🎧 [Listen to Homily: Audio]
📺 [Watch Mass: YouTube Video] (to be posted by 6 pm April 19)
[Easter 3rd Sunday 2026 – April 19, 2026, v. 04]
Homily – 3rd Sunday of Easter (Luke 24:13–35)
I’ve noticed
something recently with my phone.
My inbox
will tell me that I have one unread message—
and I’m convinced I’ve read everything.
I go back, I
look again, and I can’t find it.
And that one
unread message becomes a distraction.
It troubles/bothers me… until I finally open and read it.
That’s a
helpful way to understand today’s Gospel.
On the road
to Emmaus, two disciples are living with something like an unread message.
They know
the facts—the Cross, the empty tomb.
But they do not yet understand the meaning.
The Gospel
begins with them walking away from Jerusalem—
not with hope, but with disappointment.
They had
hoped Jesus was the one.
And now everything feels unresolved.
As they
walk, they talk, trying to make sense of it all.
And that is
where Jesus meets them.
He does not
overpower them.
He does not shame them.
He does not force them to believe.
He listens.
He asks questions.
And then He corrects them:
“How slow of
heart to believe.”
This is not
weakness.
This is meekness.
Meekness is
strength under control.
It is truth spoken with patience.
It is the courage to stay in relationship while leading others to what is
right.
And then
Jesus does something powerful:
He opens the
Scriptures.
He helps
them understand not only what happened—
but what it means.
And that is
the pattern of the Christian life:
Jesus walks
with us,
He speaks to us,
He opens our hearts,
and He reveals Himself.
And that matters
for us today.
Because we
live in a time of confusion and tension.
We hear
strong words.
We see division among peoples and nations.
Even among leaders, there can be sharp disagreements.
And we are
tempted:
to react
quickly,
to speak harshly,
or to withdraw.
But the
Gospel shows us something deeper.
Peace is not
simply the absence of conflict.
Peace must
be built.
It is what
Scripture calls shalom:
right relationship with God and with one another.
And that
kind of peace begins with hearts that have been changed by Christ.
That is why
the Church calls us—especially now—
to pray
and to fast
for peace.
Because this
is how Christ continues to walk with us,
to correct us,
and to transform us.
So we are
called to pray:
for the
Church,
for the Holy Father,
for civil and government leaders of nations and peoples,
and for peace in the world.
Because
without conversion of heart,
there can be no lasting peace.
There is one
more “unread message” in this Gospel.
And it is
this:
What is the
meaning of suffering?
Jesus tells
the disciples that the Messiah had to suffer
and then enter into His glory.
And that can
be hard for us.
We think:
Does it have to be this hard?
If I suffer now, will things be easier later?
Sometimes
that is true in small ways—
like learning a skill or building discipline.
But the
deeper truth is this:
There is no
real love without sacrifice.
Every form
of love—marriage, family, friendship—costs something.
But
Christianity does not say that suffering is good by itself.
It says that
when our suffering is united to Christ,
it is transformed.
It becomes
part of His Cross.
And instead
of leading only to frustration,
it can lead to strength, to patience, and to holiness.
It’s a
little like the love of a parent—or a spouse.
Parents are
called to sacrifice for their children.
Spouses are called to sacrifice for each other.
But they
don’t do this to make the other person love them.
And they don’t do it to make themselves look good.
They do it
for the good of the other—
often quietly,
sometimes without being noticed at all.
Because real
love always costs something.
And that
sacrifice is not about themselves—
it is an investment in the relationship.
And in a
similar way, when we suffer with Christ,
we are not trying to prove something
or earn something.
We are
growing in love.
We are
deepening our relationship with God.
That unread
message on your phone—it bothers you until you open it.
Today,
Christ gives you a message to read:
His Cross.
His Resurrection.
His love.
So let Him
open that message for you.
Let your
heart burn.
Let your eyes be opened.
And then say
with the disciples:
“Stay with
us, Lord…
for it is nearly evening…
and the day is almost over.”
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