God calls us to be disciples of Jesus, building community through
service and fellowship and sharing the love of Christ with all.
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On the road to Emmaus, two disciples walk away from Jerusalem, carrying disappointment, confusion, and unfulfilled hope. Though the risen Christ comes near and walks with them, they do not recognize him. Their eyes are kept from seeing, even as their hearts begin to stir. Why do they not recognize him? Perhaps because they are not ready to see something new. Their hearts are weighed down with sorrow. Their souls are immersed in a deep sense of loss, failure, and helplessness. When grief fills our vision, it becomes difficult to imagine that anything new could be unfolding. When disappointment takes hold of our hearts, even the presence of Christ can remain hidden in plain sight. And yet, this is precisely where the movement of faith begins.
This story reveals a gentle yet profound movement of faith: hearts burning, eyes opening, and lives transformed. Even before recognition, something is already happening within them. Their hearts begin to burn β not with full understanding, but with a quiet awareness that something is stirring, something is shifting. Before recognition comes presence β Christ is already walking alongside them, speaking, listening, and opening the Scriptures. And then, in the breaking of the bread, their eyes are opened. What had been hidden becomes clear. What had been distant becomes known. And in that moment, their lives are changed. They turn around and return to Jerusalem, bearing witness to what they have seen.
The resurrection, then, is not about replacing our story, but transforming it. Our disappointments are not erased, but reinterpreted. Our journeys are not abandoned, but redirected. Christ meets us not after everything is resolved, but in the very midst of our questions, our uncertainty, and our ordinary paths. On this Third Sunday of Easter, we are invited to consider where our own hearts are being awakened, where our eyes might be opening, and how Christ is already present β leading us toward lives transformed by his grace.