Vatican City, Apr 6, 2008 / 07:30 am
The road to Emmaus “is the path of renewal and maturation in faith for all Christians,” Pope Benedict told the many thousands of pilgrims that packed St Peter's Square for the Regina Caeli Prayer today at noon.
The Gospel of this Sunday - the third Easter - is the famous story told of the disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk 24,13-35). It tells of two followers of Christ who, sad and disheartened, left Jerusalem the day after the Sabbath, the third since his death, to go to a nearby village called Emmaus.
Along the road, the risen Jesus came up beside them, but they did not recognize him. Sensing their dejection, he explained on the basis of the Scriptures that the Messiah had to suffer and die to achieve glory. Then he entered a house with them, sat down at table, blessed the bread and broke it, and then they recognized him. But he vanished from their sight, leaving them full of wonder before the broken bread, a new sign of his presence.
The two immediately returned to Jerusalem and told the other disciples what happened.