3rd Sunday of Easter – A
April 19, 2026 8:30am
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
Emmaus and Eucharist
Today’s gospel is one of my favorite passages in the Scripture.
I see a number of moments in this Emmaus story that parallel the moments or parts of the Mass. Let’s look at them and see what you think.
1. Loss
The first moment is what we can call loss.
The two disciples walking to Emmaus are talking about what has happened to Jesus. They have suffered a great loss and feel very disappointed.
I believe that, in a way, we identify with their loss. The loss I am thinking of is that at times, we lose some of our sense of closeness with God because of something we have done.
And so, usually right at the beginning of Mass, we express this sense of loss when we say, “Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord have mercy.” We are asking God’s forgiveness and healing of this loss of closeness.
2. Presence
That admission of loss opens us to the second moment in the Mass, and this is presence – the presence of God in the Word.
Usually, we think of God or Jesus being present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. But the Emmaus story tells us that Jesus is first present to the two disciples in the Word.
It says that he breaks open the Scriptures for them. The same thing happens here at Mass.
God enlightens, inspires, comforts, challenges, and motivates us in the readings. So, just as Jesus is present in opening up the Word on the way to Emmaus, he is also present here at Mass in the Word.
3. Invitation
Then, touched by this presence of Jesus, we come to the third moment of the Mass, and this is invitation.
The disciples on the road to Emmaus invite Jesus to stay with them. We also do that here at Mass.
I suggest we do this when we offer the Profession of Faith and then bring the bread and wine to the altar. In the Profession of Faith, we affirm Jesus’ presence in the Word that we have just heard.
And in the presentation of the bread and wine, we are saying that we want him to stay and that we even want more of his presence. These are our ways of inviting Jesus to stay with us.
4. Communion
That takes us to the fourth moment in the Mass, and this is Communion.
The two disciples in the Emmaus story invite Jesus to stay but then he reverses things and in effect he becomes their host. He immediately does what he did at the Last Supper and gives himself to them in the bread and wine.
So, here at Mass, as soon as we invite Jesus to stay with us, he becomes our host and offers us the sacrament – the gift of Holy Communion. In fact, maybe this is why Jesus left the earth and returned to the Father.
Through Communion he can be even closer to us, so close that there is nothing between us. We have this intimate communion with him in the Eucharist.
5. Mission
Finally, Communion leads to the fifth and last moment of the Mass, and this is mission.
The two disciples at Emmaus immediately go and tell the others about their experience with the risen Jesus. We are also to do the same thing.
This is why we conclude Mass with words like, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” So, the final moment in Eucharistic life is mission.
We are to bring the presence of Christ to the everyday spaces of life. We are to proclaim the light and hope of Easter by the way we live.
Conclusion
So, I think this Emmaus story is quite rich!
It is a great teaching about the Mass! From 1) loss to 2) presence to 3) invitation to 4) communion to 5) mission – this is what the Mass is all about.
