The road to Emmaus is one of the most beautiful stories in all of Scripture. Two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem. They are heartbroken, and their dreams have collapsed. “We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel,” they say. Notice the past tense. They speak of Jesus as someone who was, not someone who is. And in that fog of grief, Jesus himself draws near and walks with them.
He does not appear in glory. He does not reprimand them for leaving. He does not insist they turn around and march back to Jerusalem to get their act together. He simply falls into step beside them and asks a gentle, almost casual question: “What are you discussing as you walk along?”
That is how God comes to us. He comes with footsteps. He comes with a question. He does not wait for us to arrive somewhere worthy. He meets us on the road we are actually walking, even when that road leads away from where we should be going.
The genius of Luke’s account is that Jesus lets the disciples tell their own story first. He lets them speak their disappointment out loud. Only then, once they have emptied themselves of their sadness, he opens the Scriptures and interprets everything that has happened in a new light. Their hearts begin to burn, but they still do not recognize him. Recognition comes later, at the table, in the breaking of the bread. The stranger is revealed as the Risen Lord precisely in the act of being welcomed into their home.
This is the pattern of Christian life. Jesus meets us where we are. We in turn are called to meet one another where we are.
Last weekend reminded us how urgent that calling is. The unsettling events surrounding the public attack on Pope Leo XIV, and my midweek message in response, stirred many conversations across our parish. I thank you for your thoughtful responses, your prayers, and your commitment to the unity and dignity of the Church. We walk this road together, and we will not be shaken.
Today’s Gospel invites us to turn our attention inward, to how we walk with one another here in our own community. Who at St. Simon is on their own road to Emmaus right now? A grieving widow. A parent worried about a child. A young adult wondering if the Church still has anything to say to them. A newcomer hoping someone will notice. Jesus is already walking with them. He is simply waiting for us to fall into step beside them and ask, with real curiosity and warmth, “What are you discussing as you walk along?”
It is also what the Acts of the Apostles describes in today’s First Reading. Peter stands before the crowd and testifies to what he has seen. The early Church was people who had met the Risen Christ and now walked with one another through every season of life. As Saint Peter writes in our Second Reading, we were ransomed with the precious blood of Christ. That gift was given so we could become the ones who walk with others.
This is precisely the moment at which I invite you into our parish’s new chapter. This weekend we are launching our Bold Vision for the Future capital campaign. Seventy years ago, our founding families gathered on an apricot orchard and dreamed of the church and school we now take for granted. Someone walked that road for us before we were born. Someone planted these seeds in faith, never knowing whose lives would be blessed by them.
Now it is our turn. Our Education and Spirituality Center will provide classrooms for our over 550 students, gathering spaces for our 40+ ministries, retreat rooms for faith formation, and offices for a parish staff currently scattered across campus. A generous family has pledged an anchor gift of $5 million toward our $14 million goal. This campaign also fully satisfies our 2026 Annual Diocesan Appeal, joining us with every parish across the Diocese in Bishop Cantú’s Sowing Seeds of Faith campaign.
But this is more than a building project. It is a way of walking with generations we will never meet. It is an act of faith that the children not yet born, and the families not yet arrived, deserve a home where Christ is encountered, where Scripture is opened, and where bread is broken. We are simply doing for them what strangers did for us. In the weeks ahead, I will share more about the vision and how each of us can respond. For now, I ask this: pray, and if a member of our volunteer committee contacts you, please take their call and let them share more information about the campaign with you.
I also want to share some news about transitions among our priests. Bishop Cantú has informed us that Fr. Dat Luong will be moving to Holy Family Parish in San Jose, effective July 1. Fr. Dat has been a wonderful gift to our parish family. We are pleased to welcome Fr. Gerald Nwafor, currently serving at St. Justin Parish in Santa Clara, who will join us as Parochial Vicar beginning July . We will give him some time to settle in over the summer before hosting a formal welcome for the wider parish community. Please keep all our priests in your prayers as they begin these new chapters of ministry.
After Sunday 9:00 a.m. Mass, our Children’s Faith Formation program is having an Open House. If you have children between the ages of 3 and 14, I warmly invite you to stop by the information table at Donut Sunday, classes in the Parish Center or classes in the lower building of the school. It is a wonderful chance to see firsthand what we offer and to connect your family with our wonderful team.
Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd and our Green Team will have tables set up this Sunday. Please stop by to learn more about clean air, clean energy and other initiatives. Their work is a beautiful expression of our shared calling to be good stewards of the earth.
If you have completed the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Living (SEEL) and feel called to companion others on their journey, please join us this Monday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom for an Information Night about the Giving the Exercises (GTE) program, a two-year training to become a certified spiritual director offered jointly with St. Monica Catholic Community. Full details are in the newsletter and on our website: www.stsimon.church/gte The Zoom link is HERE
This week, let your heart burn a little. And notice who is walking near you this Easter season, especially those whose steps feel heavy. Walk with them. That is how the Risen Christ continues to be recognized among us, on the road and in the breaking of the bread.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan