From The Bishop

In the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Easter, we are presented with the account of the Risen Lord appearing to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. This Gospel has always had a special meaning for me. My episcopal motto, Mane Nobiscum Domine, is taken from this passage â€" “Stay with usâ€� (Lord). We all need the Lord to stay with us, especially in times of fear, doubt and confusion. We also need him to lead us, feed us, and correct us when necessary. For me, the ‘Road to Emmaus’ offers a model for evangelization in our diocese. After the Lord vanished from sight, the two disciples said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road…â€�. I believe that the fundamental goal of evangelization is to set people’s hearts on fire with love for the Lord. From that all else flows. As we consider this Gospel on a deeper level, we see that the signs, symbols and words are clearly eucharistic. Jesus opened the scripture to the disciples and then “took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.â€� They then went forth to proclaim the Good News to others. This models the structure of the Mass. Here we see how the Eucharist offers the perfect means to evangelize and set hearts on fire. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “In brief, the Eucharist is the communal summary of our faith: our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.â€� (CCC 1124) This is why it is so important that each Sunday we strive to give our people the very best. Each Mass that we celebrate, and homily that we give, should be well prepared. The celebration of the Eucharist should be reverent and beautiful with music that inspires and draws us into the mystery of our faith. Here we have a profound opportunity to touch the minds and hearts of the people we serve just as our Risen Lord had done with His disciples following His Resurrection. May we never forget that the Eucharist is the fulfillment of a deep longing in the hearts of two disciples on a road to the small town of Emmaus. “Stay with us.â€�  The Risen Lord is with us!