3rd Sunday of Easter

Today's Gospel reading is "The Road to Emmaus," depicting the Lord Jesus Christ accompanying his disciples who had lost hope. "The Road to Emmaus" represents the journey of each of our lives.

Originally, the idea of travel as enjoyable is a modern one; before that, travel was fundamentally arduous. Certainly, considering a time before the development of restaurants, hotels, and transportation networks, it's easy to imagine that travel wasn't so easy.

According to the Japanese folklorist Kunio Yanagita (1875-1962), the etymology of "travel" (旅) comes from "give," meaning to seek food from others. In other words, the original meaning of travel was a difficult one, where one relied on alms at each destination without sufficient food. Significantly, this was the same meaning in the West. The English word "travel" (旅) shares its origin with the Latin word "Trepalium" (トレバルリュー), which, like the French word "travail" (旅帯), meaning "hard work," "labor," or "the pain of childbirth," refers to a type of torture device.

The Bible speaks of travel in a more rigorous way: "Take nothing with you on your journey." There are two possible meanings to this biblical statement: First, it's about trusting in God. Second, it's about trusting others and building positive relationships.
When we think we're living solely by our own strength, we probably only understand half of the true essence of life. However, by being helped and supported by others, we understand the meaning of life as one of mutual support and assistance, and we become more humble. We also learn to love others. In this process, we come to feel more deeply the grace that our lives are a gift from God, and that we are sustained and kept alive by Him. Of course, our lives require us to work, think, and strive for ourselves. However, those who entrust the foundation of their lives not only to their own strength but also to God's power have hope and comfort. Simply put, it's not an exaggeration to say that the strength of others is the source of our own strength. The existence of others is a mirror for knowing ourselves.

The goal of life's journey is to become fully human. Everyone is "human" from the moment they are born, but a newborn is not yet fully "human" in many ways. They are merely "human beings with great potential." Through the journey of life, we realize that potential and become "true human beings." However, we must not forget that some people end their lives still immature. Life can be described as a journey to "become a true human being." You are the traveler; everyone else is a fellow traveler.

Our society is sick. We are all sick. The main symptom is a lack of self-confidence. Therefore, we are busy acquiring additional attributes to convince ourselves that we are superior to others. Basically, because we don't believe in ourselves, we constantly seek approval from others. Receiving awards makes us happy. And those awards become what defines our own identity.

Some people realize the breadth of life; others are captivated by its height. But few realize its depth. Furthermore, even fewer try to delve into that depth.

Many of us pass through life while relaxing and sitting on the beach of life. We become philosophers, researchers, writers, poets, etc., to celebrate the beauty of life. We talk about life, write poetry, publish papers, publish books to express it, but we rarely realize or live life itself, do we? Being on the beach of life is beautiful and relaxing. But it's a shame not to dive in and swim freely. True divers are not content with just swimming. They dive into the ocean of life and discover the pearl of experience that ordinary swimmers can never find. The only way to dive into the ocean of life is to enter the water and swim deep. Mastering theory alone is meaningless.
"Who will you remember at the end of your life?"
It will be:
The person who saved you.
The person who was there for you on difficult nights.
The person who didn't blame you for your weaknesses.
The person who supported you with silence rather than words.
The person who didn't do anything big,
Just was there beside you.
Those moments become treasures.
People remember kindness, not success.
More than smiles, they remember the hands that wiped away their tears.
Busyness, work, and honor all fade away.
In the end, what remains is someone you want to say "thank you" to.
If that person is in your life, then life is already happy.
Just as the Lord Jesus Christ stood by the disciples who had lost hope on the journey to Emmaus, let us also cherish the many people around us who have lost hope, as we embark on this week's journey.