Fresh Dew Media

 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year A: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: Your Hope Is Not Dead: Lessons from the Emmaus Experience

Readings: Acts 2:14.22–33; 1 Pet 1:17–21; Lk 24:13–35

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, for three years Jesus gathered a group of men around Him and taught them about the new Kingdom He had come to establish. From their knowledge of history, these men knew that charismatic leaders had risen in the past, overthrown oppressive rulers, and established new reigns. They saw Jesus as one of these charismatic figures and therefore built their hopes, dreams, and aspirations on Him.

They left their jobs and followed Him joyfully from town to town, counting His successes as their own. They supported His ministry with their resources and hoped that, once His kingdom was established, they would regain what they had invested and become princes in His reign. They eagerly awaited the moment when He would seize power, liberate the Jews from both Roman oppression and corrupt Jewish leaders, and restore the glory of Israel.

However, on Good Friday, they were confronted with what they never expected: the death of Jesus on the Cross. With His death, their dreams, hopes, and aspirations collapsed. For these disciples, the death of Jesus meant the death of their dreams and their hope for a better future. Their frustration deepened when they heard that Jesus’ body was missing from the tomb. A glimpse of their frustration and sense of hopelessness is revealed in today’s Gospel through the conversation of the two disciples walking to Emmaus. They were returning to their former lives, trying to pick up the pieces after their disappointment. Their words to the stranger—who was Jesus—express the depth of their sorrow: “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” This single sentence captures a long‑held hope that has been crushed.

Like these disciples, many people today face different degrees of frustration. Some have invested so much in their lives or businesses, yet nothing seems to work. Some have lost the job they struggled so hard to secure. Some have lost a loved one who was the financial pillar of the family. Some are crippled by sickness or weighed down by problems with no visible way out. Some are so overwhelmed that they feel death would be the only escape from their pain.

Luke dramatized the Emmaus story to show how people feel when they are struck by devastating and discouraging situations. But he also used this experience to teach us that with Jesus, our hopes and dreams for good things cannot die. Problems may shake them, but they cannot destroy them for those who believe in Christ.

Peter beautifully echoes this truth in the first reading when he refers to today’s Psalm (Ps 16:8–10) saying, “For God is close to me, I shall not be shaken; therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; for He will not leave my soul among the dead, nor allow His beloved to see corruption.” For those who hope in the Lord, even death cannot conquer them or their hopes.

Here, then, are some lessons we need to draw from this Emmaus encounter.

The first lesson is that Christ walked with the two disciples, yet they could not recognize Him. Dear friends, these two disciples failed to recognize Christ because they were overwhelmed by their worries and frustrations; perhaps they did not even look at His face. Christ is always close to us in difficult times, but we often become so engulfed by our worries that we hardly notice His presence.

Whenever you focus all your attention on recounting your sad stories and brooding over them, you may become blinded to the point that you fail to recognize the solutions even when they are right before you. Do not allow your worries to blind you from looking at the face of Jesus. He is always standing by your side. Look beyond your problems and look up to Jesus, and you will receive something new. When you look at the face of the risen Christ, He will help you set your mind on things above, for our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

The second lesson is that we should not hesitate to open up to Christ—and to others—in our difficult moments. If the two disciples had not opened up to Christ when He approached them, they would not have received the solution to their worries. Many people think they can handle their problems alone and end up shutting out both God and others. By doing so, such people often hurt themselves even more. Christ is interested in sharing our troubles and our conversations; let us not shut Him out. Instead, let us open our hearts to Him through prayer. And in difficult moments, do not shut people out either. Christ came to the two disciples in the form of a stranger. That stranger or friend you meet may carry the solution to your problems.

The third lesson is that we must listen to Christ after we have told Him our problems. Many people pray or cry out to God in times of trials, but they do not wait to hear Him speak. In the Emmaus story, the two disciples listened attentively to Jesus. Through the Scriptures, He gave them a new understanding of their situation—showing them how God planned to bring greatness out of what they considered a hopeless event. St. Peter did the same in the first reading: he used Scripture to explain how God transformed the terrible mistake of killing Jesus into the salvation of the world.

Christ speaks to us through the Scriptures, through the homilies we hear, and through the Eucharist we receive. Through these, He shows us how God can transform our hopeless situations. Through them, Christ brings meaning to the seemingly senseless moments of our lives. Today, Christ invites us to look at our problems in the light of Scripture. This invitation helps us understand that in Christ, hope for a better future does not die—for our hope in God does not disappoint us (Rom 5:5). He also invites us to look at the Eucharist with faith, so that we may recognize Him in the breaking of the bread and in receiving His Body.

Finally, the Emmaus story teaches us not to let our problems stop us from helping those in need. In this story, the disciples looked beyond their own troubles and offered hospitality to a stranger who needed shelter for the night. That act of kindness became the key to the transformation they experienced. If they had not invited Him to stay with them and share their meal, they would not have witnessed the eye‑opening moment at the breaking of the bread—the very moment that answered their worries.

We must learn to look beyond our pains and notice others who need help. Often, our own problems make us blind to the needs of those around us.

Dear friends, reach out to strangers and to those who are helpless. The Lord may use them to reveal to you the way out of your own troubles.

Peace be with you.

Rev Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima