First Reading: Acts 3: 1-10
Ps. 105: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
Gospel: Luke 24: 13-35

This appearance of Jesus to two of his disciples was an appearance to teach all of us the simple truth of His presence in the Eucharist.  It was at that moment, as He “took bread, said the blessing, broke it,” that Jesus was suddenly revealed to their minds and hearts.  Jesus is alive in the Eucharist!  It also tells us that He is veiled in the Eucharist. This combination of being veiled and present gives us wonderful guidance in our faith. The encounter of Jesus with the disciples of Emmaus is one of the most interesting and beautiful passages.
 
We are on that same day, the day of resurrection, the day of salvation for every person. It is the today of God that enters our daily life. From the joy of encounter with Christ, to desolation, to the sadness of being alone, alone but on the way, yes, because people are wanderers in search of meaning, carrying within themselves the desire to discover, to fulfill life's desires. The two disciples didn't understand what happened, but they talk in a way they can't forget how much they lived. They talk about Christ, they seek him, but in the end, it is Jesus who finds them, lets himself be found. The two questioned, talked, almost fought. They talk about the same thing and loaded sadness on themselves, taken only by darkness and absence.
 
All of this happens as they walk. As they continued to walk and speak Jesus approached, he walked with them. The Lord makes himself present, makes himself a traveling companion along our paths: he is present in our darkness. They were so blinded by their pain and bad temper that they did not recognize Jesus. Fear and sadness become a veil that blurs and does not make the gaze pure. But Jesus is patient, he waits, he speaks to bring back that word to break all fear.


The Lord wants to make the two express what they live, what they throw back on each other. He wants us to speak to him with a sincere heart. This gospel helps us to discern the presence of the Lord in our life: He is present and dwells with us. We are constantly in His presence and we do not realize it.  This is especially true when we are at Mass but it is also true in countless other ways throughout our day.  We must commit ourselves to seeing Him, recognizing Him, adoring Him. We must discover the resurrected presence of Jesus all around us.

Lord give us the eyes of faith to see You present in the Most Holy Eucharist, and help us to discern Your presence in every ordinary event of my day.
May the Risen Lord bless each and every one of us!
Abba Meskel