Isaiah 55:6-13: Seek the Lord while he may be found;
Hebrews 11:1, 6:
Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about
things we do not see. …but without faith, it is impossible to please Him.
Anyone who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those
who seek him.
I have just returned from making a pilgrimage to Poland,
and will spend several days sharing my experiences with you. It is with great
joy that I do this, for I found Christ in so many places, in so many varied and
unexpected ways. I found an opportunity to hear God by retreating from my world
and into the world of other people – all seekers, all fellow sojourners on this
pilgrimage called life. God is alive and
vibrant in the world today, much to the contrary belief propagated by the
current media. We just have to seek the Lord where He may be found… step out in
faith, convinced that God will reveal Himself to those who seek Him.
What exactly is a pilgrimage? How does it differ from a
tour or simply from a vacation? The best explanation I have found is in the
guide book each of us received prior to our departure for our pilgrimage to
Poland. It reads:
“A pilgrimage
differs from a tour in several important ways. It is a personal invitation from
God, comprised of His offer and dependent upon the pilgrim’s acceptance. God’s
call may vary but the purpose remains consistent – it is an individual summons
to know God more fully. A pilgrimage is
a spiritual journey to which the pilgrim joyfully resounds “yes” to God’s
invitation.
Although in previous centuries many trials were intrinsic
to a pilgrimage, the modern pilgrim has an abundance of affordable travel
options. Yet the purpose is still a journey to a holy, sacred place to usher
the pilgrim into the presence of God.
The pilgrim must embark
on this journey with joyful anticipation, being willing temporarily to separate
himself from the world and to offer him/herself in humble service to another. A successful pilgrimage involves a commitment
to leave behind one’s problems and to focus instead on seeking to learn more
about our heavenly Father, making one’s heart full of desire for special
graces, praises, petitions, and thanksgiving, returning home transformed,
renewed and restored by the abundant blessings received.
A pilgrimage is a
time of prayer and to witness the miraculous signposts God has left for our
return to Him. Ask God to bless you with a heart that will be receptive to the
treasure chest of graces He desires to shower upon your pilgrimage. The success
of your spiritual journey will depend upon your openness, faith, flexibility,
and love.
Pilgrimages, journeys to sacred places for religious
motives, are as old as civilization. Since the earliest times, such journeys
have been made as acts of devotion, penance, or thanksgiving, or in search of
blessings or miracles.”
Based on the above explanation, a pilgrimage is as close
as a trip to your Cathedral, a shrine or a special church. A pilgrimage is more
about the attitude of the pilgrim, and not the distance traveled to achieve the
separation from our personal world to a world where we seek only the presence
of God. Attitude, focus, desire and belief are the hallmarks of a pilgrimage. For
my part, I heard the Lord calling me to this special opportunity to walk in the
footsteps of John Paul II, St. Faustina and St. Maximilian Kolbe in the very
Catholic country of Poland. Although it was financially and emotionally
difficult to leave home at this time, I felt the strong pull of the call, as
did my husband, and we together decided to step out in faith and respond with a
powerful “yes”. The pilgrimage was planned for us; the gifts we received from
it would depend on our willingness to let go and let God do His work. I think this applies to our daily lives as
well. A simple prayer every morning, turning your life, your day’s work and
goals over to God, and allowing Him to step in and use you for the salvation of
souls and as a vehicle of His mercy and love to others is enough to start on
the path of a pilgrim seeking the road to heaven. A beautiful Psalm for us to
meditate upon as we begin to think of ourselves as pilgrims on our journey to
God is Psalm 121, sometimes called the traveler’s Psalm, as it reminds the sojourner of the constant
protection of our God as we seek Him.
Psalm 121
1 I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you
will not slumber:
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor
sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your
right hand.
6 the Sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch
over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Please remember to pray for the youth of the world as
they participate in their pilgrimage to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day. All
the events are fully covered on EWTN and are truly inspiring.
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