Rev. Patrick J. McDevitt, CM, PhD, recently offered two reflections on the Gospel Story of Emmaus. The first is a homily for Mass on the Third Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2026 at a parish in Washington, DC. The second is a reflection offered at a recent meeting of the SLI Executive Team.
We Are the Living Hope
The readings today invite us to live in faith and hope in God—the God who brings life out of death. The Resurrection is not simply a past event; it is an ongoing reality that transforms how we live our present “sojourning” on earth.
There comes a moment in many lives when the heart begins to say, quietly and honestly: “We thought…” We thought life would be different. We thought things would work out. We thought we would be happier, more fulfilled, more at peace.
And what follows is often disappointment, confusion, grief, or fatigue.
Saint John Paul II describes the road to Emmaus as “the way of disillusionment, of disappointment, of emptiness.” He also names the modern substitutes we often turn to in order to numb our suffering: isolation, indifference, pessimism, and what he calls “artificial paradises.”
But the Gospel does not deny suffering. It reveals something far more powerful: Christ enters into it. He walks with us through it. He listens. He interprets. He gives Himself within it. And in doing so, He reveals a deeper meaning and wisdom.
We see this in the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They are not silent—they are talking about everything that has happened, sharing their confusion and pain. And Jesus meets them exactly where they are. He asks them questions—not because He does not know, but because He is opening their hearts: What are you carrying right now? Fear? Sadness? Anger? Grief? Regret?
Resurrection begins when we allow the Lord to enter that honest place within us—when we invite Him to stay with our pain. Often, after setbacks—spiritual, relational, or economic—we isolate. We turn inward. We walk away from Jerusalem—the place of community—and head toward Emmaus—the place of comfort and escape.
John Paul II notes that after the crucifixion, the disciples “turned their backs” on Jerusalem and drifted toward isolation. But the Risen Christ does not leave them there. He meets them, walks with them, and ultimately draws them back. Because Resurrection hope always rebuilds communion. It restores relationship. It resurrects not only faith—but dreams and vision.
And so the Gospel tells us: they got up immediately and returned to Jerusalem… and found the Eleven gathered together. This is not just the story of Emmaus. This is the pattern of our lives as disciples. We encounter the Risen Christ in the Word, in the Eucharist, in community, and in acts of hospitality.
And when that encounter happens, everything changes.
Peter becomes the great witness of this transformation. No longer fearful, he proclaims boldly: “God raised him up… because it was impossible for him to be held by death.”
His center of gravity is now the Resurrection. And Peter calls us to live differently—to live with reverence, holiness, and hope. This is the heart of today’s message: We are not people who simply remember the Resurrection. We are people who live the hope of the Resurrection. We are the living hope—for one another and for the world.
Like the disciples, we are called to rise, to return, and to share the story: how Christ has walked with us, how He has opened our hearts, how He has been made known to us in the breaking of the bread. And so the question for each of us today is simple and profound:
Where in my life am I saying, “We thought…”? And am I willing to let the Risen Christ meet me there— in my disappointment, my fear, my pain? Because when we walk with Jesus on the road—wherever we are— disappointment becomes understanding, isolation becomes communion, emptiness is filled with meaning, and death gives way to life. And that is the Resurrection.
We are the Living Hope.
Emmaus Road: Pathway for Strategic Planning
The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) can serve as a powerful framework for strategic planning, for undergoing transformation or recovering from setbacks. It moves from a state of “but we had hoped” (grief over lost plans) to “were not our hearts burning” (re-alignment with purpose).
On the road, the disciples had all the facts about Jesus’ death and the empty tomb, yet they were dejected because they couldn’t see how the pieces fit together. Strategic planning is a process of making a leap to a shared organizational understanding. It requires stepping back to see how current “clues” fit into the larger mission or “redemptive plan” of the organization. This involves Radical Listening and External Perspectives. Jesus initially joins the disciples as a “stranger,” listening to their story of disappointment without interruption.
He doesn’t start with a solution; he starts by asking, “What are you discussing?” Effective planning requires leaders to listen to the “grief and confusion” within the organization. Inviting an external perspective—like the “stranger” on the road—can help re-narrate your current situation through a different lens. Through the Breaking of the Bread, the disciples only recognize their path forward when they stop “walking” and sit down for a shared meal. Jesus takes the bread, blesses, breaks, and gives it—actions that define his identity. A strategic plan must be grounded in the organization’s “Eucharistic” core: its non-negotiable values and mission. When these core values are “broken open” and shared, it creates a moment of revelation, where the next steps become clear.
Once the disciples recognized Jesus, they didn’t stay in Emmaus. They immediately “got up and returned to Jerusalem”—the very place they had been fleeing. They abandoned their original journey (retreating to Emmaus) for a new, urgent mission. True strategic planning isn’t just about sticking to a pre-set road; it’s about the agility to pivot when new insights emerge. Sometimes the most “strategic” move is to turn back toward a difficult challenge with renewed energy and a different perspective.