About Today
Wednesday 8 April 2026
Easter Wednesday
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Liturgical Colour: White.
Two of the disciples were walking to a village named Emmaus
Today's gospel reading Luke 24:13-35
Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they were talking over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.
Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem, who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days,’ ‘What things?’ he asked.’ ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered’ who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole of the whole people; and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us; they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back to tell us that they had even seen a vision of angels, who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but they saw nothing.’
Then he said to them, ‘O foolish men! So slow of to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets! he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.
When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. It is nearly evening,’ they said’ and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them,at table he took the bread, and blessing; then he broke it, and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognised him; but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road while he explained the scriptures to us?’
They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes it is true. The Lord has risen and appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road, and how they had recognised him in the breaking of bread.
Reflection on the pastel on paper
The Lord’s encounter with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus reveals something of how he accompanies each one of us. They were heading away from Jerusalem, moving in the wrong direction, and yet he comes along side them. He does immediately interject and tells them they are heading in the wrong direction. No, he walks with them first and listens. Same with us, he invites us to speak, to share what is on our hearts, and he listens with patience.Then, gently, he opens up a wider horizon, helping us to notice what we may have over looked, to understand more deeply, and to see the path ahead more clearly, and that maybe we have taken a wrong turn and are heading in the wrong direction. He then quietly guides us back towards where we are meant to be walking.
In Walking to Emmaus, painted in 1891 by Fritz von Uhde, this quiet, attentive companionship of Christ is rendered with beautiful tenderness. The choice of pastel on paper gives the whole scene a softness, with edges gently dissolving. It is the perfect medium for amoment that is not dramatic but deeply, softly intimate. Jesus is depicted in the centre,clothed in blue, while the two disciples walk beside him. Seen from behind, their faces are hidden from us. And that is precisely the point. They are not meant to be fixed individuals; they become every disciple. In their anonymity, we are invited to step into the scene ourselves, to imagine that it is we who walk with Christ, sharing our story as he listens.
The journey to Emmaus has long captivated artists throughout all of art history because it speaks to one of the most universal experiences of faith: that God meets us not in spectacle, but on the road. He meets us in confusion, in conversation, in the ordinary rhythm of life. Artists return to it again and again because it allows them to depict a God who does not impose himself, but gently accompanies; a God who does not overwhelm, but reveals himself gently over time. In Uhde’s work, that gentleness is almost tangible.
Walking to Emmaus, Painting by Fritz von Uhde (1848-1911), Painted in 1891, Pastel on paper© Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
Easter Wednesday
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Liturgical Colour: White.
Two of the disciples were walking to a village named Emmaus
Today's gospel reading Luke 24:13-35
Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they were talking over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.
Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem, who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days,’ ‘What things?’ he asked.’ ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered’ who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole of the whole people; and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us; they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back to tell us that they had even seen a vision of angels, who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but they saw nothing.’
Then he said to them, ‘O foolish men! So slow of to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets! he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.
When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. It is nearly evening,’ they said’ and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them,at table he took the bread, and blessing; then he broke it, and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognised him; but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road while he explained the scriptures to us?’
They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes it is true. The Lord has risen and appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road, and how they had recognised him in the breaking of bread.
Reflection on the pastel on paper
The Lord’s encounter with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus reveals something of how he accompanies each one of us. They were heading away from Jerusalem, moving in the wrong direction, and yet he comes along side them. He does immediately interject and tells them they are heading in the wrong direction. No, he walks with them first and listens. Same with us, he invites us to speak, to share what is on our hearts, and he listens with patience.Then, gently, he opens up a wider horizon, helping us to notice what we may have over looked, to understand more deeply, and to see the path ahead more clearly, and that maybe we have taken a wrong turn and are heading in the wrong direction. He then quietly guides us back towards where we are meant to be walking.
In Walking to Emmaus, painted in 1891 by Fritz von Uhde, this quiet, attentive companionship of Christ is rendered with beautiful tenderness. The choice of pastel on paper gives the whole scene a softness, with edges gently dissolving. It is the perfect medium for amoment that is not dramatic but deeply, softly intimate. Jesus is depicted in the centre,clothed in blue, while the two disciples walk beside him. Seen from behind, their faces are hidden from us. And that is precisely the point. They are not meant to be fixed individuals; they become every disciple. In their anonymity, we are invited to step into the scene ourselves, to imagine that it is we who walk with Christ, sharing our story as he listens.
The journey to Emmaus has long captivated artists throughout all of art history because it speaks to one of the most universal experiences of faith: that God meets us not in spectacle, but on the road. He meets us in confusion, in conversation, in the ordinary rhythm of life. Artists return to it again and again because it allows them to depict a God who does not impose himself, but gently accompanies; a God who does not overwhelm, but reveals himself gently over time. In Uhde’s work, that gentleness is almost tangible.
Walking to Emmaus, Painting by Fritz von Uhde (1848-1911), Painted in 1891, Pastel on paper© Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden