TERCER DOMINGO DE PASCUA 2026

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, este Tercer Domingo de Pascua nos invita a proclamar con alegría que Jesús ha resucitado de entre los muertos y a reconocerlo como compañero fiel en nuestro camino diario. Él no permanece distante, sino que se acerca a nosotros, especialmente en los momentos de tristeza, confusión y desilusión, para caminar a nuestro lado, escucharnos y sanar nuestras heridas.

El Evangelio nos presenta la hermosa historia de los discípulos de Emaús. Ellos se alejaban de Jerusalén, apartándose de la comunidad, llenos de tristeza y frustración por la muerte de Jesús. Sus esperanzas parecían haberse derrumbado. En medio de esa situación, Jesús mismo se acerca y camina con ellos, aunque no lo reconocen de inmediato. Les hace una pregunta sencilla pero profunda: “¿De qué van hablando por el camino?” Con esto, Jesús les da la oportunidad de expresar su dolor, sus dudas y sus decepciones.

Este gesto nos enseña algo muy importante: Jesús quiere escucharnos. Aunque Él conoce nuestra vida, desea que abramos nuestro corazón y le contemos lo que estamos viviendo. Después de escucharlos, Jesús les explica las Escrituras y les ayuda a comprender que todo lo que había sucedido formaba parte del plan de Dios. Así, poco a poco, su tristeza comienza a transformarse en esperanza.

Más adelante, cuando llegan a su destino, los discípulos invitan a Jesús a quedarse con ellos. Y es en el momento de partir el pan cuando finalmente lo reconocen. Este gesto nos recuerda la presencia real de Jesús en la Eucaristía, donde Él continúa revelándose a nosotros. Después de reconocerlo, los discípulos regresan inmediatamente a Jerusalén, llenos de alegría, para compartir su experiencia con la comunidad.

Este pasaje nos muestra un camino claro para nuestra propia vida espiritual. Jesús se acerca a nosotros, camina con nosotros, nos escucha, ilumina nuestra mente con su Palabra y se hace presente en la Eucaristía. Él transforma nuestras frustraciones en esperanza y nos da la fuerza para volver a la comunidad y compartir nuestra fe.

Muchas veces, nuestras decepciones surgen porque esperamos algo diferente de Dios o de los demás. Sin embargo, Jesús nos ayuda a ver más allá de nuestras expectativas y a confiar en el plan de Dios, que siempre busca nuestro bien.

Hoy, el Señor nos invita a preguntarnos: ¿permitimos que Él camine con nosotros en nuestras dificultades? ¿Buscamos respuestas en la Palabra de Dios? ¿Reconocemos su presencia en la Eucaristía? ¿Compartimos con otros la alegría de haberlo encontrado?

Que, como los discípulos de Emaús, podamos invitar a Jesús a quedarse con nosotros, abrirle nuestro corazón y dejarnos transformar por su presencia. Y que nuestra oración sea siempre: “Quédate con nosotros, Señor, porque atardece y el día ya declina.” Amén.

P. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER 2026

Dear brothers and sisters, this Third Sunday of Easter invites us to proclaim with joy that Jesus has risen from the dead and to recognize Him as a faithful companion on our daily journey. He does not remain distant, but rather draws near to us—especially in moments of sadness, confusion, and disillusionment—to walk by our side, listen to us, and heal our wounds.

The Gospel presents to us the beautiful story of the disciples of Emmaus. They were walking away from Jerusalem, distancing themselves from the community, filled with sadness and frustration over the death of Jesus. Their hopes seemed to have crumbled. Amidst this situation, Jesus himself approaches and walks with them, although they do not recognize him immediately. He asks them a simple yet profound question: “What are you discussing along the way?” With this, Jesus gives them the opportunity to express their pain, their doubts, and their disappointments.

This gesture teaches us something very important: Jesus wants to listen to us. Although He knows our lives, He desires that we open our hearts and tell Him what we are going through. After listening to them, Jesus explains the Scriptures to them and helps them understand that everything that had happened was part of God's plan. Thus, little by little, their sadness begins to transform into hope.

