We took the account of the disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk24:13-35) as paradigmatic for our understanding of the Church’s mission to the young. This passage expresses well what we experienced at the Synod and what we would like every one of our particular Churches to experience with regard to the young. Jesus walks with two disciples who have not grasped the meaning of all that happened to him, and are leaving Jerusalem and the community behind. Wanting to accompany them, he joins them on the way. He asks them questions and listens patiently to their version of events, and in this way helps them recognize what they are experiencing. Then, with affection and power, he proclaims the word to them, leading them to interpret the events they have experienced in the light of the Scriptures. He accepts the invitation to stay with them as evening falls; he enters into their night. As they listen to him speak, their hearts burn within them and their minds open; they then recognize him in the breaking of bread. They themselves then choose to resume their journey at once in the opposite direction, to return to the community and to share the experience of their encounter with the Risen Lord. In continuity with the Instrumentum Laboris, this Final Document consists of three parts which correspond to the stages of this Gospel story. The first part is entitled “Jesus Walked With Them” (Lk 24:15) and seeks to describe what the Synod Fathers recognized about the situation of young people today, pointing out its strengths and its challenges. The second part, “Their Eyes Were Opened” (Lk 24:31), is interpretative and provides some basic tools for appreciating the theme of the Synod. The third part, entitled “They Set Out At Once” (Lk 24:33), presents the choices entailed by a spiritual, pastoral and missionary conversion.
TheoFonsAt the sources of the faith