3rd Sunday of Easter Cycle A Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of the discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.

Gospel - Luke 24:13-35 That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see." And he said to 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?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

Explore it! Last week we heard the account of Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples as recorded in the Gospel of John. It was at this appearance that He conferred the ability and responsibility to forgive sins to the apostles. Today’s gospel reading is the first appearance of Jesus away from the tomb as recorded in Luke’s gospel. There is a parallel account in Mark 16:12-13. There are a number of differences which show up upon comparison of today’s gospel reading with the gospel reading of last week as we hear this week of the account of His appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: The two men are not leaders of the community but represent all followers. The two men are troubled and do not understand why Jesus was crucified. At first they do not recognize Jesus. The apostles seem to recognize Jesus but do not believe their senses. After recognition, these two men do not hesitate to believe. Once recognized, Jesus disappears. 13 Now that very day [the first day of the week] As attested in Luke 24:1, this is the first Easter Sunday. two of them It has been suggested that these two may be part of the seventy-two (seventy) sent out in pairs in Luke 10:1. were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, The location of the village is unknown today. The name means “hot spring”. 14 and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. The two have lost hope and have ceased to be journeying with Jesus. Their leader has been killed and they don’t know what to do. The Lucan theme of journey is predominant as an image for discipleship. 15 And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, 16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. Throughout his gospel Saint Luke plays on the theme of seeing. Now he articulates this theme as he tells how the risen Christ opens the eyes of disciples to see His true meaning in God’s plan. But as this story narrates, the disciples’ eyes are only fully opened after they have shown hospitality to a stranger. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, From Eusebius (A.D. 263-339) we learn that Cleopas is the brother of Joseph, Jesus’ foster father and father of Symeon. Symeon succeeded James as Bishop of Jerusalem and after A.D. 70 led the Christians back to Jerusalem. “After the martyrdom of James and the capture of Jerusalem which instantly followed, there is a firm tradition that those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord who were still alive assembled from all parts together with

those who, humanly speaking, were kinsmen of the Lord – for most of them were still living. Then they all discussed together whom they should choose as a fit person to succeed James, and voted unanimously that Symeon, son of the Cleopas mentioned in the gospel narrative, was a fit person to occupy the throne of the Jerusalem see. He was, so it is said, a cousin of the Savior, for Hegesippus tells us that Cleopas was Joseph’s brother.” [Eusebius, The History of The Church (3.11)]. The names may not be important for salvation history, but the tradition brings out that the “brethren of Jesus”, his close relatives, did not completely reject Him. said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, At most, Jesus had impressed these men as the expected prophet. They never believed in Jesus’ divinity. 20 how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. 22 Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning 23 and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. The faithful women disciples’ proclamation of the Easter gospel is resisted and does not open their eyes of faith. 24 Then some of those with us went to the tomb

Peter and John (John 20:3-10) and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. Jesus begins His explanation with Genesis and the rest of the Pentateuch (tradition ascribes authorship of these books to Moses). What does positively contribute to faith is Jesus’ interpretation of His life as the fulfillment of all God’s promises from one end of the Scriptures to the other. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. 29 But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. Jesus was not play-acting, he really would have departed had He not been invited to stay. 30 And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. This is Eucharistic terminology. The Jerome Biblical Commentary states “We need not maintain that Jesus consecrated the Eucharist.” – I say “baloney!” Jesus consecrated the Eucharist and in making Himself present in the Eucharist the two disciples saw the fulfillment of all the Old Testament covenants and prophesies as well as the New Testament promises. After all, this is what Jesus had just spent the day explaining to them. What a Bible study that must have been!

31 With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, The verb translated as “eyes were opened” occurs only eight times in the New Testament and in each case it always means a deeper understanding of revelation. but he vanished from their sight. 32 Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” 33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem Notice that the two disciples are not at all upset at the loss (again) of their leader. In fact, they are anxious to tell the apostles of their discovery. They have discovered Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist! The person-to-person physical presence of a visible Jesus is no longer necessary because He is indeed risen and is present in the word and in the sacrament. where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them 34 who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Jesus’ prayer (Luke 22:32) has been efficacious. Simon Peter has also been forgiven and is now empowered to strengthen his fellow Christians along the way. 35 Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org

Reflect It!

