Walking the Emmaus road as a family

Right now is a difficult time for nearly every family I know. Parents are stressed. Teens are depressed. Kids are anxious. Studies on mental health back this up with statistics, but start a conversation with friends, family, neighbors or parishioners and you’ll soon hear stories of struggle and suffering.

In the midst of tumultuous times in our homes and nation, what does it mean to celebrate Easter? Can we really rejoice in a moment like this?

Tucked within the Gospel of Luke is a story that shows us exactly how to live out the Easter season — not as a one-day celebration, but 50 full days of feasting. What’s more, the walk to Emmaus gives us a road map to guide our journey together as families into the hope of Easter.

First, we need to leave home. The disciples’ courage to step beyond their comfort zone — especially when their own safety was threatened — let them meet the risen Christ. Later, after they recognize the stranger who walked with them, the same impulse spurs them onward: “They set out at once and returned to Jerusalem,” to share with others what had been revealed to them (Lk 24:33). How is God calling us to step out in faith this Easter? To be not afraid, even in troubling times, to share with others the good news we have found?

Second, we must welcome the stranger. The disciples did not dismiss the traveler who joined them on the road. They engaged him in conversation, even when he corrected them in stark terms: “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!” (Lk 24:25). If the disciples had turned a cold shoulder instead, they might have missed everything God had waiting for them. How can we open our hearts and homes this Easter to those we do not know? Can we remember that Christ is the face of every stranger, or will fear or judgment keep us locked away?

Third, we have to keep talking together. The disciples are willing to converse, question and debate the difficult news and most pressing questions of their times, “the things that have taken place there in these days” (Lk 24:18). They even share what weighs heaviest on their hearts. When Jesus asks what they are discussing, “they stopped, looking downcast” (Lk 24:17). Can we keep talking through differences and disagreements, bringing our full selves to each other in good faith?

Fourth, we need to break bread together. In meals around our family table and at the altar of the Eucharist, we must keep breaking bread in order to encounter Christ present among us. What place will feasting hold in our Easter celebrations? How can we pray for the wisdom to see Christ among us and the courage to respond to his call?

The road to Emmaus reminds us that Christ goes with us everywhere, walking and talking among us: in our conversations and debates, in ordinary meals and sacred liturgies, in journeys near and far. Our hearts burn within us, too, whenever we realize he has been right next to us all along.

When the disciples approached the village, Jesus “gave the impression that he was going on farther” — but they pressed him to stay with them (Lk 24:28). This small detail holds the key. No matter what is happening in our families or the wider world, inviting Jesus to stay close is the way to discover what God has waiting for us.

“Stay with us.” Their plea is our prayer, too. We need the hope of the risen Christ, perhaps now more than ever.

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