Sunday, June 27, 2021 On the Spirituality of Pilgrimage

I’ve been thinking a lot about travel and moving this month. The staff is busy sorting the offices into items that will be used in our temporary space, moved to long-term storage, or offered at our parish yard sale on July 24. As we prepare to make do with less, given the space limitations we will have in our temporary offices, I’ve been sharing weekly reflections on the spirituality of pilgrimage at our Tuesday staff meetings.

Theologian William Cavanaugh describes three different types of travelers in our globalized world: migrants, tourists, and pilgrims. Migrants travel out of necessity, seeking refuge from violence or economic hardship. They see the world from below, often living on the peripheries of society. Tourists, on the other hand, travel in search of novel experiences, seeking adventures that take them beyond the mundane routines of daily life. Tourists generally long to be immersed in new cultures, but they often see society from above and apart from the daily lives of the people they are visiting. Tourists are also disappointed when their sites are overrun with other tourists. For example, people rarely travel to Venice hoping to see the streets crowded with other tourists rather than local Venetians living their unique lives.

In contrast to migrants and tourists, pilgrims travel in search of a deeper experience of God. Frequent pilgrimages to Jerusalem were central to the religious practices of Jesus and his Jewish contemporaries. The journeys were not easy, especially for communities with little money, but the hardships were expressions of their desire to let go of all that is unnecessary and center themselves more deeply on God. Unlike tourists, pilgrims eagerly welcome fellow pilgrims on their journeys towards sacred spaces.

The numerous and diverse pilgrims who flock to St. Peter’s Square in Rome, for example, reinforce the universal appeal of our faith. Rome is by no means an easy city to navigate, and the lines for security to visit the Vatican can be grueling during hot summers. Yet amid these challenges, conversations with fellow pilgrims marked by kindness and generosity are moments of surprising grace and reminders of God’s presence among all people.

As our parish prepares in earnest for our pilgrim journey towards a new campus, we know that there will be inconveniences. Without parking around the blacktop, our route to the sanctuary from the parish garage on MLK will be different. Our ministries won’t have the same meeting spaces, instead we will have new spaces to use once we are finished renovating the MLK garage offices. Storage will be at a premium, a challenge that staff and lay leaders will solve together. Staff and ministry teams are envisioning efficient use for the space open to us. We will make 500 W. MLK work. Our school has already transitioned to the temporary campus at San José and their work continues as ours gears up. Next year will be new for all of us together.

Together, encouraging, supporting, and praying with one another, these sacrifices will bear much fruit for the future. With the right attitude, one centered on God and with our desire to create better spaces for learning, sharing, and living our faith as a community, this pilgrimage can be a wonderful moment of growth.

Please continue to pray for the success of this redevelopment program, and I look forward to walking together with you in the years ahead,
 

Take a moment to sit with Padre Paolo in our Capilla de Reflexión.