faith, and ultimately, mission.
It was the very day of the Resurrection, yet for two disciples, Cleopas and his companion, it felt like the world had crumbled. They walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, their hearts heavy with despair, their voices low as they recounted the agonizing events: the crucifixion, the empty tomb, the baffling reports of angels. They had hoped Jesus was the one to redeem Israel, but now, all seemed lost. As they walked, a stranger joined them, asking about their sorrowful conversation. They, in their grief-stricken blindness, did not recognize Him. 'Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?' Cleopas asked, a hint of incredulity in his voice. The stranger, however, began to expound the Scriptures to them, starting with Moses and all the Prophets, explaining how it was necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into His glory. As He spoke, their hearts began to burn within them, though they still did not fully comprehend. They reached Emmaus, and it was late. 'Stay with us,' they urged the stranger, 'for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.' He agreed, entering their humble dwelling. As He reclined at table with them, He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. In that sacred gesture, as the bread was broken, their eyes were opened. It was Jesus! The Risen Lord Himself! But as quickly as He appeared, He vanished from their sight, leaving them not in confusion, but in awe. 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?' they exclaimed to each other. Without hesitation, despite the late hour and the long road, they rose and returned immediately to Jerusalem, their despair replaced by an overflowing joy. They found the eleven apostles gathered, along with others, and burst in with their incredible news: 'The Lord has truly risen and has appeared to Simon!' And then they recounted their own astonishing encounter on the road and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. This journey from doubt to recognition, from sorrow to zealous proclamation, embodies the very spirit of the Third Sunday of Easter.
April 20, 1994
1. The Gospel for the Third Sunday of Easter recounts the moving episode of the disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). Two of Christ's disciples, after the terrible events of the Passion and Death, are leaving Jerusalem and going to a village called Emmaus. Their hearts are full of bitterness and disappointment: they had put all their hope in Jesus, but now he is dead and buried. They are talking about what happened when Jesus himself draws near and walks with them, but they do not recognize him. He asks them what they are discussing, and they recount the whole story, full of sadness, finishing with the words: "But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel" (Lk 24:21). It is then that Jesus, "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Lk 24:27). Their hearts begin to burn within them as he speaks, but they still do not recognize him. When they reach Emmaus, they invite him to stay with them. And "when he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight" (Lk 24:30-31).
2. This Gospel passage is a wonderful catechesis on the Eucharist. It shows us how Jesus accompanies us on our journey, how he explains the Scriptures to us, and how he breaks the bread for us. This is exactly what happens in every Holy Mass. In the first part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, Jesus explains the Scriptures to us. He opens our minds to understand them, just as he did for the disciples of Emmaus. He helps us to see how all of salvation history, from Moses and the Prophets, points to him, the Christ, who had to suffer and rise again to enter into his glory. As we listen to the readings and the homily, if our hearts are open, we can feel them burning within us, just as the hearts of the disciples burned when Jesus spoke to them on the way.
3. Then comes the second part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, when Jesus breaks the bread for us. This is the moment of communion, when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ under the species of bread and wine. Just as the eyes of the Emmaus disciples were opened and they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, so too are our eyes opened in the Eucharist to recognize the Risen Lord. In the Eucharist, Jesus is truly present: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. He is not just a symbol or a memory; he is truly there, giving himself to us as food for our journey. This is the culmination of our encounter with him in the Mass, the moment when we are most intimately united with him.
4. The story of the Emmaus disciples also highlights the importance of the community. After recognizing Jesus, they immediately returned to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples what had happened. They could not keep this joyful news to themselves. The encounter with the Risen Christ is not a private experience; it is an experience that must be shared. The joy of the Resurrection is meant to be communicated. The disciples of Emmaus were so filled with joy and eagerness that they immediately rose and returned to Jerusalem, despite the late hour and the long journey. This tells us that the encounter with the Risen Lord transforms our lives and fills us with an urgent desire to share this joy with others. It makes us witnesses to his Resurrection.
5. The journey to Emmaus is a symbol of our own journey of faith. Like the disciples, we too can sometimes be sad, disappointed, or confused. We may struggle to understand the events of our lives or the mysteries of faith. But Jesus is always walking with us, even when we do not recognize him. He is always ready to explain the Scriptures to us, to open our minds to understanding, and to break the bread for us in the Eucharist. He is always ready to transform our sadness into joy, our doubt into faith, and our disappointment into hope.
6. Let us ask the Lord to open our eyes and our hearts, like those of the disciples of Emmaus, so that we may recognize him in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist, and become courageous witnesses of his Resurrection. Let us allow our hearts to burn with love for him, and let us be eager to share the good news of his triumph over sin and death with everyone we meet. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who believed without seeing, help us to have a deep faith in her Risen Son, so that we too may always recognize him in the breaking of the bread and proclaim his presence to the world. The Risen Christ is truly present in the Eucharist! Amen.
The liturgical focus on the Emmaus narrative (Luke 24:13-35) in the Gospel reading for Cycle A, which includes 2025, emphasizing the journey of the disciples from doubt to recognizing the Risen Christ.
The Emmaus story is the designated Gospel reading for this Sunday in Cycle A of the liturgical calendar, serving as a foundational narrative for understanding the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus and the disciples' recognition of Him through the Word and the breaking of the bread.
A heightened emphasis on the Eucharist as the 'breaking of the bread' during Mass, aligning with the Emmaus narrative where Christ is revealed to the disciples in this sacred act.
This emphasis directly derives from the Gospel account of the Emmaus disciples, where Christ is made known to them in the breaking of the bread, thereby reinforcing the Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
The continued prominent display and lighting of the Paschal Candle during liturgical celebrations throughout the Easter Season, including the Third Sunday.
The Paschal Candle symbolizes the Risen Christ, the Light of the World, and its presence and illumination throughout the entire 50-day Easter season visually reinforces the ongoing celebration and reality of the Resurrection.
Homiletic and catechetical themes often centering on recognizing the Risen Christ in daily life, through the Scriptures and the Sacraments, and the call for believers to be witnesses of His resurrection.
These themes are drawn directly from the Gospel narratives of Christ's post-Resurrection appearances, particularly the Emmaus story, which illustrate how the disciples came to recognize Jesus and were then compelled to share the good news.