It is true. Only those who have lived with great expectations can experience great disappointment. Only those who have worked hard to win can truly feel the agony of defeat. Only those who hope for some great promise can know what it means to experience bitter disillusionment.

There is something special about the story of those two disciples on their way to Emmaus. Maybe it is because that story is really our story, too. We are on our way. We have our hopes and dreams for a better world, a better and happier life. We are always searching and looking for something more in life. We struggle through dark and discouraging times and we too need our faith, our hope and love made new. Like those two on the road, we need to recognize and know that the Lord is in our midst. That is what this Easter story is all about.

Today’s Gospel is well known and beloved. In it we hear the story of “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas, who was not there for the initial appearance of Christ, is present a week later and faced with his own words as the risen Christ confronts him. Caravaggio’s turn-of-the 17th-century painting sought to capture the moment after Christ’s invitation to Thomas.

Joan is wondering whether to have an Easter holiday or not. Her boyfriend of 5 years has just called off their relationship, leaving her feeling rejected and abandoned. She contemplates a holiday to help her come to terms with the breakup. She has no close family to help her through this. With a low income, she knows she can afford a modest holiday. So, she consults her childhood friend who gives her this advice: “Enjoy yourself now while you can—you are going to be a long time dead.”

As Catholics we are abundantly familiar with images of the Crucifixion. We wear them on necklaces, hang them on our walls, and reverence them in our churches. The image of Christ crucified is one of the most sacred that we have, for it is the pinnacle of our faith. God, who has become one with us, now shares in our ultimate destiny, death, so that this destiny may be changed and the Divine nature of Christ becomes our new destiny in and through His resurrection.