Church of the
Annunciation

“Stay with us!” The two travelers asked the mysterious stranger to stay with them when they arrived at Emmaus. They had been discussing all that had happened in Jerusalem: the crucifixion and death of Jesus, the empty tomb and angels announcing that Jesus had been raised. The two disciples were downcast and confused. Unaware that the stranger was Jesus they expressed their disappointment to him. Jesus then helped them make connections between his teaching and the events that took place. Once at table when Jesus took bread and blessed it they recognized that the stranger was Jesus – then he disappeared. Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus we too recognize Jesus present in our lives when we enter into conversation with him in prayer and reflection on Sacred Scripture and when we receive him in Holy Communion. The girls and boys making their First Holy Communion today are like the friends of Jesus on the way to Emmaus listening to readings from the Bible and then receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Our prayer to Jesus during Eucharist must always be: “to stay with us.”