Cleopas and His Companion Meet a Stranger

Happy Third Sunday of Easter!

On the road to Emmaus, two travelers, Cleopas and an unnamed companion, meet a stranger who teases out of them the news of the recent events in Jerusalem, where an itinerant miracle-working rabbi, hailed as the hoped-for Messiah, had been executed by the Romans at the behest of the religious authorities and then, believe-it-or-not, seems to have risen from the dead, at least according to a tale told by some women followers. The stranger then chastises them for their lack of faith and explains the scriptures from Moses through the prophets concerning the suffering Messiah. The two don’t seem to think this odd.

As they near Emmaus, the stranger starts to move on, but the travelers object and invite him to dinner. During the meal, the stranger breaks bread and is recognized as Jesus by the travelers, who return to Jerusalem to relate their experience to the Eleven and “others who were with them.”

Those “others” often don’t get the attention they deserve. There’s Martha, her sister Mary and their brother Lazarus, to begin with. There’s Joseph of Arimathea, to lent Jesus his tomb for a few days. Then there’s a bunch of women at the foot of the cross with his mother Mary: Mary the mother of James and Joses, Mary the wife of Clopas, Salome, and, of course, Mary Magdalene as well as Joanna, Susanna and others who paid for all that tromping around Galilee and Judea.

The point is, you don’t have to be one of the Eleven or take Holy Orders to be important to Jesus. You might even think you can run away from him. He loves you anyway and will come for you.

Your community needs you for Ministry! The noon mass in particular needs liturgical ministers: lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and ushers. These as the low-hanging fruit of ministry; since you’re going to be there anyway, you might as well help out! Contact Nicole at nicoles@st-therese.cc if you’re interested.