the pilgrim way

Opening Prayer: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen. —Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton

Scripture: Psalm 84:5-7

Journal: Where are you on your pilgrim journey these days?  What is the landscape like right now?  What is God up to during this leg of the journey?

Reflection: “Blessed are those who find their strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” Psalm 84:5)

“At the end of my trip to Canada, the United States, and England, about which I wrote in this journal, I met a young man who told me about his own spiritual journey in a way that helped me to think about this second loneliness.  He said, ‘First I was traveling on a highway with many other people.  I felt lonely in my car, but at least I was not alone.  Then Jesus told me to take an exit and follow a winding country road which was pleasant and beautiful.  People who passed by greeted me, smiled, and waved to me; I felt loved.  But then, quite unexpectedly, Jesus asked me to take a dirt road, leave the car, and walk with him.  As we were walking we did not see anyone anymore; although I knew that I was walking with Jesus, I felt very lonely and often in despair.  I was tired and felt forgotten by my friends.  Now it looked as if I was getting more lonely as I was getting closer to Jesus.  And nobody seemed to understand.’” —The Road to Daybreak by Henri J. M. Nouwen

 

the pilgrim way

is a lonely road

it leads away

from noise and clamor

from attention and acclaim

from impact and influence

it leads into the desert

where all we have

to hold onto

is the hand of God

Prayer

Closing Prayer:  Help me, O Lord, to not miss the journey for the destination.  Amen.