What happens on the Walk to Emmaus?

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The Walk to Emmaus (also known as the Emmaus Walk) is a Protestant version of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement. Cursillo began in the 1940s in Spain and was brought to America the next decade. In the United Methodist Church, Cursillo was called The Upper Room Cursillo until 1981, when its named was changed to Emmaus. The three-day retreat includes singing, learning, praying, and small-group discussion focused on fifteen themes shared by Emmaus leaders. Walk to Emmaus still operates under United Methodist auspices, but the focus on ecumenism remains strong, with Emmaus communities receiving support from Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches as well.

The word Emmaus in Walk to Emmaus is from the account in Luke 24 in which Jesus walks with two disciples on the road to Emmaus from Jerusalem on the day of His resurrection. The disciples later describe their experience with the risen Christ as “our hearts burning within us while he talked with us” (verse 32). Walk to Emmaus retreats seek to provide a similar experience for its participants.

According to the official Walk to Emmaus website (emmaus.upperroom.org), Emmaus experiences are intended to be a time of “spiritual renewal and formation.” Participants are invited by a sponsor and apply to participate. During the weekend, participants meet with small groups and are encouraged to explore how they can live the call to discipleship within their own homes, churches, and communities. Participants are invited to continue meeting with small groups and others of the Emmaus community after the weekend concludes for continued accountability, instruction, support, and encouragement. Past participants are also invited to serve at future Walk to Emmaus weekends.

The stated mission of Walk to Emmaus is “Empowering Leaders to be the hands and feet of Christ.” The goal of Emmaus is helping Christians live as disciples of Christ and become active members of His body, participating in His mission. The three-day experience of Emmaus is designed to “inspire, challenge, and equip the local church members for Christian action in their homes, churches, communities and places of work.”

While the information made public regarding the Walk to Emmaus is biblically focused, there is some concern regarding the secrecy surrounding the event. Participants are told not to tell others what takes place to emphasize the “special” or “sacred” nature of the time. The website does say that there will be “prayers and acts of anonymous service offered by the Emmaus community.” Perhaps the specifics of these acts are seen as more meaningful if they are a surprise. Because biblical Christianity does not emphasize secret knowledge or events, the secrecy surrounding the Walk to Emmaus has led many Christians to choose not to participate.

Others have expressed concern over the emotional emphasis of Walk to Emmaus. Over the course of the weekend, the combination of late nights, early mornings, and extended spiritual teaching could lead to people being pressed for decisions while tired or under stress. The fear is that decisions or changes that occur during Walk to Emmaus events may not be true or lasting. Further, the overall emphasis on experience is seen as inappropriate by many.

Another concern among some is the partaking of communion in a non-church context. While the Bible does not require communion to be taken within a local church, many church traditions do and therefore do not endorse this practice at Walk to Emmaus events.

In the Protestant adaptations of Cursillo, including Walk to Emmaus, there is probably much good that takes place. Christians gathering to pray, fellowship, and challenge each other to a deeper spiritual walk is biblical (2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13). Much depends on the organizers of the individual events and the leaders and teachers actually present. Believers invited to attend a Walk to Emmaus event should use discernment and carefully investigate the group and its leaders before applying.

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Christ and his Disciples on the Road to Emmaus, by Jan Wildens

The Walk to Emmaus or Emmaus Walk is a three day movement that came out of the Roman Catholic Cursillo Movement. It started in the 1960s and 1970s when Episcopalians and Lutherans, and Tres Dias [Wikidata] offered Cursillo. In 1978, The Upper Room of the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church trademarked Emmaus and adapted it into a primarily Protestant version.[1]

History[edit]

