They walked together along the road.
two travellers, silent for a while,
each lost in thought.
Neither one knows
the other’s inner life and movements.
They are strangers to each other.

One begins to speak, softly,
timidly, hesitantly.
The words touch him at an unusual depth,
intimately, pointing to an ancient belonging,
like magic that touches a hidden source,
so that it opens up - challenging and irresistible.

An uncontrollable yearning
takes hold of him:
to open up, to be recognized,
not to be alone any more.
He finds words.
He dares to speak in spite
of his shyness,
because the other follows his words
into their depth.

He experiences the riches of the other
and becomes aware of his own.
Each knows more about the other
than what is spoken.

They speak and are silent together.
Their journey no longer seems long.
They ponder things
of intense and ultimate concern
and lead each other into their own depth.

“Did not all this have to come
to pass ...?” -
the paradox of life:
that one loses what one clings to;
that out of meaningless
meaning receives its boundaries;
that God’s plan for us always
first uproots us
only to bring us to a new belonging.
They move their small,
individual experience
into the larger interconnectedness
with all of life.
“Did not our hearts burn within us ...?”

Such dialogue does not leave one
disconnected.
Here the one receives life from the other.

The mystery of relationships:
to be touched in one’s being,
with total mindfulness.
To recognize the truth of the other
and allow oneself to be grasped by it.
To accept it with one’s
whole being
and at the same time to endure
the painful tension created
by the sense
that this oneness happens only
in rare moments.

To say “YES” to the boundaries.
To allow the other his(or her) mystery
until he (or she) gifts you with it.
To be able to wait without
getting tired.
To give time its space.
To protect the other
from the passion of the heart
that wants to have everything
at once and forever.

In the intensity of such deep
sharing
both feel all of a sudden
that they are no longer
walking alone.
Someone is walking with them,
between them,
glowing with love,
Someone is making
such depth understanding possible.
Someone has gifted them
with their encounter.
Their dialogue turns to prayer:
“Lord, stay with us ...”
Their gazing at each other
gives way to adoration.

Their journey together becomes a witness.
Their lives, a blessing for others: EMMAUS.

- M. Pietra Hagenberger, SSND
(Quoted by Barbara Fiand, SSND)