Two were Bound for Emmaus: A post-Easter song

Many gospel songs have been written. Bible stories have inspired composers for centuries and western pop songs owe a lot to the sacred works of Bach, Handel and others of olden times.

Popular music has many beautiful religious songs. Think Amazing Grace, Mary Did You Know, It is No Secret, Take My Hand Precious Lord, the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, and others.

Seldom, however, have I come across a song made for the after Easter celebration. This is why I was happy to find Two were Bound for Emmaus, a simple tune with a swaying rhythm that tells about two of my favorite incidents from the Bible.

Luke 24 tells the story of two disciples who unknowingly met Jesus, who joined them while on their way to Emmaus. He disappeared from sight after He broke and fed them bread. That was when they knew it was Jesus who they spent the day with. And they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

The other incident is about Jesus’ final miracle. Told in John 21, it is the second catch of fish in the sea of Tiberius. Some of the apostles including Peter had fished all night but caught nothing.  Then they saw a Man on the shore who told them to cast their nets again. They did and their catch was so huge that their nets were almost bursting. It was then that they knew, it was the Lord.

“Two were bound for Emmaus, disheartend and lost/ all their hope for the future had been nailed to a cross/ Love unknown then walked beside them/ come back from the dead/ and they knew he was risen in the breaking of bread.

“On the sea of Tiberius, when the night was nearly gone/ and their toil seemed so useless not one fish had they caught/ from the shore the Stranger called to them/ ‘Cast your nets friends, once more’/ and they filled it to bursting but the net was not torn.

“Then they knew it was Jesus and they hastened in to shore/ bread and fish for their breakfast from the hands of their Lord/ ‘O Peter, if you love me you must care for my sheep/ if you follow your Shepherd, then a shepherd you’ll be.’

“When the road makes us weary when the labor seems but loss/ when the fire of faith weakens and too high seems the cost/ let the church turn to its Risen Lord/ who for us bore the cross/ and we’ll find our hearts burning at the sound of His Voice.

“Two were bound for Emmaus, disheartened and lost/ all their hopes for the future had been nailed to a cross/ Love unknown then walked beside them, come back from the dead/ and they knew He was risen in the breaking of bread.”

Two were Bound for Emmaus is a composition by Bob Hurd. He is a California-based American teacher, composer and liturgist who has taught at the Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, the Saint Patrick University in Menlo Park, the Santa Clara University in Seattle and other institutions.

Hurd was inspired to write songs by the call of Vatican II for religious music that can be performed by the public in their native language. Among his works are The Bread of Your Word, which is made up of songs for Advent, Lent, the Easter Season and for Ordinary Time. He also did the Santa Clara Mass and the Mass of the Compassionate Christ. His latest is We Should Glory, which is music for Palm Sunday and Easter.

I do not know where Two were Bound for Emmaus is included among Hurd’s works but the song certainly evokes the joy for the new hope that comes every Easter.