Good morning…
Yesterday an unusual word repeated itself. Pilgrimage.
“In his morning writings Richard Rohr has been talking about pilgrimage, about taking time to consciously process the steps we are taking in our daily lives,” said a friend on our bus traveling through Israel. Within a few hours, my husband Steve used the uncommon word in his teaching by the Pool of Siloam. “A pilgrimage is an outward journey to an inward healing.” With my attention piqued by the repetition, I texted his words into my phone.
Then returning to my computer after our day of exploration, I opened the Richard Rohr meditation from yesterday, sent by my friend as she had promised. I took some quiet time alone to consider these highlights. Might you do the same?
- “Pilgrimages, big and small, can allow us to experience God’s presence on the “cellular” or energetic level,” writes Richard Rohr.
- Pastor and author Brett Webb-Mitchell suggests how we might make pilgrimages a regular part of our lives: A pilgrimage need not take place in an exotic, faraway locale. It need not take a whole week or two. It can take place in our backyards, in our neighborhoods, around our churches and retreat centers. One doesn’t need to be wealthy to be a pilgrim. One simply needs to have a purpose and place in mind where one can go in order to experience the Holy.
- A pilgrimage is more than just a hike, a walk, a run, a bike ride, a vacation, or a journey…. Pilgrimage is the state of mind and heart or spirit that changes the vacation, the hike in the woods, the long kayak journey along an intercoastal strip of water, the ride out into the country, the walk to a friend’s house, the errand in the middle of the day, the walking of a dog, the 5k run or marathon … into a pilgrimage in which one encounters the Holy.
- Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast describes this very sentiment: when the pilgrim sets her foot on the ground, every step is a goal, and the pilgrim says “now, now, now”; she is living in the present and claiming the presence of the Holy God now in her midst, upon this soil, fully cognizant of the sacred land she walks upon…. Whether we are on an actual pilgrimage or perceive that the road of life we are on is our pilgrimage, each step, each move one makes is blessed by the Spirit. For both an actual pilgrimage and the pilgrimage of everyday life is a journey of faith.
What are some practical take-aways for us as we seek to turn our outward journey into an inward healing on this pilgrimage of everyday life?
- Enjoying all five senses, experience God’s presence on the “cellular” level.
- Have a purpose and place in mind where you can go in order to experience the Holy.
- Keep a wide-awake state of mind, heart, and spirit, transforming daily activities into an encounter with God.
- Live in the present moment and claim the presence of the Holy God right now in our midst.
- Always remember – each step, each move we make is blessed by the Spirit on our unique pilgrimage of everyday life.
- Pilgrimage becomes a way of living our faith journey, alert and expectant, moment by moment, attentive to the ever-presence of our loving God.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage (Psalm 84:5, WEB)
…Sue…
