This Sunday the Gospel helps us to deepen our faith in the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and is intended to strengthen our response. We hear the ending of the Emmaus story in which the two disciples walk with downcast hearts from Jerusalem to Emmaus. A stranger, in fact Jesus whom they do not recognize, walks by their side. He helps them understand and make sense of recent events, and they come to understand what has happened at the Last Supper and crucifixion. Before He leaves them He shares a meal, breaks bread – and the two disciples recognize Him as the risen Christ. They come to believe in Him. They run back to Jerusalem where today’s Gospel begins. Jesus invites us in God’s mercy and teaches His disciples that He has reconciled the world to the Father. The sacrifice on Calvary means that our sins are forgiven and we can be restored to right relationship with God. In the face of sin and wrongdoing, there is no need to despair, but the hope of new life and transformation can be offered. We see this symbolically in the mystery play when Jesus desires to forgive Judas, but tragically Judas has made his own final choice away from God.
While many people find it difficult, our belief can offer a witness to the hope of being forgiven. As we walk the path with people struggling with weakness and failure, the hope of the Gospel is that this is not a final state. Rather than condemnation and judgement, the Christian can offer the gentle word of mercy and the warmth of compassion. By the wounds of Jesus we are healed. God’s love can embrace any transgressions or failures if we are ready to confess our need in the power of the Lord’s mercy and have faith that He will give us His peace.