There is no disappointment as deep as that which comes with the destruction of a hero, especially when that hero embodies the ideals for which one lives. One can well imagine the pain of the disciples as they leave Jerusalem.

They tell the stranger whom they meet on the road, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel”.

The stranger who meets them is a special person. He does not leave them in their despair. He walks with them and helps them come to a true understanding of all that had happened. He must have told them that the redemption of Israel was not a political redemption, that it was about the restoration of the world to its original state of harmony and that the messiah’s death was essential for that restoration.

The restoration of the world to its original state of harmony is the new creation of which we are reminded so often during the Easter season, and this meeting of Jesus with the disciples exemplifies it.

Just as God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening, so Jesus walks with the disciples on the road to Emmaus in the cool of the evening.

Just as disharmony descends on the world in the Genesis account, now the possibility of harmony is rekindled. As Jesus explains the scripture to them, their hearts burn within them because of the new possibilities which the scriptures offer.

The despair of our first parents because of the loss of Eden and relived in the despair of the disciples because of the crucifixion is removed in the new possibilities offered. 

And then in a setting of harmony, an evening meal, they recognise Jesus, their Lord and God. They no longer have to hide from God, as Adam and Eve did; now they sup with God.

The Gospel texts tell us that Jesus explained to the disciples how to achieve this harmony, “Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.”

That message the risen Jesus gave to the disciples is the perennial message of Jesus and of every true Christian.  Jesus’ life and death was to gather all who were scattered. And how that is achieved is in the breaking of bread, the primordial symbol of harmonious relations.

Reflecting on this message, St Paul tells us that the mission of the Church is a mission of reconciliation, reconciliation with God and with each other. It is the bringing of people together to “break bread” with God in their midst.

Are our hearts not filled with gratitude that our God walks with us in our daily pilgrimage? Do not our own hearts burn within us as we see the possibility of true reconciliation between parents and children, brothers and sisters?

Do we not long for the day when as Trinidadians and Tobagonians we no longer have to live behind burglar proofing and we can take a moonlight stroll along the beach without fear of assault? These things are things we all hope for, but hope carries with it, the determination to work for that for which we hope.

The disciples of Jesus after the Ascension immediately began to work so as to bring the vision to fulfilment. All the saints whom we venerate worked to bring this vision to fulfilment, and the great persons of our epoch have all done the same.

If the Church gives us saints, it is so that we not only venerate them but also find in them the behaviours we must imitate. Like them, the hope which Easter re-enkindles in our hearts must lead us to actively seek the harmony for which Christ gave his life.

All powerful and ever-loving God, Your walk with the disciples on the road to Emmaus shows us that you never give up on your people. In spite of their faults and betrayals, You continue to walk with them, inspiring them and showing them the way.

In spite of our infidelities, we ask that You do not abandon us, continue to walk with us, instruct us so that our hearts may burn within us, creating the enthusiasm we need to proclaim Your message of harmony to all who surround us.

We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our mother and Your Son Jesus. Amen

Gospel Meditations for April are by Fr Joseph Harris CSSp. A former rector of the Regional Seminary, Fr Harris is parish priest of St Ann’s and the Archdiocesan Judicial Vicar.