Emmaus

Just some post-Easter reflections I've found, for anyone who is interested.

From The God Who Walks With Us, a sermon at Christ Church Cathedral

In The Magnificent Defeat, Frederick Buechner suggests that Emmaus is "the place we go to in order to escape - a bar, a movie (and, if I may add - a basketball game, a concert, a vacation) . . . it may be buying a new suit or a new car or smoking more cigarettes that you really want . . . Emmaus is whatever we do or wherever we go to make ourselves forget that the world holds nothing sacred: that even the wisest and bravest and loveliest decay and die . . ."

Their Eyes Were Opened

Professor and author Marcus Borg recalls the time he was part of a tour group visiting the Holy Land, and their next stop was Emmaus. When the bus arrived at the church which marked the traditional site, the church was locked. It wasn't supposed to be, but apparently the caretaker had been delayed or something.

In the midst of their disappointment the guide said: "Not to worry. There's another Emmaus."

In fact, says Borg, there are four Emmauses. Which is to say, there are four different sites each claiming to be the Emmaus of scripture.

Couple that knowledge with the realization that there is no ancient record of any village named Emmaus, and you come to the conclusion (says Borg) that "Emmaus is nowhere because Emmaus is everywhere."

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