OMELIE / Omelie EN

19 apr 2026

19/04/2026 – 3rd Sunday of Easter – Year A

19/04/2026 – 3rd Sunday of Easter – Year A

1st Reading Acts 2:14, 22–33; Psalm 15 2nd Reading 1 Peter 1:17–21 Gospel Luke 24:13–35

Saint Peter speaks frankly to the people gathered outside the house where the apostles have just received the Holy Spirit. They had heard a great noise and had rushed over. Now they listen to what is boldly proclaimed by the very disciple who had denied the Lord three times. He himself accuses them of having killed him by crucifixion. He will call on them to repent of this, but then he will proclaim to them the work of God, who raised him from the dead, received him at his right hand in heaven, and, through him, poured out the Holy Spirit, which now enables them to hear this news.

In his long speech, Peter refers to the Holy Scriptures, quoting them extensively and accurately. From whom did he learn this? He learnt from Jesus, both directly from him, through the discourses he addressed to everyone, and from what the two disciples returning from Emmaus had recounted. On the long journey, the unknown traveller spoke of the Scriptures as if they were his daily bread. And they were all spot on for understanding the Lord’s passion and death, as well as his resurrection, which they had not yet understood or accepted.

Today’s Gospel passage allows us to share in this very event. Two sad and discouraged disciples, disappointed by Jesus and convinced that they had been deceived even by their other friends and brothers, set off along the road which, after twelve kilometres, leads them to the village called Emmaus. What do they say to one another along the way? The evangelist leaves this to our imagination, until another traveller tries to strike up a conversation with them. To him they reveal their disappointment following the events that had taken place right there, in Jerusalem, a couple of days earlier. The new and unknown travelling companion knows everything: little by little they realise this, because he even knows that the things that happened had to happen; indeed, they were all foreseen and all an expression of God’s will. The Holy Scriptures do not lie, and the prophecies come from that God who does not deceive.

This traveller takes the liberty of rebuking the two, saying to them: ‘You fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!’ These are harsh and severe words. They are ‘foolish’, that is, they do not take into account important and decisive matters, such as the Scriptures and the words spoken to them by Jesus, and ‘slow of heart’, because they do not draw conclusions from what they know. And then he speaks to them of the prophecies concerning the Passion and death of the Messiah, beginning with those of Moses and the other Prophets.

The two still do not realise that this stranger, who knows everything, cannot be just anyone; he cannot be one of the Pharisees or the scribes. They are truly slow of heart. Nevertheless, they are glad to listen to him; they sense that what he says is true, so much so that he explains the meaning of all the events that had caused them worry and disappointment.

He is a humble man, who accepts their invitation to stay and eat with them.

It is at the table that the unexpected happens. He takes the bread in his hands and repeats the gestures they had seen performed by the hands of their Master and Lord, the one who had been buried by Joseph of Arimathea the day before the Sabbath.

Now they know who he is. They marvel at themselves for not having realised it sooner. But they can no longer see him. It was him, and where is he now?

He is in their hearts. He has moved just a little, from their eyes to their hearts. Their hearts are ablaze. The Scriptures he has explained have gradually kindled coals in their breasts, which now burn brightly.

It is night, but the inner fire lights up the dark road: there they are, walking uphill, in the dark, in silence, with such quick steps that they hardly notice their feet moving. In Jerusalem they go straight to the house, where they find everyone. They must and want to tell their story, but they are pre-empted by the stories of the others. The stories intertwine and are silenced by his appearance, he himself, and by his voice: ‘Peace be with you!’

What happened that day? The world is no longer as it was before. The darkness has vanished. One can, indeed, one must rejoice, and keep that joy. A joy that remains alive through the ages: it is still here, bringing peace to our homes, covering our sufferings, erasing the pain caused by our sins. The joy of that day has never left the world; indeed, it has filled it with the capacity to love. The fruit of that joy is salvation: no one is lost any longer. Not everyone understands, but hope lies deep within every heart.