St. Cleopas

Biography

St. Cleopas is known from a single passage of Scripture, Luke 24:13–35. On the first Easter Sunday, he and another disciple were walking from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles away, discussing the death of Jesus. The risen Lord joined them on the road, but they did not recognize Him. When He asked what they were talking about, Cleopas answered with sorrow that they had hoped Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel, and he told of the women's report of the empty tomb. Jesus then explained how Moses and all the prophets had foretold that the Messiah must suffer and so enter into His glory. At Emmaus the two disciples urged Him, 'Stay with us,' and as He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, their eyes were opened, and He vanished from their sight. They said their hearts had burned within them as He spoke. That same hour they returned to Jerusalem to tell the apostles. Nothing else about Cleopas is certain. Some early writers identified him with the Clopas whose wife Mary stood near the Cross (John 19:25), but this remains a tradition, not a certainty. Older editions of the Roman Martyrology repeated a legend that he was martyred at Emmaus. His story has long shaped Catholic reflection on Word and Eucharist.

Patronages

Symbols