We are all familiar with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, how two men were walking together and were joined by Christ risen from the dead. Well, they did not recognize Christ even though they had followed him for a while before he was crucified. When they first recognized him was when he provided them with the Eucharist.

The Gospel today is the continuation of that story. They did not wait until morning to go back to the apostles. They ran back immediately to them. They wanted to recount their story and how Christ, while they were walking, explained all of salvation history to them. Christ did not even give them enough time to tell their story before he showed up in that upper room again.

Christ’s resurrection, which we celebrate throughout the Easter season and beyond, needs to mean something. Christ gives us His Body and Blood when he tells his disciples that if you do not eat the Son of Man’s flesh and drink His blood, you do not have life within you.

We see today in the Acts of the Apostles reading the reason for the resurrection. “Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did; but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”

We are all called to repent of our sins and lead a new life in Christ. If we choose to do this, we will be mocked, scorned, and marginalized. We already see this happening in our society today. The voices that call for reform from a Christian perspective are being put to shame and not followed.

Our society’s current culture is not one of love and compassion but one of division and judgment.  This can be seen in how we treat those who are less fortunate, from the baby in the womb to the frail elderly. We, as Christians, are called to defend life from conception to natural death. This has always been the case since the time of Christ, yet many claim to be Christian who do not believe this. Many in the pews in Catholic churches around the country do not believe this when the Catholic church has been the most steadfast in supporting life.

Our society’s culture has eroded to the point where you are shouted down if you say something that goes against what those in power espouse. We, as Christians, need to stand up and be recognized for the valuable input we can put forward. This will take courage, but no one ever said that being a Christian would be easy in this life. We are called to be counter-cultural.

Christ showed us how to do this and as he reminds his Apostles in today’s Gospel, all that happened to him was foretold in the law of Moses and by the prophets. He walked amongst the Jewish people preaching a Gospel of inclusion, not exclusion, love, not hate, and a repentance of sins. How many of us have taken advantage of the sacrament of reconciliation during Lent and this Easter season? How many of us have not been to the sacrament of reconciliation in many years, not months? This sacrament is where we get to show our repentance, but it seems that many believe that there is nothing in their lives for them to repent.

This leads to the belief that, as Frank Sinatra so eloquently put it, I did it my way. Well, when we lead our lives in this manner, it leads to the belief that we are the only ones in control. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Christ shows us that without Him, we will not have eternal life.

John reminds us today what happens when we do not believe that Christ should have any control over our lives. “Those who say, “I know him,” but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not in them. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”

This may seem harsh, but it seems to be what we see being played out in society today. There are lots of people who claim to know Christ, yet they then go and do the exact opposite of what Christ taught us.

When we look at the world around us, as I have described it, we can tend to be discouraged. The opening line of the Gospel refers to the men from Emmaus who were despondent over the crucifixion of Christ. When they had their encounter with Christ, they became so energized they needed to retrace their steps and recall the events of their walk with the apostles.

We are almost in the middle of the Easter season. Have we had an encounter with Christ yet? IF not we, need to begin looking for this encounter. We have the opportunity to have Christ within us when we receive the Eucharist today. This food we receive helps us on our journey through this life by allowing us to still follow Christ even in the face of the culture we see around us today.

Christ tells the apostles today that they are witnesses to His life, death, and resurrection as the prophets foretold it. We, too, are witnesses to this same story every time we view a crucifix in a Catholic Church or hanging in our home, even when we wear one as a necklace. Since we are witnesses to His Passion, we are called to go and preach his Gospel of repentance to the whole world. To do so does not mean that we are called to judge others, but we are called to live our lives by following His commandments and precepts. This can be done by example much more effectively than by words.

When we go forth from Mass today, we should be on the lookout for our own encounter with Christ in the world. We should then show our belief in Christ by following his teaching and living our lives based on these and not on our way of thinking. When more Christians begin to act like this, we will see our culture change, and our lives become more peaceful. Christ reminds us many times not to be afraid to live in this manner, and he even reminds the apostles that His peace will be with them as they go forward. He promises to do the same for us. So, let’s all show the same courage of conviction that the apostles will begin to show come Pentecost.