THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER (Earth Day 22nd of April)

19 April 2026

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Risen Christ,
you revealed yourself to the disciples
and calmed their fears:
meet us in our uncertainties
and walk with us into the new life you
bring;
for you live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

An eco- theological Reading

Earth Day invites us to rediscover our relationship with creation, to walk more attentively upon the Earth that sustains us. The story of the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35) offers a powerful parallel: two disciples journey in confusion and grief, yet encounter Christ walking beside them, unrecognised. As their eyes are opened, despair turns to hope and renewed purpose. So too, in a time of ecological crisis, we may feel disoriented or overwhelmed. Yet Christ is present along the road—within creation itself, in the breaking of bread, and in acts of restoration and care.

Earth Day becomes an Emmaus moment: a call to recognise the sacred in the world around us, to listen deeply, and to return to our communities transformed, bearing hope and renewed commitment to the healing of our common home.

Ecotheology, as part of Liberation Theology, allows us to interpret the Bible theologically, not only from the perspective of social realities but also from that of environmental realities (which exacerbate social ones). It brings us closer to a Jesus who is sensitive, approachable, and in solidarity with the most vulnerable and oppressed members of society, including the planet itself, which, as a subject, is exploited, affronted, and wounded, along with all the life it contains. Jesus comes to the sick, the marginalized, and the excluded, and today it is the Father's Creation that is under attack, mortally ill, and battered. Today, the Earth must be recognized as a subject of rights and a subject of human defense in all spheres, disciplines, and sciences—including religion and spirituality. Religions and churches must continue tirelessly urging us to transform our practices and our ways of relating to “Mother Earth,” from whose womb we were created.

Luke 24:13-35, the passage of the Road to Emmaus, enlightens us when reflecting on how Christ is attentive to the dramatic reality in which humanity is gambling with its survival and that of millions of species, he draws near, reveals himself and sends us to proclaim the victory of life in
the midst of the signs of death.

THE REALITY ( Lk 24:13-24)

Creation and humanity in their reality (vv13-14).

Luke identifies a concrete reality: time, characters, places, and actions; we can also infer a reality not explicitly stated in the text (Roman Empire, the position of religious leaders, economy, geography, culture, etc.). The disciples walk within this reality. Within what context does God’s people walk today? What is the environmental reality of today’s world, and what is its impact on the poorest members of society? Undoubtedly, the reality is one of death, and this is what we have been discussing on our journey. As a Church, we must understand that there is a context in which God’s people walk, a reality from which the earth groans and humanity cries out.

Environmental realities must also be on the table, in our minds and hearts, in our reflections and exhortations; otherwise, our discourse will be empty and meaningless, alienating and insignificant…”

Jesus goes out to meet them, he draws near, he joins the journey (v.15).

The disciples leave the place of suffering and death, but they are not abandoned to their fate. Jesus does not merely observe, he is not static; he is action, movement, he takes the initiative and accompanies humanity on its journey in its anguish. He sets out to walk alongside them.

Humanity “talks and discusses” what is happening on the planet, but it continues walking in the same direction—the wrong one. As a Church, we cannot simply observe humanity marching toward its self-destruction. We must get in the way—not stand by. We must draw near, for it is on that path and in that journey that the Church must be proclaimed, where it must be built, with the hope that we will rethink the direction we are heading and change course.

But we are like blind men (v.16). 

The disciples do not recognize him. This is a culture of blindness. What prevents them from recognizing God’s presence on the path? In the disciples’ case, it is possibly pessimism, the death of their leader, disillusionment, the imposing power of the Empire, and the ineffectiveness of their leaders. And although Jesus walks with them, reality is so harsh that they simply cannot recognize him.

How can we see God amidst so many signs of death? Why did God leave creation “abandoned” to human stewardship? Global warming, droughts, hurricanes, deforestation, floods, extinction, hunger, pollution… God, where are you? The struggle seems to go unanswered, the cries unheard; many simply succumb to disillusionment with humanity. Others are “blind” because they are unable to recognize God walking among these signs of death and suffering. Still others simply prefer not to see and “escape” reality to avoid confronting it, whether due to the tyranny of consumerism, the lack of commitment from their leaders, the refusal of mega-corporations to abandon polluting practices, or the absence of empathy for all forms of life.

Jesus challenges, he asks about everyday life (vv.17-19a).

It is surprising that Jesus' first words are questions about everyday life. He doesn’t begin with theological or catechetical lectures; he starts by asking about what they discuss as they walk, about their personal struggles, about the issues that matter most in life. For Jesus, it is more important to ask about what happens while they walk, that is, while they live their lives.

Today, it is the Church’s responsibility to first ask about the tragedies of life, about the reality of destruction and death. What reality can be discussed if it is unknown to us? How can we engage with a context that is foreign to us? What kind of audience do we hope to reach? The evangelizing message must be meaningful, relevant, and even challenging—for sometimes it is necessary to make people uncomfortable—with the clear intention of speaking a word of life in a
context of death.

And in the face of potential rejection (like the disciples on the road to Emmaus to the stranger), whether due to basic needs, anxieties, or social and environmental concerns, we must persist, as Jesus did. As a Church, we have issued environmental resolutions, created committees and reflection groups, implemented initiatives, and denounced injustices; but we must not grow weary when it seems we are not being heard, that our efforts bear no fruit. The key is to persevere, to be creative, to adapt; it is time to persist. 

The answer: sadness, disappointment, hopelessness, failure ( vv 19b-24).

Faced with Jesus’ insistence, the response is both inevitable and disheartening. The disciples simply gave up, abandoned the project, and “left.” It is the disillusionment of seeing hope die, of seeing their efforts vanish. Even the voices that announced good news (the women) are insufficient for them.

