Scripture Scribbles: April 19, 2026

the Gospel

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?"
They said to him, 
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning 
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted 
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

the scribble

The road to Emmaus is more than a journey on a dusty path; it is a pattern for our spiritual lives and for the Mass itself. On that road, Jesus “opened the Scriptures” for Cleopas and his companion, revealing God’s plan (Liturgy of the Word). Later, in the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him (Liturgy of the Eucharist). Dr. Scott Hahn highlights that this pattern,—hearing God’s Word and gathering to break bread—continues in every celebration of the Mass.

Interestingly, Cleopas was St. Joseph’s younger brother. Even he did not recognize his nephew Jesus until the moment He gave thanks and broke the bread. This foreshadows the Eucharist and the Real Presence. Jesus’ actions—He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them—opened their eyes to His presence.

Henry Nouwen uses these same four actions—Take, Bless, Break, Give—as a spiritual framework for life. We are taken: chosen and beloved by God. We are blessed: affirmed in our true identity as His beloved sons and daughters. We are broken: life’s trials may shape us, but God’s grace works in our weakness. We are given: our lives, even in fragility, can be offered to others as a source of love and nourishment.

Lord, help us recognize You—not only in the Eucharist—but in each other. Teach us to live a Eucharistic life, where our brokenness becomes a source of compassion, blessing, and nourishment for all whom we meet.

Today’s devotion was written by Karen Molvar