"Did not our hearts burn within us?"
3rd Sunday of Easter
Youth 2000 Retreat
CBS Midleton
19 April 2026
My friends,
There are many who out ignorance or indifference dismiss the Bible as an analogy of myths without substance. Their perspective is pitiful and unfortunate especially for themselves because it closes them out of a well of rich wisdom for living. While not all pieces of Scripture are easily grasped, there are few to compare with the Gospel today of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. It captures so well the experience of every Christian who seeks to make sense of the Paschal Mystery. The gamut of our feelings, high and low, are captured so well. Sadness, excitement, companionship and recognition – they are all there. So, it serves as a mirror in which we can recognise ourselves as a companion of the Lord as he leads us out from Jerusalem on our Emmaus pathway.
It is wonderful and heartening that you have set this time aside for retreat, reflection and prayer. Coming aside for awhile from the bustle of daily demand was we know a significant witness in Jesus’ own life and ministry – so much so that the apostles would eventually ask that he teach them to pray. Clearly, you have built that dimension into your lives – in such a way that you recognise this ‘space away’ as a necessity rather than an option. In this ‘away time’ we give ourselves the opportunity to focus, to concentrate on understanding more concretely the invitation to be a disciple of Christ in 21st Century Ireland. That ‘inner work’ is personal but also with a community dimension. We do not make the journey of discipleship on our own, nor are we alone in our search for truth and coherence in frantic times. We share that search and quest with many who do not believe in the reality of God in any way. Yet, our hope is the same – just like the disciples on the road said to Jesus – that their hope was that He (Jesus) would be the one to set Israel free. We all yearn for an inner freedom.
A recent reflection on these concerns offers some insights worth considering in our reflections and prayer. The author is Julian Baggini, the English philosopher and journalist. The title is “The Instrumentalization of Everything.” How nothing seems to be of value in itself anymore but is only seen as useful in the service of some utilitarian function.
Julian Baggini in his reflection is presenting a spiritual crisis – without using spiritual or religious language.
“In the years between witnessing hugging for happiness and creativity for longevity, I have seen countless other examples of all the things that are good in life being promoted not for their own sake but for the material benefits they bring. This instrumentalisation has become normalised so insidiously that we don’t even notice that it is odd, let alone wrong. Nor do we seem to be aware of quite how pervasive it is. Yet its effects are profound, leading us to lose sight again and again of what is truly of value in life.” The Guardian 14/04/2026
The question he poses to us is not what do you do? rather what is your intention in doing so?
Contemporary media culture is so pervasive that it is an immensely powerful agent of a particular kind of catechesis – grounded on individual freedom, autonomy of agency and material gain as a measure of success. It leads to a mindset that is transactional. It is especially damaging when it comes to relationships, where it leads to dehumanisation, objectification and exploitation. It is a mindset that instinctively we do not ask, what is good about them but what good they can do for us, either by way of health, wealth or success.
St. Paul, when speaking of the gifts and our desire/ambition – counselled “Be ambitious for the higher gifts.” In Philippians 4:4-9.
“I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord: I repeat, what I want is your happiness. Let your tolerance be evident to everyone; the Lord is very near. There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
The question the philosopher Julian Baggini poses, if we ask where the ultimate value in life lies, it is clearly in things of intrinsic value.
“Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of the bread.”
As we continue to walk our Emmaus journey, it’s our privilege and blessing to recognise our companion at the ‘Breaking of the Bread.’
