Why Pilgrimage?

In answer to that question, here is something written for the church newsletter . . .

It all began with Egeria. She was a faithful Christian who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land around 381-384.  My church history professors had assigned us a reading from the account she wrote of her travels, and for some reason this reading came alive in a way that many others in seminary did not. I could picture a woman who was excited to have this traveling opportunity and who wanted to share it with her congregation at home. Her detailed account of the places she visited and the worship practices she observed and got to experience were the kind of reading that painted a picture for me of not only the Holy Land but the early church as well. Her writing was the first time I had encountered the idea of pilgrimage as a spiritual practice, and it struck a chord with me. 

As my seminary studies continued, I was introduced to other places of pilgrimage - of course The Holy Land and Rome - but also Taize in France and Iona in Scotland and places throughout Turkey and Greece. I was also introduced to the Christian use of labyrinths as a metaphorical pilgrimage, and had the chance to try out walking them. Finally, a classmate made a trip to Spain over one of our breaks to walk an ancient pilgrimage route called the Way of St. James, or the Camino de Santiago. The more I learned about pilgrimage the more the concept resonated with me. 

The image of our lives as a journey following Christ, the Way, has been a helpful one as I try to discern where it is I am called in my life, as well as when I am offering counsel to others who are seeking clarity. But I wanted to move beyond the image and so began to try to actively practice pilgrimage, to live in that metaphor, to see what I might be taught by physically going and seeing.  As I took  actual steps, whether on a labyrinth or journeying to Iona or making pilgrimage to other places meaningful to me as a person of faith, I have found that indeed this practice speaks to me. God continues to meet me on the journey, wherever it is, surprising me with new insights. It isn’t always what I want to learn or what I am comfortable with, but the end result is that I am stretched in new ways and once again reminded God is faithful, gracious and loving. 

So, it is with excitement (and a little bit of trepidation!) that I once again will assume the mantle of the pilgrim embarking on a sabbatical for the spring term. Many years after hearing about the travels of my seminary colleague, and in the interim hearing from many others (including members of this congregation), I am finally going to make the 500 mile pilgrimage across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. The plan is to make the walk during the Easter season, between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. Following that journey, I will be visiting a few other pilgrim sites in the region before returning to Eugene. I will hold this community of faith in prayer as you make the journey from Easter to Pentecost here, and I would covet your prayers as I quite literally walk the road to Pentecost in Spain. 

Like Egeria who inspired my fascination with pilgrimage, I plan to write some along the way. I will make use of our modern modes of communication, and don’t promise to produce anything that will become seminary curriculum! 

While researching this journey, I looked up Egeria’s journal again, and in so doing I discovered something I hadn’t known about her. Most scholars believe she made her home in the Galician region of Spain, the very region where Santiago de Compostela lies. My reaction was, “Of course.” Of course this pilgrimage will take me to the homeland of the people who first read her account written hundreds of years ago. The journal that inspired me to think about what it means to be a pilgrim. The writing that, in so many ways was the beginning point of my steps toward making this journey. Even as I relished this little surprise, I began to wonder what other revelations God might have in store for this journey. I can’t wait to see.