In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen

In February I attended a course at Loyola Hall in Merseyside on Spiritual Accompaniment; or more simply how to walk alongside others on their spiritual journey.

In one of the sessions we were asked to look at how Jesus accompanied others on their spiritual journeys.  The passage I choose to look at was the one appointed for our second reading tonight – the road to Emmaus.

The two disciples must have been very confused as they walked along trying to fathom out the events of the past few weeks.  And then they can’t believe that this stranger who has appeared knows nothing of what has been going on. 

To me the most important phase is, ‘Jesus himself came near and went with them’ in other versions it says, ‘he came alongside of them.’  He quite simply came alongside of them and walked beside them.  That action says far more than words, because he was accompanying them both on their physical journey and on their spiritual journey.

So how did he do that?  He simply listened to what they had to say.  He allowed them to tell their story – to relate their confusion, their emptiness and their sense of loss.

Then sensing their deep grief he gave them hope, he went in and ate with them and they recognized him in the breaking of the bread.

This is important to us in many ways.  First of all we may often find ourselves in a similar situation as the disciples – in need of someone to walk alongside of us on our spiritual journey, to help us make sense of what we are going through.  Jesus not only takes on that role himself but he sends others to walk alongside of us.  Maybe when we are in the depth of confusion, or emptiness or loss we also can not see the hope that is there for the future. 

Allowing someone else to walk that journey enables them to show us that hope is there and sometimes it those who walk alongside of us that hold on to that hope whilst we are not sure where it is or that it is even there.

There is a song that I am sure you are all familiar with that say, ‘Lean on me, when you’re not strong and I’ll give you the strength to carry on.’  I can almost hear Jesus singing that to those two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Secondly if we allow Jesus to accompany us we can trust him with everything.  The disciples allowed Jesus to share in everything, they didn’t hold back as they relayed the events of the past week to him.  If this stranger really did not know what had been happening they knew deep down that they had been commissioned to tell that story others.

We know that Jesus will be there for us just as he was there for those who needed him long ago.  Thomas in his unbelief, Martha and Mary when their brother Lazarus died, the woman caught in adultery and those he healed and cleansed of their sins.

Finally we are all called as his people to love one another as he has loved us.  So just as others are prepared to walk alongside us we must be prepared to walk alongside others.  Jesus leads by his example in so many of the gospel stories.  This isn’t always easy to do because the key to this is listening and sometimes listening to the same story over and over again until the person talking starts to make some sense of what is happening to them.

I have a favourite saying; ‘when you are weak lean on others, when you are strong allow others to lean on you. 

This passage has another angle that we need to consider the one of mission.  Here two disciples readily share their story with the stranger that comes alongside them.  At a time when it was dangerous to be a follower of Jesus they had the courage to witnesses to him.  How many of us witnesses to others of the love that Jesus shows us and shares with us.

Many of us would not have the same courage and our lives are not at risk.  Today more than ever we need to proclaim Christ crucified and the message of the resurrection.  It has been proved that people respond to one to one witness rather than a leaflet being pushed through their door.

Somehow we have to be brave enough to tell others what we know.

Most of us have been touched by the love of Jesus through the love of others.  So that is perhaps where we need to start by relating our own experiences.

It is not easy; over the last year I have had those who have walked alongside me as I struggled to sort out my spiritual journey.  Through others coming alongside me I have felt the presence and love of Jesus and that gave me something to hang on to.

We need to build up our knowledge and our confidence and when we have the chance share our stories with others.  We need to take a risk and trust that Jesus will be alongside us just as we come alongside others.

Try it sometime you may be surprised by the result.

Amen