Newsletter 3rd Sunday of Easter (Year A) 12th April 2026
- Fr Doug
- 13 hours ago
- 4 min read
GOSPEL REFLECTION:
Today’s Gospel begins with the disciples of Emmaus. Our Lord walks with them from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus – a distance of 11kms or 7 miles. But the disciples failed to recognize Jesus.
On top of that – their conversation was all about Jesus. Jesus explained to the disciples: “all the passages throughout Scripture that were about Himself,” and yet the disciples still failed to recognize Jesus.
Only when Our Lord made Himself present in the Eucharist did they recognize Him.
The Gospel today said: “He took the bread and said the blessing, then He broke it…and their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him.”
In other words when Jesus was made present in the Eucharist, they were more aware of His Presence – more than if He were present in His human form.
Why is it that they were able to recognize Him in the Eucharist and not in His human form?
As a result of Christ’s crucifixion, the curse of Original Sin has been broken, and God’s Kingdom has been established spiritually.
Our Lord instituted the Eucharist to reassure us that He is present among us and that His Kingdom has been established.
Therefore, it can happen that when people are in the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, they may actually see Jesus as the disciples at Emmaus did.
In the presence of the Eucharist, therefore, people have been gifted will seeing beyond the wall which separates Heaven and earth.
In France, Andre Frossard was a well-known atheist who wrote articles in newspapers claiming that God did not exist.
He once followed a friend into a church. The Church had Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Within a few moments in the Church, he knew that Jesus was in the Blessed Sacrament.
This man had been educated in Catholic schools.
Many people had shared their faith with him, but none of this convinced him of the existence of God. Just a few moments in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and he knew that God existed.
A Protestant woman at Bluff Pt, Geraldton (St Lawrence’s parish) walked in to the Catholic Church.
The Blessed Sacrament was exposed.
Within a few moments she knew that Jesus was present in the Blessed Sacrament. She became a Catholic. She said to the parish priest, Fr Brian Ahern that because the Eucharist is here how can Catholics not adore Him perpetually. How is that the church is not full all day and all night?
As a result of this experience the parish priest – Fr Brian Ahern, started perpetual adoration (on July 16th, 1988).
When Pope St John Paul II started perpetual Eucharistic adoration at St Peter’s in Rome on December 2nd 1981, he prayed to Jesus using the same words that the disciples of Emmaus spoke to Jesus in today’s Gospel:
“Stay with us Lord.”
The Pope prayed to Jesus to stay with us in His Eucharistic Presence as He did at Emmaus.
The Pope also spoke of urgency – even desperation. The actual words in today’s Gospel are: “stay with us Lord for evening is approaching and the day is almost over.”
Meaning darkness is near. It is upon us.
Therefore, stay with us Lord because You are our only hope in these times of trial or desperation. “Stay with us Lord,” here at St Bernadette’s in perpetual adoration.
We have a chapel of perpetual Eucharistic adoration here. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Bishop John Magee of Clone diocese Ireland, the only person in history to be secretary to three popes, has established Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in 33 parishes in the diocese and vocations to the priesthood have tripled as a result.
In the diocese of Lucena, Philippines there averaged 6 murders a day over a 7-year period by communists groups and since PEA there has not been one murder by the communists. The bishop testifies all this in writing. San Marcus parish in Guatemala has PEA. In a civil war not a single of its parishioners were harmed, despite in the 4 surrounding parishes all the priests were killed, and the villages destroyed.
EXTRA:
A parish in the USA started PEA to pray for the safety of the men who went to war during WWII. Not one of these men was killed. As a result, a neighbouring parish who had lost twenty men in the war started PEA after which there were no further casualties.
At Sacred Heart, Highgate a family were praying for a relative in England who was in a coma and not expected to recover. While they were in Adoration, they received a call on their mobile to say that she had shown signs of recovery.
The graces that come from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament are astonishing. This is particular so for the night hours. St Mary’s, Nebraska has had PEA for over 40 years. Fr Garvey, parish priest, related about an adorer who did his holy night hour, Friday 2-3am, after only 2 hours sleep from shift work. The pastor suggested he change his holy hour, “Listen Fr.” He said, “that is the best hour of my week, and I won’t change it for anyone. I have had more questions answered, more difficulties resolved than in all of the other hours of the week put together.”
St Mary’s began adoration with 50 adorers over 40 years ago. Of these, 26 are still living and all 26 are committed to their weekly holy hour.
Pope St John Paul II is a wonderful inspiration. He began his day with a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament. He ended his day with a Holy Hour.
He made over 20 visits a day to the Blessed Sacrament, plus one day out of the week he spent the entire night in prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
Pope St John Paul II in his last encyclical, ‘The Church and the Eucharist’ wrote: “In our life time Christians must be distinguished above all by the art of prayer…in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love for Christ present in the Most Holy Eucharist…It is pleasant to spend some time with Him, to lie close to His Breast like the beloved disciple and feel the infinite love in His Heart… How often, dear brothers and sisters, have I experienced this and drawn from it strength, consolation and support.”
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