Exploring the encounter on the road to Emmaus.
Welcome to our retreat reflecting on the encounter with Christ on the road to Emmaus. You are welcome to use these resources in whichever way is most helpful to you.
The retreat is divided into sections. You can use them over a day, over several days or weeks, by yourself or with others. This section has some useful tools to help you start your retreat. Here are some ideas for creating sacred space and for praying with scripture. They can be used individually or with others.
Opening Prayer
Introduction
The Emmaus story is one of the Scriptures that often gets overlooked in Eastertide. That’s not a reflection on the valuable insights it can offer it’s simply that our Easter liturgies are so rich that it’s hard to give equal attention to all of them.
Understandable as that is it’s also a pity, as each of the resurrection accounts brings its own perspective, giving us valuable insights that we otherwise lose. When I reflect on the Easter Gospels I’m often struck by how differently the risen Christ interacts with the people at each appearance. With Mary Magdalene his appearance is intimate and personal. He tells her not to cling to him and immediately gives her a mission to fulfil. He doesn’t criticise Thomas’s need for physical proof, offering him the opportunity for the physical touch he needs. He recognises that Peter needs a deeply, personal and private conversation that allows him to heal from his earlier betrayal.
He takes a different approach again with the disciples on the roads to Emmaus. He recognises their sadness and invites them to tell him their story and express their sadness and frustration. I suspect these disciples had a deep love of Scripture, they may even be Scripture scholars. So Jesus uses the Scriptures to explain everything to them and open their hearts to the possibility of resurrection. He chooses something they love and are interested in to open their hearts, then he waits for them to invite him in, so that they can come to a full recognition of who he is and what has happened.
I believe that the risen Christ approaches us in the same way, engaging with us through the things that most touch our hearts, offering us opportunities to engage with him through the things we enjoy and find most attractive, gently inviting us to open our hearts to him.
Our own hope had been…
Begin your retreat by reading Luke 24: 13 — 27. Use the questions below to help you reflect on the passage.
“Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He said to them, ‘what are all these things that you are discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped, their faces downcast.” Where is the risen Christ inviting you to tell him the story of your life?
“Our own hope had been…” What hopes, dreams and disappointments do you want to share with the risen Christ?
“Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the Scriptures that were about himself.” How is the risen Christ showing you his presence in your life today?
Called to new life.
Begin your reflection by reading Ezekiel 36: 24 – 28. Use the questions below to help you reflect on the text.
“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you…” Where is the risen Christ offering you the gift of new life?
“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and be careful to observe my ordinances. How are you called to walk in Christ’s ways today?
“And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” How does your membership of the people of God shape your daily life?
Stay with us…
Begin your reflection by reading Luke 24, 13 – 35. , You can use the passage for Lectio Divina. There are some guidelines for Lectio Divina here:
Or you can use these questions to help you reflect on the text:
“They pressed him to stay with them saying, ‘it is nearly evening, and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them.” Where do you most need the risen Christ to stay with you in your life?
“Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; but he had vanished from their sight.” What helps you to recognise the risen Christ in the daily activities of your life?
‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’ How does the risen Christ touch your heart to flame in these challenging times?
You may want to end your reflection with this video:
Closing Prayer
End your retreat with a time of thanksgiving for any insights and blessings you have received.