April 19, 2026

For those that attend daily Mass or read the daily Mass scripture readings on their own, they probably noticed that today’s Gospel reading was read eleven days ago, on the Wednesday of the first week of Easter. And, we might wonder why does the Church repeat certain readings more than once in the liturgical calendar. Could it be that the message from the particular reading is so powerful that the Church wants to ensure we really hear and understand the intended message?

As we continue the third week of Easter we hear the Gospel account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. And some of us might wonder, how is it possible that these two did not recognize Jesus? It’s easy for us to judge them because we have the full narrative of the Old and New Testament readings. We also have over two thousand years of Church teachings and theologians to help interpret the events that led up to Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. These two, like many early believers, did not have this information at their disposal. Add to that they lived in fear, that their Messiah had been brutally crucified and they feared for their own lives. And while Jesus spoke about his resurrection, most did not understand or expect that it would actually happen.

Peter, in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, relies on Sacred Scripture, from Psalm 16, to help explain that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that death did not have a hold on Him, as he says: ‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore, my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ Peter used the Old Testament prophecy to prove that the Risen Jesus fulfilled that prophecy.

Are we any different than the two disciples that we hear about in today’s Gospel message? Do we recognize Jesus in our lives each day? He is there throughout the day in the people we interact with. The screaming child that demands our attention. The annoying driver on the road that is preventing us from arriving at our next destination. The person on the checkout line that is taking too much time out of our busy day. The elderly parent or person that needs assistance when we are exhausted or have limited time.

These could all be times when we do not recognize Jesus speaking to us through these people. How we react to them makes all the difference. If we react with a sense of annoyance, not only is the person going to feel that negativity, but we may not be able to recognize a possible Jesus moment here and now. If we react with patience and love, the person will also feel that love and they may sense Jesus’ presence. Imagine being a catalyst to create a Jesus moment for that person and for yourself. Imagine if this could be multiplied throughout our day and the positive impact it could have on so many other people.

Some of you might be thinking, it’s easy for him to be saying this – he is a deacon, a member of clergy. He is trained to be compassionate and react with love towards other people. He can recognize Jesus in other people and in his own life. But my response would be, that is not true. All of us, the lay people and clergy are called to a deep personal relationship with Jesus and to recognize Him in our daily lives. Through that relationship we can be stronger in our faith and we can be instruments of hope, love, and joy to those we meet.

Think about the people in our life that have helped create positive experiences for us. That seem to always be at peace. That almost always seem to be able to handle difficult situations with ease and not become distraught. They almost always have a deep relationship with Jesus and are able to recognize Jesus in the people and events in the course of their day.

How about those people we know that always seem down and have a negative outlook on life. If we take time to understand them we would probably not only find an absence of faith, but an absence of a relationship with Jesus. Perhaps those encounters are opportunities to show them the love and peace that the resurrected Jesus offers to each and every one of us.

Do we spend quiet time with Jesus with Sacred Scripture and in prayer each day? This is so important to our well-being and our ability to recognize Jesus in our daily lives. Again, some of you might be thinking, easy for him to say – he’s the deacon. But I struggle sometimes just like everyone else with finding time to grow my relationship with Jesus. What I have found is that the times in my life when I was away from the church, when I did not make time for Sacred Scripture, when I didn’t make time for prayer – those were the times when I struggled with recognizing Jesus in my daily interactions.

The important thing is finding the time in our busy lives for Sacred Scripture and prayer. Start slow, by taking just five minutes in the morning and quietly remember a phrase from the Sunday readings or recite a decade of the Rosary. This effort can set the tone for the day and help deal with difficult people or situations that occur. It could even help with recognizing Jesus in the people we meet as we go through each day. Or perhaps, we could radiate the love of Jesus to someone that might need to know that they are loved by a God, that was willing to send his only Son for the good of all humanity.

At every Mass, before we hear the Word proclaimed, the priest prayers the Collect prayer. This same prayer is recited across the universal church and unites us with our Christian brothers and sisters, and all the clergy. It sets the tone for the Mass and gathers us all together as one with the church and with Jesus Christ. It invites us to be open to the Word, to actively listen, to experience the true presence of Jesus, and to bring the Gospel message and the love of Jesus with us to everyone we meet. Today’s prayer calls us to ‘look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.’

Just like all the Christians that have gone before us, each Sunday at Mass, we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. And we truly believe in his presence in the breaking of the bread during the consecration prayers. This is what we profess week after week. If we truly believe that Jesus died for our sins to give us eternal salvation and that He is truly present in the Eucharist, then we need to take this message with us when we leave Mass.

We need to be the light to those in darkness and we need to meet those who are on their own road to Emmaus and cannot recognize the risen Jesus. Imagine how the love and peace of Jesus Christ could spread. Our hearts should burn when we recognize the risen Jesus. And they should burn even brighter when we are bringing Jesus to those that don’t know him or have turned away from him.

With two thousand years of history and Church teaching, we know far more than the early believers did. We know that Jesus is the Son of Man, who came down from heaven. We know that he became man to teach us about the Father and give us eternal life. But it doesn’t always make sense to us. Sometimes, in fact, our own situations don’t make sense. “Why am I suffering like this?” we might ask. Jesus asks of us the same thing that he asked of early believers: to believe him and to trust him. It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, “I know what I’m doing. I know what I’m talking about. I am God. I love you. You can trust me.”

Whether we feel as if we know God well or just a little, we can make this fundamental act of faith and proclaim: Jesus, I believe in you and I believe in your Resurrection. It’s not an abstract statement. It’s a declaration and an act of surrender to a real Person whom we trust, Jesus Christ.

Faith isn’t always easy, but it’s always within our grasp. We always have the option to trust Jesus. If we consciously choose to believe Jesus’ own testimony about himself, no earthly thing can shake our faith, no matter how we feel.

As we leave Mass today, let us trust in our belief of the resurrected, Jesus. Let us ‘Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord’ to all those we meet.