Simon Peter is a common thread of this Sunday's three readings: his proclamation of the Easter faith, his own first letter on faith and hope in the risen Lord, and the reference to him at the end of the beautiful Easter gospel story of the Lord's appearance on the Emmaus road. The Emmaus story is so familiar, and so rich in itself that perhaps we miss the significance of that reference to Peter at its end. On the road, the two dispirited walkers shared with a stranger their sense of loss and disappointment. They thought they knew "all that had happened" in Jerusalem. Then the stranger shared with them His understanding of the work and role of the Messiah as outlined in the scriptures. They invited the stranger to stay with them, and they all shared an evening meal together. Then something happened - a small familiar gesture, and suddenly the two who had "walked away" from Jerusalem recognised who the stranger was and understood what He had been talking about on the way.

Their immediate instinct was to return to the city, return to the company of Jesus' followers to share their experience. There they had their faith and experience confirmed, in the news that the Lord had indeed risen from death and had appeared to Simon. In the company of Jesus' disciples, Simon was the proof and guarantor that theirs was a real and valid experience of the Lord, that their 'way' was true. And their 'way' is the pattern of our Eucharist this day.