3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER April 19, 2026

Readings: Acts: 2.14,22-28   1 Peter 1.17-21 Luke 24.13-35

In the Emmaus story, Jesus as the stranger helps the two disciples to make sense of the past in a new light, they respond by inviting Him to stay with them.  In their experience of Jesus as Lord, the Disciples’ past is changed.  They were able to revisit the past with new light and hope.  They took the darkness of Good Friday to the light of Easter Sunday.  For them, one conclusion was enough, namely - Jesus Christ is truly risen.  That is the message they took back to Jerusalem.

Our celebration of The Eucharist brings Jesus to us not as a stranger but, rather, in word and sacrament and he gives us hope to face the future with faith in Him. Let us not make a mistake by forgetting that Jesus is with us.  He is walking with us, and, like the Disciples, He wants to instil hope in us. Like the Disciples, we are invited to tell our own story - the story covered with disappointment and anger, displeasure and distress.  Our past and present may not make sense to us, but Jesus’ word is clear in this moment as always -” I do care what you are going through” and I am walking with you. Today, we’re invited to tell our story to the Lord, to listen to Him even in the comfort of our homes and recognise Him in all that is happening.  Only then can we look with understanding at the past and with hope, look to the future. As a community of believers, we should always be focussed on the light at the end of the tunnel.  May Mother Mary intercede and pray for us her children.