Tag Archives: Spirituality

Pilgrimage

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Celtic spirituality offers us some added disciplines to grow in our understanding of God’s faithfulness. For the ancient Celtic monks, pilgrimage was the art of leaving the comfortable and familiar of home to encounter God. Pilgrimage was often used as a way to share the gospel or to walk in the footsteps of a holy person.  Many Jews and Christians participate in pilgrimage by traveling to Israel. Pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the pillars of Islam. We do not need to travel to the place where our faith originated to accomplish pilgrimage. When on pilgrimage, the exposure to creation reveals the Divine Presence through plants, animals, landscapes and natural designs. Each person we meet on the road may carry a divine message.

Pilgrimage begins with preparation. Where are we going and why? We prepare our hearts and minds by establishing an intent, a reason for becoming a pilgrim. Do we have a yearning that needs to be addressed? Is it to watch for God’s Spirit in the world? Or is it to learn about faithful saints, or spiritual leaders? Preparing helps us to set aside other aspects of our life so we can give our full attention to the Spirit that beckons us on the journey. The act of physical packing only the essentials of what we will need is part of pilgrimage. During your time of preparation, be sure to plan a couple of stops during your pilgrimage to visit a special place or take time for reflection.

I believe that we can take on a pilgrim’s heart each time we leave home to accomplish our daily activities. If we leave home expecting to encounter God, there is a good chance we will be open to noticing God every day. No matter what the challenges of our circumstances at work or at school, with our health or our relationships, we can be pilgrims learning from those who walked the path before us. The best part of pilgrimage is bringing home the boon. What did we find while we were away from the comfortable and familiar? Sharing what we learn with others deepens our understanding.

During this Lenten season, I encourage you to practice the discipline of pilgrimage, leaving home for the unknown might open the path for an encounter with the Divine.

Hope is Here

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Hope is not wishful thinking, it is not wanting things to turn out a certain way. Hope is accepting all that is here and responding in trust for the future. Mary is our symbol of hope this season. Mary openly received the direction to head down an unknown road. She was affirmed through the messengers sent to join her on the way.  She continued on, knowing that Joseph and Elizabeth were aware of all that was happening within her.

Hope is strengthened through sharing with others. Joseph held Mary’s hand the whole journey long, himself hoping for what was ahead. It was not easier or more comfortable, their questions was not answered immediately.

In fact, I am not sure you can have hope without vulnerability. What are you hoping for? Who is holding your hand? What is affirming you as you respond? These are the questions of the season.

We are not merely to survive this season.  Hope is here.

Turning The Grateful Season into The Great Full Season

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Some days it just doesn’t seem like we have enough, not enough time, not enough energy or support, not enough love. When disappointment runs deep, we cannot help but ask, “Where are you, God?”

If we dare, if we take courage and look beyond our limitations, stepping out into uncertainty, sure of only the One, there we find surprising mystery, there is the grace. At first, maybe a drop, and then a trickle, that leads us to the fountain of mercy and goodness that God intends. For each one of us, God’s plan is different, but we are all caught up in a universal experience of what is means to be human. Thanks be to our Lord Jesus, God knows the human experience intimately. And taught us thanksgiving anyway. “On the night in which we was betrayed, Jesus took bread and gave thanks.” (1 Corinthians 11:23) Amazing. Jesus knew his circumstances were dire, he knew he was headed to suffer and he did so with thanksgiving.

I don’t believe we get to the Great Full Season, until we have passed by the grateful season. We give thanks for everything, no matter how fleeting. No matter what our situation, we bless God and give thanks. Giving thanks helps us to gain new perspective, to see things we had not seen before. The Great Full Season arrives when we are able to let go of what we think we need, and find God in the dark, find God in the autumns of our lives when things are falling away. Let us enter the Great Full Season, placing our full trust in the fullness of glory that lies ahead.