Easter Monday: The Road to Emmaus

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Easter Week

For Christians around the world, the week following Easter is set apart. It is a time to slow down, to rest, and to continue celebrating the resurrection of our Lord. In many countries, Easter Monday is observed as a holiday, schools are closed, work is paused, and families gather together in joy.

This is not just a single day of celebration, but a full week that invites us to remain in the joy of the resurrection.

This day also begins a longer season in the Church calendar known as Eastertide. For fifty days, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost, we continue to celebrate the resurrection. Just as we prepared for Easter during Lent, we now remain in this season of joy, reflecting on what Christ’s resurrection means for our lives and for the world. It is a time to continue gathering, feasting, and giving thanks as we live in the light of the risen Lord.

From the Scriptures

On Easter Monday, the Church turns our attention to the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35).

Two followers of Jesus are walking away from Jerusalem, weighed down with grief and confusion. The one they believed to be the Messiah has been crucified, and they are trying to make sense of all that has happened.

As they walk, a stranger joins them and asks why they are troubled. They share everything, their disappointment, their sorrow, and the reports they have heard that the tomb is empty.

The stranger begins to explain the Scriptures to them, walking through Moses and the Prophets and showing how all of it pointed to Christ, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection.

Still, they do not recognize Him.

When they reach their destination, they invite Him to stay with them. At the table, He takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them. In that moment, their eyes are opened, and they recognize that it is Jesus.

And then He disappears from their sight.

They reflect on the experience, realizing that their hearts had been stirred as He spoke to them along the road. Without delay, they return to Jerusalem to share the news with the others that the Lord has risen and that they have seen Him.

Ways to Celebrate

Read Luke 24:13–35.

Take time to read and reflect on this passage together.

Discuss.

What must it have been like to have Jesus walking alongside you? Why do you think they didn’t recognize Him at first? What parts of Scripture do you think Jesus explained as they walked?

Take an Emmaus Walk.

Go for a walk together, just as the disciples did. Use the time to talk, pray, or reflect quietly, remembering that Christ is present with us.

Play an egg-cracking game.

Easter Monday is traditionally a day for games like egg-cracking. Each person taps their hard-boiled egg against another’s, trying to crack the other egg without breaking their own.

There are different variations around the world. In Switzerland, a coin is used instead of another egg. If the coin cracks the shell and sticks, the adult keeps the egg. If not, the child keeps the coin. In other places, a nail is used, symbolizing the nails of the Crucifixion. Learn more HERE.

Learn about the egg as a symbol of Easter.

The egg is a reminder of the sealed tomb and the new life that comes from it. Learn more HERE.

Make something special.

Prepare a special, simple dessert, like strawberry shortcake, and continue celebrating together.

Living Easter Week

For the rest of this first week of Easter, continue to make space for rest, good food, and time together. Keep the celebration going in simple, tangible ways as you reflect on the resurrection.

A blessed Easter Monday and a blessed Eastertide to you!