Later, when they arrive at their destination, the disciples invite Jesus to stay with them. And it is at the moment of breaking the bread that they finally recognize Him. This gesture reminds us of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, where He continues to reveal Himself to us. After recognizing Him, the disciples immediately return to Jerusalem, filled with joy, to share their experience with the community.

This passage shows us a clear path for our own spiritual life. Jesus draws near to us, walks with us, listens to us, enlightens our minds with His Word, and makes Himself present in the Eucharist. He transforms our frustrations into hope and gives us the strength to return to the community and share our faith.

Often, our disappointments arise because we expect something different from God or from others. However, Jesus helps us to look beyond our expectations and to trust in God's plan, which always seeks our good.

Today, the Lord invites us to ask ourselves: Do we allow Him to walk with us in our difficulties? Do we seek answers in the Word of God? Do we recognize His presence in the Eucharist? Do we share with others the joy of having found Him?

May we, like the disciples of Emmaus, invite Jesus to stay with us, open our hearts to Him, and allow ourselves to be transformed by His presence. And may our prayer always be: “Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening and the day is already declining.” Amen.

Fr. Luis Segura, M.S.C.

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Journeying with the Risen Lord…

Today’s Gospel, which takes place on the day of the Passover, describes the episode of the two disciples of Emmaus (Lk24:13-35). It is a story that begins and ends on the move. There is in fact, the outbound journey of the disciples who, saddened by the epilogue of Jesus’ story, leave Jerusalem and return home to Emmaus, walking some 7 miles. It is a journey that takes place during the day, much of it downhill. And there is the return journey: another 7 miles, but at nightfall, partly an uphill journey after the fatigue of the outward journey and the entire day. Two trips: one easy in daytime, and the other tiring at night. Yet the first takes place in sadness, the second in joy. In the first one, there is the Lord walking beside them, but they do not recognize him; in the second one they do not see him anymore, but they feel him near them. In the first they are discouraged and hopeless; in the second they run to bring the good news of the encounter with the Risen Jesus to the others.

The two different paths of those first disciples tell us, Jesus’ disciples today, that in life we have two opposite directions before us: there is the path of those who, like those two on the outbound journey, allow themselves to be paralyzed by life’s disappointments and proceed sadly; and there is the path of those who do not put themselves and their problems first, but rather Jesus who visits us, and the brothers who await his visit, that is, our brothers who are waiting for us to take care of them. Here is the turning point: to stop orbiting around one’s self; the disappointments of the past, the unrealized ideals, the many bad things that have happened in our life. Very often we tend to keep going around and around.... To leave that behind and to go forward looking at the greatest and truest reality of life: Jesus lives, Jesus loves me. This is the greatest reality. And I can do something for others. It is a beautiful reality: positive, bright, beautiful! This is the turning point: to go from thoughts about I to the reality of my God. Yes, we continue our journey to announce it now, not tomorrow”. “Yes, I can do this for the people so that they may be happier, so that people may better themselves, to help many people.

How did this change of pace, from “I” to “God”, occur within the disciples? By meeting Jesus: the two disciples of Emmaus first open their hearts to him, then they listen to him explain the Scriptures and then they invite him home. These are three steps that we too can take in our homes: first, opening our hearts to Jesus, entrusting him with the burdens, the hardships, the disappointments of life, entrusting the “ifs” to him, and then, the second step, listening to Jesus, taking the Gospel in hand, reading this passage in chapter 24 of Luke’s Gospel on this very day; third, praying to Jesus, in the same words as those disciples: “Lord, ‘stay with us’ (v. 29). Lord, stay with me. Lord, stay with all of us, because we need you to find the way”. And without you, there is night.

We are always journeying in life. And we become what we go towards. Let us choose the way of God, not of self; the way of “yes”, not the way of “if”. We will discover that there are no unexpected events, no uphill path, no night that cannot be faced with Jesus.

May Our Lady, Mother of the journey, who by receiving the Word made her entire life a “yes” to God, show us the way. [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Angelus, 26 IV 20]

Rev. Rajesh Peter M.S.C.

