Homily Short, Third Sunday Easter, April 19, 2026

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Encounter the risen Christ in the story of the Road to Emmaus. This reflection reveals how Jesus remains present to us today—especially in the Eucharist—inviting us to recognize Him in the breaking of the bread.

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Great—here we have one of the most ironic statements in the Gospels, found in the resurrection appearance of Jesus to the two disciples walking seven miles to the town of Emmaus.

It is to these two that Jesus comes alongside and begins walking with them. He asks, “What are you discussing as you walk along the way?” And then comes the ironic statement:
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place in these days?”

The reason this question is so ironic is because Jesus is the only person who knows exactly what has happened in those days.

“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?”

But notice—Jesus desires something from them. He wants them to desire His presence. He waits for an invitation.

While He was with them at table, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. In that moment, He reveals to His disciples how He will remain with them—not limited to one place, but present wherever the breaking of the bread occurs.

“Do this in remembrance of me. This is my body. This is my blood.”

And in that Eucharistic moment, the disciples finally recognize that Jesus had been with them all along.

Friends, how many times have your hearts burned within you at Mass? Perhaps in a moment when Scripture came alive, or when you were moved to tears by the beauty and love of God revealed to you personally.

Little did you know—it was Jesus Himself touching your heart.

Through the sacraments—especially Holy Orders and the Eucharist—Jesus strengthens His mystical body, the Church. He feeds us with His own Body and Blood and illumines our minds with the truth that sets us free.

That truth and that nourishment are real spiritual sustenance. The energy they give to our souls is grace—God’s own divine life within us.

And so, as we continue with the breaking of the bread today, and as we witness new life claimed by Christ from the clutches of the evil one, let us open our hearts to that same truth, goodness, and beauty.

May it penetrate our hearts so deeply that they are set aflame.

And let us remember: Jesus has contended with all that afflicts humanity—and He has emerged victorious.

Until the day of our own resurrection, He invites us to share in that victory by fighting the good fight, rising to the dignity that God has already given us as His sons and daughters.