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Minister's Musings
Pilgrims (not the Mayflower’s)
When this reaches your inbox, I will be making my way to Spain to walk a portion of The Camino de Santiago. For hundreds of years religious seekers have been making this pilgrimage to synthesize their inner spirituality with their external footsteps. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a pilgrim as “someone who makes a long, often difficult journey to a sacred or special place for religious or spiritual devotion”. I will be traveling with a group, and our guide refers to us as peregrinus, which is the Latin word for a foreigner. Making a pilgrimage is a way to embody the spiritual path. In Peter’s first epistle, he calls Christians “aliens and strangers” in recognition of their citizenship in a heavenly kingdom. So, you do not need to travel overseas to identify as someone whose primary identity belongs elsewhere. We are all pilgrims.
I have wanted to make this trek for a long time. For most of my life walking has been one of my deepest spiritual practices. I’ve never been much good at sitting meditation, but walking is my therapy! Additionally, I believe in prayer. Those who pray and the places in which they pray leave an imprint. That’s why old churches have a specific “feel”, why certain locations seem “thin”, why it’s easier to connect with the divine in certain places and more challenging in others. There is a legitimate texture to holiness, and it cannot be created by one person’s singular intent. (Incidentally…. hear this as an appeal to come to church as often as you can and help us build that into the walls and pews of our own worshiping space for those who will come after us.) But it is not just walking or praying that I am seeking.
I would like to curate within myself, beyond Spain, the heart of a pilgrim. Most people who walk The Camino talk about the unpredictability of travel in a foreign land and the impacts on the body of walking so many miles day after day. One’s priorities change when the body is fatigued. One appreciates the hospitality of strangers more when dependent on it because amenities are limited and the culture unknown. And then one extends that hospitality more readily to others. Busyness ceases to be an excuse for presence when the only thing on the schedule is to put one foot in front of the next. To be a pilgrim is to encounter others as fellow travelers, generously sharing, humbly receiving, and gratefully accepting the grace in each step along the path.
-Rev. Becki
I will be in Spain, and you will be in Virginia, but I pray that we all grow as pilgrims each day, wherever we walk. Below are The Prayers of the People for the Eucharist I will be leading. I hold you in my heart as I pray this for the pilgrims on The Camino and the pilgrims of Virginia:
Intercessor: For the holy Church of God, that we may walk together in faith, welcoming the stranger, accompanying those who are weary, and recognizing Christ in those whose paths cross ours; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
For the world and its people, that those who journey in search of safety may find refuge, that those displaced by war or hardship may find welcome, and that all who hold power may work for peace and justice; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
For this community of pilgrims. Give us strength for the miles ahead, patience with one another, humility to receive help, and generosity to offer it. Keep us attentive to the beauty of creation, the wisdom of those we meet, and the quiet movements of your Spirit. When the road is difficult, help us to persevere; when plans change, help us to remain open; and when joy finds us, help us to receive it with gratitude; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
For all who will share the road with us: fellow pilgrims, those who offer hospitality, those who prepare our food and shelter, those who care for the injured and weary, and those whose daily lives unfold along our way. May our presence bring blessing, and may we receive the gifts of others with grateful hearts; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
For all who travel, especially those who journey alone, those who are lost, those who face danger, and those whose journeys are marked by grief, uncertainty, or fear. Protect those in danger, guide those who have lost their way, and give rest to all who are weary in body, mind, or spirit; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
For those who are sick or suffering, for those whose bodies limit their journeys, for those who carry burdens unseen by others, and for those we love who cannot travel with us. Surround them with your healing presence, and help us to hold them in prayer even as we walk; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
For those who have died, especially those whose lives and faith have shaped our own journeys, and for all the pilgrims who have walked this ancient way before us. May they rest in your peace, and may we be encouraged by the witness of those who have gone before us; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
For the grace to return from this pilgrimage with hearts more open to you and to one another. Keep us from measuring the journey only by miles walked or destinations reached. Teach us to recognize your presence along the way, to receive each day as a gift, and to carry the fruits of this journey into our lives at home; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Intercessor: We give thanks for the gift of this journey, for the companionship of those who walk with us, for the earth beneath our feet, and for the hope that draws us forward. We thank you that we do not walk alone, but
are held in your love at every step; we pray to you, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Celebrant: O God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life: Guide us as we make our pilgrimage. Give us courage for the road, grace for the unexpected, compassion for our companions, and eyes to recognize your presence in the people and places we encounter. Bring us safely through this journey, and lead us ever deeper into the life of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Blessing
Celebrant: May God, who calls us to journey in faith, give you courage for the road, patience for the difficult miles, and joy in the companionship of fellow pilgrims. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
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