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Summary: Here we encounter the despondent moods of two disciples who are traveling to Emmaus. It is only in their listening to Jesus, disguised as a stranger, who they meet along the way that they begin to have their spirits lifted. They share their dashed hopes and then Jesus, beginning with Moses, shares with them all that has to do with the Messiah. It is only when they sit to eat and see Jesus in the breaking of the bread that they come to the realization that their hopes have been fulfilled. It was because of their attentive listening that they truly heard and realized that their hearts were on fire as he talked with them along the way. We are also called to a deep listening that moves from merely hearing with our ears to listening with our entire being.

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Summary: The encounter we have with St. Thomas in today’s gospel actually brings all of us hope. Thomas represents all of us in our struggle with faith. We all are a combination of both believing and disbelieving. A community of believers is essential for us when in the throws of doubt. Notice that the name Thomas means “twin.” We never learn whom he is twin to and thus scripture scholars believe that it is a literary device to allow us to be the twin. We too, like Thomas, have our moments of doubt and likewise our moments where we proclaim in full faith that Jesus is my Lord and my God. It is important to recognize that when Jesus bestows the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, he does so when they are gathered as a community. Jesus bestows upon them the power to bind and loose sins as a community. To this day when a priest gives absolution for sins, it is in the name of Jesus Christ and through the ministry of the Church (Community).

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Summary: In this account of the resurrection we experience only the empty tomb, no angelic proclamation, no encounter with the risen Lord speaking to Mary of Magdela—just and empty tomb. The empty tomb became the earliest symbol of the resurrection in the fledgling church. Mary, out of her confusion, runs to the disciples to share that the stone was rolled away and that tomb was empty. Peter and John rush to the sight and John, upon seeing the burial garments neatly wrapped, is confident that Jesus was indeed risen from the dead. John saw and believed even in the midst of not understanding completely. Hope then, is an essential part of the process of coming to faith. Indeed these three virtues; faith, hope, and love are absolutely intertwined.

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Summary: The plot to kill Jesus now involves not only the Pharisees, some of whom have been opposed to Jesus throughout his ministry, but now includes the chief priests and the elders. The leadership of the Temple wish to eliminate Jesus. They employ one of the twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot in their plot. Jesus, as an observant and obedient Jew, is celebrating the Passover with his disciples. This meal becomes the backdrop for the coming days of his passion, death, and resurrection. There are a great many events contained within this passage from Matthew, but for our purposes, they focus on the obedience of Jesus to the Father’s will. The suffering and death of Jesus becomes for us and indeed for all people, the ultimate expression of the Father’s love for humanity. The expiation of the world’s sin comes through the absolute obedience of Jesus.

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