Jesus offered this same gift of hope in his appearance to two disciples whom he met on the road to Emmaus. At first, they did not understand the reality of the resurrection, nor did they recognize Jesus as he walked with them.
The Pope recounted how Jesus traveled and spoke with them, explaining why it was that the Messiah had to suffer and be raised from the dead. Eventually, Jesus revealed his identity to the travelers as he celebrated the Eucharist with them.
“This episode,” the Pope said, “shows us two privileged places in which we can meet the Risen One who transforms our lives” – the Eucharist, and the word of God in Scripture.
When the two disciples returned to Jerusalem, “their enthusiasm for the faith was reborn, their love for the community and their need to communicate the good news. The Master rose, and with him all life resurges. Bearing witness to this event became an irrepressible need for them.”
Today, Pope Benedict said, the risen Christ remains present through the Eucharist – strengthening believers just as he did in the Church's first Easter season.
“In communion Jesus nourishes us with his body and his blood, becoming present in our lives, making us new and animating us with the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Following this teaching, Pope Benedict greeted different groups of pilgrims in several languages, including a delegation from the NATO Defense College and a newly-ordained group of deacons from the Pontifical Irish College.
“During this Easter season,” he urged the English-speaking pilgrims, “let us resolve to walk in the company of the risen Christ and allow our lives to be transformed by faith in him and by the power of his resurrection.”
The Pope gave his apostolic blessing and sang the “Our Father” in Latin, before returning to his residence at Castel Gandolfo.