We have here a delightful and instructive account of an event that happened on the first Easter Sunday. Besides the twelve Apostles, our Lord had seventy-two disciples (as well as many other followers), who accompanied Him on His missionary journeys. They came with him to Jerusalem, and witnessed what they believed to be the sad and fatal events of Good Friday. Two of them, having given up all hope, were now returning home depressed and sad.

They must have found it hard to understand how Jesus, who had worked so many miracles and had even raised the dead to life, could allow his enemies to put him to death.

Jesus joined them, but they did not recognize him.

Jesus had risen in his glorified body, entirely different from that laid in the tomb. He appeared in various visible forms-sometimes recognizable, to convince the Apostles of the truth of his resurrection, sometimes not recognizable, as on this occasion. He was unrecognizable to Mary Magdalene on Easter Sunday morning. His body was glorified as on Mount Tabor where the Transfiguration took place. Jesus said we shall too be glorified when we go to Heaven.

The message for today is so how does one recognize the Risen Lord in our mist some 2000 years later? First, He walks besides us today. He through the Holy Spirit is always here like He was with the two people of Emmaus. He began to break open the words of Scripture which set their hearts on fire. Today let us listen to the word of God as did the Emmaus people and let Jesus set our hearts on fire. From the first reading, "Peter refers to King David, who said that God has sworn to me that one of my descendants will be set on a thrown and he for saw the resurrection of Christ...God raised this Jesus as we are all
witnesses, as St. Peter said." What a huge amount of hope this affords all of us, as it did for all of the Christians back in Peter's time. At Easter we heard many predictions and accounts from Isaiah,  "that God will send a savior and he will be born of a virgin and named Emmanuel." So Jesus is with us today as He was yesterday and yesteryear. All we have to do listen. Second, He heals us during the tough times. These two Emmaus people were down and out. They were sad and hopeless. They were distraught about Jesus' death.

Just like us we get down and out because of some major disappointment; divorce, drugs or alcohol, children get a serious illness, some serious disease close to home, loss of a loved one, etc. Jesus tell us, as He told them, "oh how foolish you are." He isn't scolding them or us. He's telling them and us to have confidence in your God, to be positive; to pray and talk to Jesus; and to get the big picture before you give up. Through His loving kindness Jesus brought these two people from despair to being ecstatic with the zeal of the Holy Spirit. He walked with them, like the Good Shepherd He is, and brought them back to the fold, as He does for us, if we let Him.

Third, Jesus nourishes us. He left for us a divine remedy for those who feel their faith growing weak. The two disciples recognized the risen Jesus "in the breaking of bread." We too  have the risen Christ present with us every time we join "in the breaking of Bread" during the Eucharist. He is not only at the altar, with us, but in the bread and wine, the Body and Blood. He is giving himself to us as our spiritual nourishment. He fulfilled his promise at the Last Supper when he gave the power and the command to his Apostles and their successors to celebrate the Eucharist for his people, for all time.

We learn from the Emmaus people that Jesus is with us at all times. He nourishes us at every Mass with His word and then with His Body and Blood. He can set our souls on fire as did with the Emmaus people, if we let Him. Let us ask Him to set our hearts on fire