We are all pilgrims: temporary resident
aliens passing through this world; exiles on a homeward journey to the Father, hungry
and thirsty for personal discovery, questing for eternal meaning and truth. It’s life-long, sometimes it feels like merely
aimless wandering, while at other times we tap into an evidently greater call and
purpose beyond ourselves.
We’re all on this journey. Some just never
realize it, but spend their lives trapped seeking personal gratification, fearful
or just unmotivated to venture beyond their comfortable horizon and break
through mystery into revelation.
The answer lies somewhere out there …
beyond… within.
I’ve journeyed to Jerusalem, Rome, and Auschwitz and
other pilgrim destinations, even searched out family roots in Poland and Russia,
but a couple years ago I saw The Way,
a movie by Martin Sheen + his son Emilio Estevez, about The Way of St. James, a
Medieval pilgrim route from various parts of Europe culminating in northern
Spain:
El Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Its simplicity
caught my attention; last year my son, Michael watched it also and this year we
walked part of its 800 kilometers together over 14 days.
‘Change’ has been a constant for our family since
Erica’s death almost 3 years ago, and The Way helped bring healing as we walked
that same route where little has changed over the last 1200 years and countless
others have found solace along its timeless paths.
So I invite you to
join me on pilgrimage over the next 2 weeks: different places, people and events;
pictures, stories and insights along the way. You can take a FB shortcut here or
just click on my blog: henryschmidt.blogspot.com for a more in-depth journey. And as peregrinos = pilgrims encourage each other
along their way: ‘Buen Camino!’
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