Today the Church remembers Saint Cleopas, a luminous figure of the early Christian community and an eyewitness to the resurrection of Christ. Mentioned in the Gospel of Luke, his name remains inextricably linked to the moving episode of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. On the evening of Easter, while disappointment and sadness enveloped his heart over the death of Jesus, the Risen One himself walked beside him and his companion along the road, explaining the Scriptures. However, it was in the intimate and daily gesture of the breaking of the bread that their eyes were opened, recognizing the Master. Driven by a sudden and overwhelming joy, Cleopas and the other disciple did not hesitate to turn back, traveling the road to Jerusalem again at night to announce the extraordinary news to the Apostles: ‘The Lord has truly risen!’. The memory of Saint Cleopas challenges us even today, reminding us that every Eucharist is the privileged place of encounter with the living Christ, capable of transforming sadness into hope and sending us out to witness our faith in the world.