3rd Sunday of Easter – 2026 A

My friends, this is a wonderful gospel.  'The Road to Emmaus.'  It's found only in Luke.  It takes place when it was nearly evening on the day of the Resurrection of Christ Jesus.

To give us a better understanding of this story, Luke used symbolism, which was often used in Scripture writing.  Some of the key words of symbolism in this gospel are:

Seven          –      evening / end of day      –      Jerusalem

• Seven.  The number 'seven' means 'whole' or 'complete.'  Its meaning went beyond the literal. 

• Evening / End of Day.   Going into darkness.

• Jerusalem.  The Jews believed that's where God was present – in Jerusalem, in the Temple.

So, in light of the symbolism, listen to what Luke prepared for the reader in today’s gospel:

"Two disciples were walking to Emmaus – seven miles west of Jerusalem.”  We are told later in the Gospel that it was late afternoon. 

• The disciples were dejected, depressed !  They were walking seven miles – completely – away from Jerusalem – completely away from God.

• They were walking west and it was nearly evening.  Jews were taught that the wise traveler journeys at sunrise, not sunset. 

• The wise traveler walks by light, not into darkness. 

We remember that Jesus is the light of the world.  The very first words we hear in Church at the Easter Vigil are:  "The Light of Christ."

The Christian goes forward, not into nightfall but into the dawn of new hope, new life in Christ.

Just a week earlier, Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem with people waving palm branches and spreading their cloaks on the road. Then, a few days later he was arrested, tried, convicted and executed.

People thought that Jesus was going to free Israel from the tyranny of Rome and Herod.  Now he was dead.  Their dream was shattered.

These two disciples did not recognize Jesus when he approached because they were so caught up in their own grief and loss. 

But, as they walked, Jesus helped them process everything that happened concerning the Messiah in light of the Scriptures, which they knew very well.

As they walked, they were no longer focused on their own grief but on Scripture and on the stranger, who opened and explained the Scriptures concerning the Messiah.  As they said later:  "Our hearts burning within us as he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures.”

Now, the arrival at their home in Emmaus and the recognizing of Jesus in the breaking of the bread:

Scripture Scholars are almost unanimous in saying that this was not the Eucharist.  Rather, it was hospitality and openness which allowed them to see the Risen Lord.  Although, some would argue that it might have been the Eucharist as Christ is present in the Eucharist.

Pope Francis gave his thoughts regarding this:  “Jesus then repeats for the disciples the fundamental gesture of every Eucharist. He takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it. Does not Jesus’ entire history perhaps lie in this series of gestures? And is there not in every Eucharist, also the symbol of what the Church should be?”

My friends, in this Gospel we see the hospitality of these two disciples who invited and welcomed Jesus to their home; the hospitality of a meal; and the hospitality of breaking bread together.  It was the openness and hospitality that allowed these two to recognize Jesus and see that he was alive.

Now, some Scholars say that perhaps these two men were at the feeding of five thousand and they remembered Jesus when he said the blessing before the meal and broke the bread and gave it to all these people.

The feeding of five thousand ?  That was hospitality as well.  Jesus fed the people simply because they were hungry.  Sometimes the most profound things in life are the simplest.  "I was hungry – and you fed me."

Our Gospel also tells us that when these two disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, they were filled with such great joy, they hastened to share it with others.  It was a seven miles trek back to Jerusalem, but they could not keep the good news to themselves.  The Christian message is never fully ours until we have shared it with someone else.

My friends, it's not only at the Communion Table that we can be with Jesus but at the dinner table as well.  The entire focus of Jesus' life was his love for humanity.  His love for you and me.  That's why he came.  That's what he taught – love:  Love God.  Love each other.

Whenever we do as Jesus did, Christ Jesus is there.  It doesn't have to be anything extra-ordinary. 

• When someone comes to our home, we offer them a seat. 

• We ask if they are thirsty or hungry and we offer them something to eat or drink. 

• We do all of this before asking what brought them to our door. That's hospitality. 

• Perhaps listening to someone who needs to talk.  That's hospitality ! 

• That's when Jesus is present…..