On the same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about eleven kilometers from Jerusalem, and they were talking to each other all the things that had happened. As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; they saw him but somehow did not recognize him. Jesus said to them, "What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?" (Luke 24:13-17a)
 

(He joins the two saddened disciples on the road to Emmaus to just talk to them, asking why they are
so saddened (Luke 24:17).  It is only later, during dinner, that the disciples recognize Jesus.  As comprehension dawns, they are filled with uplifting joy for one eternal moment ... and then Jesus departs.)
 

  On the Road to Emmaus
He Qi, China, 1998

The Road to Emmaus

The moment remains.
All that went before; the pain, the agony, the uplifting joy
Is gone in an ephemeral mist, a swirling curtain of haze,
But the moment remains.
With an emptiness of heart, a wrenching agony of despair
The soul must concentrate on that not-to-be-lost second in time.
The moment does remain.
It remains to uplift the soul, to reach ahead into the dark,
To pluck from all of eternity the fullness of that being.
Yes, the moment remains.
And now comes the time to reach forward, to grasp the fleeting
instant,
To carry the light, to pierce the black, to hone the very oneness,
With deeds as well as with words, to bring forth once again the
The moment that does remain.