The Balally Parish Readers’ Club will be treated with a special visit to the National Gallery today, 21st April 2017, 2pm, to see, in particular, Carravagio’s “Supper At Emmaus“. All are welcome to join in the party.
13 Now that very same day, two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem,
14 and they were talking together about all that had happened.
15 And it happened that as they were talking together and discussing it, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side;
16 but their eyes were prevented from recognising him.
17 He said to them, ‘What are all these things that you are discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped, their faces downcast.
18 Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’
19 He asked, ‘What things?’ They answered, ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth, who showed himself a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and the whole people;
20 and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified.
21 Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have now gone by since it all happened;
22 and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning,
23 and when they could not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive.
24 Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’
25 Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe all that the prophets have said!
26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer before entering into his glory?’
27 Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.
28 When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on;
29 but they pressed him to stay with them saying, ‘It is nearly evening, and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them.
30 Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them.
31 And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight.
32 Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’
33 They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions,
34 who said to them, ‘The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon.’
35 Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.
36 They were still talking about all this when he himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’
37 In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost.
38 But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts stirring in your hearts?
39 See by my hands and my feet that it is I myself. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’
40 And as he said this he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, as they were dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’
42 And they offered him a piece of grilled fish,
43 which he took and ate before their eyes.
44 Then he told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, was destined to be fulfilled.’
45 He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures,
46 and he said to them, ‘So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
47 and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
49 ‘And now I am sending upon you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city, then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.’
50 Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and raising his hands he blessed them.
51 Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven.
52 They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy;
53 and they were continually in the Temple praising God.
