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But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
Yesterday, a dear friend posted on Facebook: “Day One” photos of her pilgrimage along Spain’s Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James). Legend has it that the Apostle St. James the Great was buried in the Cathedral of Camino de Compostela in Galicia (in the northwest of Spain), at the end of the route. His remains were discovered by a shepherd in the 9th century and since then pilgrims have traveled to the cathedral as part of faith journeys and goals of physical and spiritual endurance. My friend is one of those seeking a personal pilgrimage, and as part of her “day one”, she mentioned encountering torrid rains (“like a baptism”, she said) and slipping on the wet village street. Her grandson fortunately “rescued her,” but all in all, she felt blessed at this start of their adventures together.
The Camino pilgrimage has been one of my bucket list “to dos,” ever since I read the book The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho, whose personal journey was both intriguing and transformative. Over the years, I’ve pictured myself hiking that same trail, maybe encountering my own angels, experiencing personal struggles, sitting under trees in prayer, and finally reaching the ancient chapel where St. James is buried.
I’ve researched that you can travel from a minimum of 75 miles (The Camino Ingles) to as much as the Camino Frances (at 485 miles). Some routes are very difficult terrain, others a more flat road. You can start in many different spots, some of which even offer certificates for your accomplishments. Apparently, you can travel on foot, by car, bicycle, or a combination; you can book a travel tour guide that transports your luggage from town to town or you can rent your own bikes and haul it all yourself on your back. On good “health” days, I picture myself with a large backpack traversing the miles through mountains and fields, dirt roads and tiny towns. My own personal pilgrimage.
My friend is traveling by foot with her grandson, something her daughter, now deceased, had longed to do. A pilgrimage she is undertaking out of promise but out of grief at the recent loss of her husband. She is in her seventies now, and relatively fit, but the tenacity it takes to fulfill a goal like this is more than just physical. She’s prepared herself for months for the trip—both spiritually and physically; she packed well (and light) for her journey. Since I’ve known her for over thirty years, I am certain that if anyone can achieve this goal it is my friend.
Her recent Facebook post made me think a lot about life goals, what I find important and what is necessary that I achieve in my life here on earth. The Camino pilgrimage may be near the top of that list. My dad always talked about what we find important and urgent or non-urgent, and yet, still important. Those are the things we should prioritize, he would say. Of course there are things in our lives that come up that fit into the category of urgent, yet not particularly important (or planned) to us. We all know those things. The events or decisions that are not really our own priorities, perhaps we never thought about them before, but become red-flagged quickly in our lives for some reason or another.
I think of those unplanned situations, even the ones that Jesus and the apostles found themselves in on their travels: people who required healing, to be taught important lessons, and those that needed to be fed. Their lives were filled with situations that could be called urgent and important, but maybe not necessarily expected. So many people trying to touch the garment of Jesus, to be laid hands on, to require miracles performed.
This personal pilgrimage I seek, is definitely not urgent, although it is important. And maybe more important even now, considering the year of loss I’ve had, too, the sense of despair I’ve been living with. Yes, you might even say it might be urgent for my soul. What types of things, what type of personal pilgrimage is calling to you in your faith life, what steps are needing to be made to get yourselves to your personal goals, to a sense of balance or renewed strength? And if you set out on your pilgrimage and encounter someone of need along the way, will you stop, take heed, and help them too?
I wonder for my friend, and someday (hopefully) myself, what type of situations would arise on such a pilgrimage across an uncharted territory—when you put yourself in terrains you haven’t experienced before with only the necessities, and start walking. In book, The Pilgrimage, Coelho encountered other pilgrims, some spirit-angels, and definitely, unfamiliar surroundings. But in this adventure, he was able to question and find answers to the purpose of his life, humanity, and faith. When you put yourself in new places, you are bound to discover new parts of yourself. It is the task of pilgrimages to take stock in your abilities, your strengths and weaknesses; to question your past, present, and future. Hopefully, you gain a closer relationship with yourself, and God.
I’ve decided that, since I don’t know when I will find myself walking the trails of the saints in Spain, that I must consider every walk I do around the lake as a short “pilgrimage.” Maybe pose myself a question to ponder as I put one foot in front of another. And the others I meet (walking their dogs or jogging the path), as other pilgrims to pray for, or smile at, or if they are in distress, to aid. Yes, my 2.5 mile suburban lake walk is far from the hundreds of miles that I’d venture across the seas, but it is still a pilgrimage, and if I take it seriously, could be a sacred one.
Will you join me in seeking out time for your own personal pilgrimages?
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