Today, the response of the earth and humanity is one of pain, of anti-life, of anti-Kingdom. Added to this is the tragedy of those who suffer the consequences most severely: the poorest and the other species on the planet. As in the text, catharsis is necessary, venting is necessary. We must pay attention to these voices because they are the desperate voices of the grassroots, of those without power, of those who do not make the decisions. God is speaking there too.

As with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, good news alone doesn’t seem to be enough. It will be necessary to take the step into experience. If words remain a distant announcement and don’t reach the depths and touch the heart, there will be no transformation. 

INTERPRETING REALITY ( Lk 24:25-31)

The Scriptures ( vv 25-27).

Only after reading reality does Jesus teach us to interpret it in the light of the Word. One could say that the first step is understanding the context. Life is the word of God. Life is a sacrament. Jesus understood this, which is why he was always concerned about the vital needs of those around him, about their physical, mental, and social well-being, about their dignity. He then illuminates this reality in the light of Scripture.

If we believe that the Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), it is because it impacts concrete reality, because it challenges the present, moves and stirs it, because it unsettles the most sensitive nerves of social structures of sin and death, of pollution and devastation. The Word has a profound prophetic and hopeful potential. Consequently, the Church’s action cannot be indifferent to the dramas of our time. God’s revelation unfolds in the course of history, in the daily life of humanity.

How can we communicate the Word in these times of environmental crisis? The opportunity is inexhaustible: from sermons and catechesis to academic writing, Sunday schools, and training centers for new church leaders and seminarians. We must be able to reread the Holy Scriptures through an environmental lens. It is the task of today’s Christians to discern the God who speaks through and in the midst of the crisis we are experiencing. Today Jesus tells us: “ How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ”

The interpretation of the Word motivates acceptance ( vv 28-29).

Jesus’ teaching and interpretation of Scripture are so profound and powerful that they inspired acceptance even when the disciples did not yet recognize him. It is the Word that moves the heart and fosters fraternity and sisterhood.

The times we live in demand prophetic words ready to denounce injustice and words filled with hope for those who suffer. Is acceptance the sentiment that the apostle of Jesus evokes today? The voice of religious leaders must be relevant to those who suffer and “impertinent” to governments, industry, and major polluters; it must be capable of touching the most sensitive chords in such a way as to move more and more voices to unite: those of farmers, Indigenous people, women, LGBTQ+ people, Afro-descendant communities, immigrants (including climate migrants), and so on. How do we unite? In this respect, we must be more creative so that our efforts are not lost or rendered invisible in the sea of chaos.

Word and welcome lead to communion and recognition ( vv 30-31).

After interpreting reality, illuminating it with the Word, and inspiring acceptance, the ultimate experience is expressed in Communion, in the Eucharist. The memorial of the Last Supper is the culminating moment that inspires Koinonia . It is the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer: “I pray that they may all be one” (Jn 17:21a). As baptized Christians, we are also called to join forces with different churches and with all people of good will. The ecumenical spirit should unite us around this vital issue as well.

Our ministry must lead to the recognition of and encounter with the Risen Lord. But Easter is also the Passover of the Earth, of Creation: “For creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation that we are children of God… We know that the whole creation has been groaning and suffering until now” (Romans 8:18-25). We must understand that our existence is bound to that of Creation; that if we subject it to slavery and suffering, these will fall upon the children of God; that liberation from human alienation and dependence will lead to the liberation of Creation and its redemption. Christ became incarnate in the world because he loves it, and for the salvation of the world he gave his life: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16).

But Communion is also with the world; today, Koinonia is also with nature. It is time to speak of a “cosmic Church,” where we are in communion with Mother Earth. This communion will allow us to open our eyes and recognize the Risen One there, in the midst of this great Church.

SET OUT TO WALK ( Lk 24:32-35)

The experience of the Risen One impels us to action ( vv 32-35).

Only in this way will the necessary transformation become a reality. The experience of Jesus must move us to action; otherwise, it is not an experience of Christ. What good is it to remain in mysticism if everything is collapsing around us? Reality, Word, acceptance, and Communion necessarily move us to action. The experience of life that Jesus Christ communicates enables us to confront the “night”—that is, our fears, difficulties, destruction, and the signs of death—and strengthens us to act now, as happened with the disciples who “without waiting any longer, set out.”

If we believe that Christ is alive, our hearts burn, and that burning should make us rise from our comforts; it should move us to walk with the purpose of sharing that Good News, to proclaim life in the midst of destruction because we believe that life will prevail over death.

This is about transformative praxis, the celebratory proclamation of life. The experience of the Risen Christ inspires personal, social, and environmental resilience, for it makes us change course and confront reality where it is necessary. The life that Christ communicates, as victor over death, inspires us to proclaim a world viable for all, a world that manifests the Kingdom of God.

We must move, disengage, and act. It is imperative to modify our practices for more responsible, conscious, and sustainable ones. This is what we must proclaim today, right here where the tragedy is unfolding, on the path where those who suffer—socially and environmentally—under the tyranny of development and consumerism are living. We must proclaim where our leaders dictate extractive policies, where industrialists exploit and pollute, where farmers and Indigenous people are displaced, where the rainforest is razed, and where the river is contaminated. We must proclaim that life can still prevail, that we can still respond to our role as stewards of Creation and co-caretakers of the planet and our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.

Let us rise now! Let us set out for Jerusalem, the city that signified death, but also resurrection, even if it is by night! May we be able to say, “Alleluia, Christ is risen!” also in creation, on earth.

There are many settings for the proclamation and many opportunities. We must be creative, pedagogical, and prophetic, and through the Word and Communion, set hearts ablaze and inspire the transformations necessary for life to finally triumph over death.