We are all pilgrims...
Dear Friends,
Ten years ago, a close friend gave me the movie “The Way.” It’s a story about a father estranged from his adult son because instead of finding a job, the son is determined to walk the trail known as the Camino, the path of St. James that begins in France or Portugal and ends in Santiago, Spain.
Early on this trail, the son is killed in a fall. Spontaneously, in his grief, the father decides to walk the trail himself to finish his son’s dream and place his ashes along the way. The son’s quest becomes the father’s path to God. Along the Way, the father finds healing and new life. He comes to know his son and loves him in a new way.
The friend who gave me the movie wanted to walk the trail himself, but he died before he could go. In the card attached to the gift of the movie, he wrote: “We are all pilgrims who need to encourage each other as we walk our own way, and I’m grateful to know you.” It was his way of saying we’re God’s children, all in this together.
The week after Easter, I was blessed to walk the portion of the Camino which begins in Porto, Portugal, with seven women from Christ Church in Tuscaloosa. We spent many hours finding our way through wind-swept, ocean trails, muddy paths in woodlands, asphalt streets, and cobblestone lanes, all leading to Santiago. We saw Christian, Jewish, Muslim, secular humanists, and casual wanderers from all over the world making a pilgrimage to Santiago and the bones of St. James.
Our guides told us, “Everyone walks the Camino for their own reasons and together, they walk alone.” Some, like us, hiked with help, some on bikes, others carried everything they needed in a backpack. When you pass another pilgrim, you’re taught to say: “Buen Camino”, which means “Good Journey”. Otherwise, there’s not much talking, even when you run into an American. Everyone is on their path.
Our group of Alabama pilgrims was together for 13 days of long walks, punctuated by visits to quaint villages, churches of all sizes, many meals, and conversations. We each had our reasons for walking, perhaps the challenge, seeking adventure, something novel, or a chance for a new friendship. Along the way, we prayed frequently, were amazed at the beauty of the countryside, or tried to answer some undefined longing. We were an extraordinary snapshot of the Body of Christ.
Three days into our pilgrimage, we came off the trail to learn that the entire country of Portugal was in an unprecedented electrical blackout. We had no phones, only emergency electricity, with no news of why this happened or when power would return. I like to think we all depended on God’s grace more deliberately as we waited for the lights to come on. That’s the gift of being lost, even for a few minutes. Namely, we need an awareness of being totally dependent on the One who created us and knowing it. It is an unparalleled blessing.
Now the Bible is full of stories when God makes God’s presence known, you know the stories: Moses and the burning bush, Jacob and the ladder full of angels, Job and the whirlwind, a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud, Jesus, the incarnate God. But some would argue those days are past. God isn’t that easy to find in our postmodern, hurry-up world. Eugene Peterson argues that religion has been captured by a tourist mindset. People are either tourists or pilgrims. Tourists visit but only as spectators.
But a pilgrim is someone who is going on a journey, typically into the unknown or a foreign land. Pilgrims travel looking for a higher meaning about the self, others, or nature. In our case, we’re on a journey to God, and our way of getting there is Jesus Christ. Like any metaphor, this one has limits, but the practice of pilgrimage is ancient and not exclusively Christian. Jews, inspired by Abraham, traveled to Jerusalem several times a year for reconciliation, and as they marched, they sang the psalms.
I’m grateful I had a chance to be a pilgrim with my fellow travelers from Christ Church. More than once, I thought of how Christ Church, the first church in the Diocese, was led by a missionary priest, a pilgrim of sorts, in 1828. Just one more example of how God has been sending us into the wilderness for centuries just to teach us that only in Jesus will we find our true home. Thanks be to God for the journey and the Way.
Alleluia, Alleluia. Christ is Risen, and I hope I see you at church!
Blessings, +G