Jesus Appeared to the Disciples in Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) - Sermon - April 19, 2026

Today's Gospel passage reveals three deficiencies in faith among the disciples in Emmaus; as the disciples of the twenty-first century, we too can fall into these deficiencies.

The first deficiency in faith is the lack of belief in the Holy Scriptures, which is the word of God. The Bible speaks in many places about God sending a savior. This savior would save us by dying and rising again. “Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand” (Isaiah, chapter 53, verse 10). “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let your holy one see corruption” (Psalms, chapter 16, verse 10). Despite going to the synagogue every Saturday to listen to the word of God, the Jews did not believe… This can happen to us Christians as well; we go to church every Sunday, listen to the word of God, and are nourished by the Body of Christ, but we do not believe or trust what God tells us through the readings or the priest's sermons.

The second deficiency in faith is the disbelief in the testimony of the women and the disciples of Jesus, as seen in the case of the apostle Thomas. This happens to us when we do not believe the testimony of the apostles who lived with Jesus, saw his resurrection, and witnessed his miracles. And they gave their lives for this. A person only gives their life for what is true. This testimony shows that the Christian faith is real and not a lie. No one gives their life for a lie.

The third deficiency in faith is the lack of trust in Jesus and disbelief in his teachings and miracles. Jesus said: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John, chapter 3, verse 16). If he has given us his Son, he has given us everything. Let us trust in him; God will take care of us.

Jesus multiplied five loaves to feed five thousand people! He also said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever…” (John, chapter 6, verse 51). “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…” (John, chapter 6, verse 54). Furthermore, at the Last Supper, he took the bread and said, “This is my body” (Matthew, chapter 26, verse 26). If he multiplied five loaves for five thousand people, he has shown us that he can transform bread into his own body.

Today's Gospel states: “They recognized him when he broke the bread.” This is the new presence of Christ among us, the Eucharist. Let us love the Eucharist dearly and visit Jesus in the Eucharist often. He is here day and night, waiting for us in the church.