In the Catholic Church Emmaus began for women in 1978, with the approval of the Archdiocese of Miami. It was developed and conducted by a team of laywomen from St. Louis Church in Kendall (Miami). Father David G. Russell, who was pastor at that time, saw the need for, and envisioned, a parish-based retreat that enabled lay women to minister to lay women. He approached the secretariat of the Cursillo movement and asked if they would allow a parish-based Cursillo to be held at St. Louis. This request was denied. Since there was no other retreat of this type available at that time, Father Russell asked the Directress of Religious Education, Myrna Gallagher, to form a team and develop one. After intense prayer and much thought, it was established that the theme of the retreat would be based on the Scripture passage found in the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35, the Emmaus Reading.[2]

In early 1985, Fr. Fetscher of St. Louis asked Jim Loretta from St. Louis Catholic Church, to look at starting a Men's version of the Emmaus Retreat experience that Myrna Gallagher had started back in 1978. Jim Loretta and Larry Barfield along with other men developed a men's version of what Myrna Gallagher had done with the women. On February 14, 1986, the first Men's Emmaus was held at the Dominican Retreat House that was led by Jim Loretta. Eventually, one of the candidates from a previous weekend called to say they would like to have the same retreat at St. Brendan's Catholic Church. Larry Barfield from St. Louis went to St. Brendan's and put on the first "not at St. Louis" Men's Emmaus weekend, held at the youth center next to Mercy Hospital in Coconut Grove. Thereafter, Jim Loretta on February 14, 1988, put on the first Emmaus an event at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, and the program expanded thenceforth. Since that first Men's Emmaus in 1986, Men's Emmaus retreats have spread throughout the entire United States, every country in Central and South America, Trinidad, Dominican Republic, and even to Shanghai, China. A retreat was even held underground in Cuba 2012. As of 2020, there have been numerous men's and women's Emmaus retreats in Cuba. Emmaus Retreats are different from the Catholic Cursillo. Cursillo aims to form "Catholic leaders" from those Catholics already on a walk with the Lord. Emmaus reaches out to all Christians who are members of church. Participants are encouraged to find ways to live out their individual call to discipleship in their home, church, and community.[3][4] Today Emmaus retreats are held worldwide.[5][6]

Biblical reference[edit]

The name of the movement comes from the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35 (KJV).[7]

In this passage, a follower of Jesus of Nazareth named Cleopas, also identified as Simon, and another unnamed traveler leave Jerusalem for the town of Emmaus on the day of Jesus' resurrection. On the journey the two travelers encounter an unnamed man who asks about the happenings over the past few days in Jerusalem concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Cleopas and his companion describe the events of that week. They tell about Jesus' trial, crucifixion, and burial. They also share that some of the women who followed Jesus discovered the tomb in which Jesus was buried empty. The unnamed man then proceeds to explain the writings of the prophet Moses concerning God's Messiah or Christ.

When the three travelers reach Emmaus, they share a meal. During the blessings of the meal, it is revealed to Cleopas and his companion that the unnamed man who accompanied them is none other than Jesus whom God has raised from the dead. In that moment of recognition, Jesus disappears from their presence. Cleopas and his companion immediately return to Jerusalem to tell the other followers of Jesus that he has appeared to Simon in his resurrected, glorified body.

Luke also records that the moment of recognition of the resurrected Jesus was in the blessing and breaking of bread, a reference to the Passover seder Jesus shared with his disciples commonly known as the Last Supper. Also, it is a reference to the Christian sacrament or ordinance or act of worship known among different branches of Christianity as Eucharist or Holy Communion or Lord's Supper.

References[edit]

1. ^ "Emmaus | What Is Emmaus?". April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012.
2. ^ Gallagher, Myrna. "History of Women's Emmaus Retreat". Retrieved 21 March 2011.
3. ^ (cite web|url=http://emmaus.upperroom.org/about)
4. ^ Barfield, Larry. "History of Men's Emmaus Retreat". Retrieved 21 March 2011.
5. ^ "Emmaus Radio: Retreats".
6. ^ "Emmaus Calendar". Retrieved 21 March 2011.
7. ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Luke 24 - King James Version". Bible Gateway.

External links[edit]

• Emmaus in the UK
• Home - Walk to Emmaus

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