On the morning of Sept. 23 at Emmaus Al Qubeibeh the community of Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land gathered around the altar to commemorate Saints Simeon and Cleophas. These are the two disciples who were joined by the Risen Christ while on their way from Jerusalem to this village after Jesus' death. In his homily, Br Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, referred to the invitation that the two disciples, made to Jesus once they arrived near Emmaus, offering hospitality to that stranger: "Stay with us, for it is toward evening." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land Emmaus is really a message of Easter Hope, because this invocation that the disciples make to Jesus comes from a heart that has almost stopped hoping, a heart that is now afraid of the night, afraid of darkness. Therefore, the encounter with Jesus becomes an encounter that rekindles within the heart the meaning of life and the desire to live and also, dare I say it, the desire to share this fundamental encounter that is the encounter with the Lord Jesus! Jesus responds to the two disciples' request and stays with them. He thus helps them overcome their fear and recover their lost hope. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land After that there is this extraordinary gesture of the breaking of bread. It is really the moment of maximum sharing and makes us realize that Jesus continues to be present in every act, in every act of sharing, not only in the sacrament of the Eucharist. When we are able to share our time with a sick person, we are able to share our bread with a poor person, Jesus is present. When we are able to share our home with the homeless, Jesus is present. It is like saying that the Resurrection and the resurrection experience continue through this Easter experience of sharing. During the celebration, young Brother Darlington Chidiogo, originally from Nigeria, renewed his vows in the hands of the Custos. He was a bit ahead of the traditional date of Oct. 3, transit of St. Francis, as he is leaving for Rhodes, where he will carry out his "Franciscan year" and also study Greek. The Emmaus shrine, beautiful and well cared for by the small community, is built on the foundation of what has been identified as the house of Cleophas. The doors are open to welcome pilgrims, strangers and volunteers. The Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo provide service to the elderly and sick. It is a place reserved for silence and listening to God, where their presence is a sign of hope in an entirely Muslim village, who, according to Brother Patton, are well acquainted with Luke's Gospel story about Emmaus. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land I believe that being present, even being so few, in a place where we are a small number is a beautiful image of what is our presence as Church in the world. In a world that is not majority Christian, but which is nonetheless a world that will perhaps be able to recognize the presence of the Risen Jesus precisely through Jesus' disciples, if we disciples of Jesus will be able to make him recognized in our breaking of bread. Br ZAHER ABBOUD, ofm Superior of the Emmaus House This presence is always like asking the Lord "stay with us" because without His presence we cannot see the light of Easter. His presence also gives us the courage to return to Jerusalem to announce His Resurrection, His life and His triumph over sin and death.