Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Psalm 15; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35
Grace and peace to you, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. Today is the third Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Today, we have a post-Resurrection appearance that is only recorded in Luke’s Gospel account. It is the first Lucan account of the appearance of the resurrected Christ and it was to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
This morning, I want to keep it simple. I will share four practical messages from this very rich text.
I. What is the content of your discussion?
These two disciples were on their way to Emmaus. On the way, they were discussing the events that had just taken place with Jesus. Then Jesus came and walked with them and asked, “What matters are you discussing as you walk along?” They narrated everything to Him and He joined the conversation, correcting them and bringing them God’s perspective.
Dear friends, this question is not only for them, it is also for us. What kind of matters do we discuss? What are the things that occupy our conversations daily?
Are they matters that Christ can join in?
Are they conversations that uplift, edify, and strengthen, or are they filled with gossip, negativity, backbiting, and words that destroy?
Let us not forget that Christ is always present, even as the silent listener, to every conversation we have.
Secondly, how do we discuss what we talk about?
How do you speak about your life, your struggles, and your experiences? Do you speak from the perspective of faith, hope, and trust in God, or are your words always filled with discouragement, fear, and negativity?
Jesus is asking us today, what are you discussing, and how are you discussing your life?
II. Their empty dreams and disappointment
In their explanation, they revealed their deep disappointment. They said, “Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free.” In other words, we had hoped, we had believed, but now we feel let down. Everything seems finished.
Notice something important. They no longer spoke of Jesus as the Messiah. He had become for them just a prophet who failed. When He was performing miracles, He looked like the Messiah. But on the cross, He no longer fit their expectations.
Dear friends, perhaps there is someone here who feels exactly the same. Life has not turned out the way you expected. Where you are is not where you thought you would be. It feels like God has disappointed you.
But the message of today is clear. God has not failed. It may not look the way you expected, but everything is unfolding according to His plan. God remains God, even on the cross. God remains faithful, even in silence. God is too faithful to fail.
Now here is something very beautiful. The name Emmaus is generally understood to come from a Hebrew root “ḥammat” or “ḥammāh”, meaning a warm spring or a place of warmth. These disciples were walking with cold hearts; hearts filled with disappointment, confusion, and lost hope. But as Jesus walked with them, explained the Scriptures, and later broke bread, their hearts began to burn again.
“Did not our hearts burn within us?”
This is what Jesus does. He meets us in our Emmaus moments, in our confusion, in our disappointment, and He warms our cold hearts. He restores hope. He brings life back into what seemed dead.
If your heart has grown cold because of pain, disappointment, or what seems like unanswered prayers, Jesus wants to walk with you even now. He wants to warm your heart again.
III. “Stay with us” – The invitation
At a certain point, they urged Him strongly, “Stay with us.”
This is one of the most powerful moments in the Gospel. Jesus does not force Himself on them; He waits to be invited.
Dear friends, have you invited Jesus into your life? Not just in words, but in reality?
Have you invited Him into your home, your work, your decisions, your relationships, your struggles, and your confusion?
Many of us want Jesus to solve our problems, but we do not create space for Him in our lives.
“Stay with us” means: Stay in my home, my decisions, my marriage, my vocation, my struggles, and my confusion.
When they invited Him, He entered. When He entered, He sat with them. When He sat with them, He broke bread. And in the breaking of bread, their eyes were opened.
Great things happen when He is allowed to stay with us. Even greater things happen when we prepare our hearts to welcome Him in the Holy Eucharist.
IV. Encounter leads to mission
After recognising Jesus, they did something very important. They did not remain in Emmaus. They got up immediately and returned to Jerusalem. Emmaus was not their destination; it was their turning point.
An encounter with Christ is never meant to end with us, it must lead to mission.
In the First Reading, we see Peter, once afraid, now boldly proclaiming Christ. Why? Because he had encountered the risen Lord.
Dear friends, God strengthens you so that you can strengthen others. He feeds you so that you can feed others. He gives you an experience so that you can become a witness.
There are many people still in Jerusalem, confused, discouraged, and struggling, just as you once were. Your Emmaus experience is not just for you, it is for them.
You must go back, you must share, and you must allow Jesus to use your story to bring others back to faith.
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, today Jesus is walking with us, asking us, “What are you discussing?” He is ready to heal our disappointments, waiting to be invited into our lives, and calling us to mission.
May we recognise Him, welcome Him, and follow Him.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, walk with us in our moments of confusion and disappointment. Warm our cold hearts, open our eyes to recognise You, and give us the courage to return and share Your light with others. Stay with us, Lord, now and always. Amen.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on April 19, 2026.