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For the Week of April 26, 2017

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Luke 24: 13-35

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"

Click here to read the entire Gospel.

Courtesy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

 

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By Father Greg Friedman, OFM

In human life, there’s no substitute for daily, lived experience, no matter how much “book learning” you’ve had.

On these Sundays of Easter the Church teaches the newly baptized—and all of us—how to live Christian life day by day. Selections from the First Letter of Peter and the Acts of the Apostles stress our witness to Christ in the real world. The Easter Gospels highlight how the Holy Spirit supports and guides the Church in that task.

Today’s Gospel, perhaps the most powerful of the Resurrection stories, portrays what Christians have experienced in Eucharist since the beginning of the Church. Two disciples full of grief after the death of Jesus, flee Jerusalem to escape the tragic events of Good Friday.

On the road to Emmaus, the risen Lord meets them, explains the Scriptures, and they recognize him in the breaking of the bread.

Our experience, like Christians down through the ages, is identical. In the midst of human life—no matter where we find ourselves—Christians gather to share their common needs and gifts, strengths and weaknesses, fears and joys.

We break open the Scriptures so that Jesus may teach us. We break the bread and recognize Christ present. From the Eucharistic table we go out as the Body of Christ, ready to witness. In the Sundays that follow, our Scriptures will help us understand the consequences of that witness.

Listen to the audio here.

 

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By Father Don Miller, OFM

  • How far is Emmaus from Jerusalem? Could someone walk that far?

  • What were the disciples talking about?

  • What were they hoping for?

  • Did Jesus really intend on going farther? What did the disciples urge him to do? What does that mean for us?

  • The disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. What does that mean? What is the breaking of bread all about?

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By Susan Hines-Brigger

  • Take a walk together as a family. Don't worry, you don't have to go as far as the disciples walked.
  • Bake a loaf of bread. Or, if you don't have time, buy one at the store. At dinner, pass the bread around and have each person break off a piece of the loaf to eat.
  • Gather together and have everyone talk about "what sort of things" happened to him or her that day.

Welcome to the Family Faith in Action community! We look forward to sharing this resource with you each week and would love to hear from you about how your family used it to connect with the weekly Gospel. 

It is through donations, such as yours, that we are able to inspire people to love and share faith in Jesus, in the spirit of St. Francis.

 

 

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