Joke: The Sunday school teacher was testing children in her CCD class to see if they understood the concept of getting to Heaven. She asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big jumble sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?" "NO!" the children answered. "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the garden, and kept everything tidy, would that get me into heaven?" Again, the answer was 'No!' By now the teacher was starting to smile. "Well, then, if I were kind to animals and gave sweeties to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into heaven?" Again, they all answered 'No!' She was just bursting with pride for them. She continued, "Then how can I get into Heaven?" A six-year-old boy shouted from the back, “First, you have to die!”

In today’s Gospel, St. Luke retells a story of what happens to two disciples on the road of Emmaus, and how they recognize the risen Lord. Jesus’ suffering and death scatter his disciples, and in that sorrow and sadness b/c of his suffering and death, Jesus comes along and journeys with them. They cannot recognize him, even though he talks and explains to them about scripture, Moses, and the prophets. They can only recognize the Lord when they witness Jesus’ breaking of the bread at the table. Who are those two disciples who witnessed the risen Lord at the breaking of the bread? Why can they not recognize Jesus on the road of Emmaus? What is it to do with us?

One of these two disciples, St. Luke tells us, is Cleopas. The other disciple, whose name is unknown, is he one of the twelve apostles? St. Luke vividly describes what these two disciples said about Jesus, he is “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.” They know so much about Jesus. Could one of them be Jesus’ twelve apostles? Regardless of who they are, the question is, have we seen ourselves in those two disciples? We are priests, deacons, religious men and women, baptized Christians, young and not young anymore, we all have learned and understood about Jesus. However, have we recognized him in our Christian lives who is the living God?

Just as the disciples felt downcast after the death of Jesus, lost faith, and were scattered that they couldn’t recognize the risen Lord while he journeyed with them on the road to Emmaus, have we encountered the risen Lord, the moment that we experience our spouse cheating us? Our children go astray? Our loved one has to suffer from illness and sickness? At the moment of sadness and sorrow, the two disciples are only able to recognize Jesus at the breaking of the bread, in our sadness, worries, struggles, and difficulties, have we recognized the risen Lord when we gather together to celebrate the Eucharist? Or have we experienced the risen Lord in our brothers and sisters, those who are suffering from illness, loneliness, abandonment, homelessness, addiction of many kinds, and many other forms of destructive life? The moment that we isolate ourselves away from others, away from our loved ones, or away from the Church, the moment, I believe, we have difficulty experiencing the risen Lord! The moment that we harbor any anger, resentment, or revenge towards anyone? The moment that we have difficulty talking, to live together in the family, at work, in our community, or any other place? The moment that we cannot talk nor communicate with others, those moments and many other moments, I believe, we are death since only death that cannot come to others, cannot communicate to the living! Jesus is risen to open the grave, have we had the courage to untie, open, and reconcile with one another with whom we might have difficulty talking, communicating, and living? The decision is yours.