Carmelite QuotesThe Cross: The Fullness of God — Silvio José Báez, ocd
On this Third Sunday of Easter, we hear the beautiful story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Two of Jesus’ disciples—witnesses of his crucifixion—sad and disillusioned, are on their way back to Emmaus.
As they walk, they talk about everything that happened in those days in Jerusalem (Lk 24:14). The death of Jesus—he in whom they had trusted, the one they had followed—left them deeply disappointed. They need to talk about it. They need to remember. They need to share what they’ve lived through. And yet, even as they talk, they are still trapped in the painful past. They can’t yet see any reason to hope.
Their experience brings to mind, almost spontaneously, the recent history of the people of Nicaragua. Eight years ago, the people rose up peacefully against a criminal dictatorship that reacted with violence—repressing and killing hundreds of Nicaraguans. The regime has imposed a repressive police state that has stripped away all freedoms and left a painful legacy of imprisonment, exile, and death. Like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Nicaragua is the walking wounded—often filled with uncertainty, but always longing for freedom, peace, and justice.
When we carry such a painful history on our shoulders, we run the risk of becoming discouraged, losing hope, like the disciples of Emmaus. They were walking, but they were still trapped in the painful events that had occurred just a few days earlier, when they saw Jesus die, without finding a reason to keep going.
Today’s Gospel is a joyful proclamation for the people of Nicaragua. It reminds us that we are not alone. The Risen Lord is alive and walks with us. He shares our suffering, desires to open our eyes, and to give us the strength to rebuild the country and to create a future of justice and freedom for all.
As those two disciples were walking along, Jesus drew near and began to speak with them. They told him about the sorrow caused by the crucifixion of their Master and the disappointment they were experiencing, because they had hoped that he would be the one to redeem Israel (Lk 24:21). They talk about what they’ve experienced, but limit themselves to the surface of events, to what is external, and see only a failure that has deeply disillusioned them.
Jesus begins to interpret those same events, moving beyond the surface and entering into their deeper meaning. He begins to explain to them “everything about himself in all the Scriptures” (Lk 24:27). He shows them that his death on the cross was the fulfillment of God’s entire history of love and salvation for us. His condemnation and his death on the cross were mysteriously part of the divine plan. Jesus explains: “Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” (Lk 24:26).
He speaks to them about his unjust death in light of the admirable action of God, who reorients everything, including criminal hatred, toward the triumph of good, so that, as if by a miracle, the splendid fruit of life springs forth from guilt. He speaks of his Passion and his death as a mysterious action of God, through which from the cross springs forth the victory of mercy and the wonder of divine salvation.
As they listen to Jesus, the two disciples begin to understand that the cross wasn’t God’s absence—it was his fullness. The Crucified One wasn’t a failure—he was the supreme embodiment of the mystery and the love of God.
They’re captivated by Jesus’ words. Later, they’ll say their hearts were burning within them. Jesus helps them interpret what they’ve experienced in the light of his Resurrection, so they can see reality with God’s own eyes. The mighty hand of God has been revealed not in criminal hatred and violence, but in the boundless love of the Crucified One. God’s hand has been revealed on the cross, where everything seemed impossible, where the absurd seemed to prevail.
The Risen Jesus offers reasons to hope and new strength to keep building a better future for the people of Nicaragua. With Jesus at our side, walking with us, the suffering we’ve endured can become a new impetus to keep going; in our powerlessness, we can discover the strength of God that propels us forward; our mistakes can become a lesson that sets us back on the right path; and our sadness and discouragement can become strength to change history.
We mustn’t fall into the illusion that the true victors are those who impose themselves with weapons. Nor should we let ourselves be deceived by the distorted reading of history put forward by those in power, who present themselves as victims and accuse the real victims. The Resurrection of Jesus assures us that, just as his crucifixion once seemed like a defeat, what happened eight years ago has in fact been the great victory of a people who are already rising again, because they refuse to submit to unjust oppression and to the theft of their own history.
The disciples invite Jesus to stay with them. As they sit at table, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them (Lk 24:30). Then the eyes of the two disciples are opened, and they recognize him (Lk 24:31). In that broken bread, Jesus is present—he feeds us with the strength of his love in every Eucharist. In the Eucharistic bread, we find the strength that sustains us and the love that guides us. The people of Nicaragua are not only courageous, but also a people who believe. May Jesus, the Bread of Life, always sustain our journey and be our nourishment in moments of doubt and weariness.
Before that broken bread, the disciples finally came to understand the meaning of history. The Eucharist teaches us how the future is built: by becoming bread broken for the life of the world. The people of Nicaragua must not forget this. It’s not about seeking more victories, but about daring to lose out of love—giving ourselves generously so that others may live, and continuing to struggle so that a society marked by freedom, justice, and peace may take shape, without victors or vanquished.
The two disciples return to Jerusalem, where the others are gathered, to tell them what they’ve experienced. They return at night, but illuminated interiorly. Jesus leads us back along the paths of fear, failure, and sadness. He frees us from the temptation to flee to Emmaus. He sends us to others and restores us to our place in history. With the strength of the Risen Lord, and under the loving gaze of Mary Immaculate, Mother of our people, let us walk in hope, share the fire of faith, and always be ready to build, with optimism and generosity, the dignified future our people deserve.
Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.
Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily, 19 April 2026
Note: “Eight years ago” refers to the 2018 Nicaraguan protests, when peaceful demonstrations were met with violent repression.
A member of the faithful carries an image of St. Michael the Archangel during a march on 28 July to the Cathedral of Managua in support of the Nicaraguan bishops during the bloody summer of 2018. Image credit: Jorge Mejía Peralta / Flickr (Some rights reserved)Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: Nicaragua’s Mothers’ Day March on 30 May 2018 was a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with the mothers of those murdered, disappeared, and detained by the Ortega dictatorship. In the end, it was attacked by police and paramilitary forces, leaving eleven dead that day and about one hundred wounded. Image credit: Jorge Mejia Peralta / Flickr (Some rights reserved)
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