Pilgrimage, Journey, Life

Pilgrimage, Journey, Life

The Christian life, in fact, all life is a journey. There is a lot of truth in the old saying, “getting there is half the fun.” Not only is the fun in the journey as much as in the destination, but learning and growing are also more in the journey than in the arrival. We learn from our companions on the way; we learn from the experiences we have on the way, good or bad, pleasurable or painful, joyful or miserable.

Yes, all life is a journey, but for people of faith there are “journeys within the journey.” For Christians, the season of Lent is one of those journeys. The models for our Lenten Journey are the Gospel stories of Jesus’ 40 days of temptation in the wilderness. In Luke 4:1-13, Jesus is lead into the wilderness by the Spirit to be “tempted by Satan.” Jesus spends 40 days fasting, praying and, I believe, focusing on God’s call and plan for his life, and what that will look like for Jesus who is not only fully God but fully human. This wilderness journey was necessary for Jesus to really know within himself who he was and who God called him to be.

Lent gives us that same wilderness opportunity to wrestle with ourselves, to wrestle with our God and with our own demons; to face the same temptations Jesus faced. We too, on our earthly journey, will struggle with the temptations of comfort, power, possessions, fame and influence. Without setting aside time and space for reflection the struggles can turn out to be just that, struggles. With “wilderness time” they become opportunities for growth and learning.

Several years ago, falling into the temptation for power, possessions and fame, I was “given” one such opportunity for learning and growth. I had been, in my opinion, a successful Episcopal Priest: a good pastor, preacher and teacher. I was the Rector of a church which had grown from 130 to 500 members and from a budget of $70,000 a year to a budget of $250,000 a year. People said really flattering things about me, and some even proclaimed I would become a bishop. When I was called to a much larger church, with a much larger budget and a much larger salary, I jumped at it! After all, “there is nothing wrong with power and possessions and fame.”

As it turns out, I did not become the greatest priest in the World, I did not become a bishop, and I lost my job after two and a half years, thus affirming Jesus’ wisdom in turning down the tempter. As a part of my earthly pilgrimage, my life’s journey, it was life changing, and while not fun to go through (in fact it was quite miserable) for me, my family,  and lots of other people, this experience helped make me who I am, it helped make me stronger. The Christian season of Lent and the Christian traditions of prayer and meditation have been opportunities to reflect on the past, grow from those experiences and look toward the future, while living for today, the only day promised to any of us.

I want to add that out of this experience and reflection on it and praying about it, I learned many valuable lessons. I learned the importance of Mental Health Counseling and Anti-depressants as tools God uses along with our prayers and our friends to lead us out of the wilderness. I built (or was given) many friendships that have lasted for the past ten years and some of which will last a lifetime. These friendships have strengthened me and my faith, and while I did not become the greatest priest in the whole world, I have been given a vision and wisdom to invite God to be a part of my Pilgrimage.

During this Lenten pilgrimage my prayer for all of us is that we will ask ourselves three questions and then take the time and find the space to listen to the answers. Like Jesus, listen to the answers from God and from our own heart, mind and soul.  The questions are: 1) What is important to me? 2) Why is this important? 3) What now?

This Lenten Journey calls us to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as we love ourselves (implying that we love ourselves first) to strive for Justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being.” (Book of Common Prayer, page 305)

Blessings and Peace on your way, and remember, “Getting there is half the fun!”