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke: 24: 32) During their three years together, everything for the disciples had changed. Their old lives had vanished. Who were they before they met Jesus and answered his call? Their families at first begged them to stop the foolishness and come home. Who will support the children? But years passed. The foolishness spread throughout their families. Now all had become followers of Jesus. His mission was their own. In the company of Jesus, they knew who they were. But he was torn from them abruptly. Brought to trial before a mob, he was tortured and executed as an enemy of God. The man of healing power, the one who preached forgiveness, was humiliated. Frightened, all but a few ran away. Grief and confusion filled them, and they could not see. Searching for a lost child, it is hard to breathe. To be abandoned is piercing pain. Jesus was left alone to face the angry crowd as his companions fled into the night. Would they run back to their fishing nets and bury themselves in their former lives? The light had gone out for them. Jesus felt their desolation in his bones. No wonder the tomb emptied out so quickly: he did not abandon them for long. Walking together, the two disciples shared their troubles with the stranger. The men were struggling to make sense of the horror. The stranger spoke as if he knew them. He went back to Moses and traced the events that led to the death of their beloved companion. His words helped to settle their hearts, but it was the breaking of the bread that opened their eyes. We seek the words or signs that tell us who we are. It is difficult to continue the search if recognition is not found. Pope Francis says that the death and resurrection of Christ is the heart of the gospel. Here we discover that we are not alone on the road. Here I learn who is God and who am I. It was this joy that gave Peter the courage to speak to the Jews about the man who was raised from the dead. To be found brings joy that we cannot keep to ourselves. Jeanne Schuler Philosophy Department http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/2014/050414.html

Ấu Nhi & Thiếu Nhi Game: Race to Emmaus Purpose: Members will race with partners to begin thinking about how Jesus walked with two of His followers on the road to Emmaus. Supplies: None How to play: Have members pick partners to race with from “Jerusalem” to “Emmaus.” As they race, find out what their partner already ate or would like to eat for supper. When they arrive in Emmaus, they will each tell their team what their partner wants (or ate) for supper. Directions: 1. Help members choose partners and link arms at the elbows. 2. Form two teams of an equal number of pairs. 3. Create a start and finish line on opposite sides of the room. 4. Have each team line up on one side of the room behind the start line. 5. Tell the teams they are standing in “Jerusalem” and the finish line is “Emmaus.” 6. On your signal, the first pair on each team races, arms linked, to Emmaus. As they go, they should ask each other what they ate or would like to eat for supper. 7. Upon arrival in Emmaus, the partners must turn around and call out each other’s supper choices to their teammates back in Jerusalem. This will be the signal for the next pair on their team to start racing to Emmaus. 8. Continue until all the pairs have arrived in Emmaus. The goal is to be the first team to have everyone in Emmaus. ------------------------Game: Bible Verse Hunt Purpose: Help members learn and memorize this week’s bible verse Directions: Youth-Leader writes words from this week’s “Remember It” bible verse onto pictures or drawings of eye glasses. These papers will be hidden and the members (in groups) will try to find the glasses with words from the bible verse on them and put them in order. The group then try to memorize the verse together. The first group to recite the bible verse correctly receives a reward. Bible verse: “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.”

Nghĩa Sĩ & Hiệp Sĩ Game: Road to Emmaus File Folder Game Purpose: Be the first team to Emmaus and back to Jerusalem and win the game! Supplies: Small object for each team, dice, game board, game cards. Directions: Print out the game board and glue it onto a hard board or surface. Print out the game cards for questions to ask. Divide into teams. Give each team an object and the object will be used as a marker for their team. Have each team place their marker at the Upper Room in Jerusalem. Put the game cards in a small basket near the game board. Roll the dice and move that many spaces on the board. If team A land on “Jesus is Alive” the team to the left will draw a game card and ask Team A a question about the story “Road to Emmaus”. If Team A is correct, they stay where they are. If they are not correct, they go back where they were. If they land on the picture of a loaf of bread, they may move ahead 2 spaces. If they land on the picture of a cross they may change places with the leader. If they roll doubles, they may roll again. Work their way to Emmaus where Jesus broke the bread with the disciples. Then they must go back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples in the Upper Room that they saw Jesus. The first team to get back to the Upper Room first is the winner. Conclusion: Have you ever taken a shower or a bath and had the mirror fog up? That’s similar for us while we are living in this world. The things of God are foggy. God is mysterious. But what happens as the bathroom cools? {The water eventually fades away.} As we learn more about God, read the Bible, go to church, listen to good advice from those who love Jesus, then our mirror becomes less foggy. But while we are in this world, our mirror will never be totally clear. That won’t happen until we are in heaven with Jesus. THEN we can ask any question we might have to Jesus and our mirror will be clear. We will understand all kinds of things that confused us here on earth.

Many times people will read something in the scriptures, not understand it, and then discount the Bible all together. That is not what we are to do. We are to ask God, seek His face, go to Him and give Him our confusions and worries. God is not out to trick us. He is on our side. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He has a secret for you, but are you listening?

Băng Reo/Cheer:

Open My Eyes

Open my Eyes - To see You! Open my Ears - To hear You! Open my Heart - To love You! Open my Mind - To know You! Open my Eyes, my ears, my heart, my mind - To be with You!

Open my eyes so I can see, A-O-A-O The wonderful things You have for me. A-O-A-O Open my eyes so I can be A-O-A-O All that You have planned for me. A-O-A A-O-A-O-A Head up, head down A-O-A-O-A Arms to the sky, arms to the ground A-O-A-O-A C’mon now, spin around Stop! Funky monkey with it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAEYSXH9u1g