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Exploring the word

09 Nov 2014 - Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, Cycle A

SOME THINGS, YOU can’t have a religion without them. Like the indefinable essence we call holiness. That God is omnipresent in no way detracts from the concept that some things, places, hours, people are experienced as holier than others. What do we mean by this? The Irish talk about “thin” places that are closer to heaven, where the veil between God and us is nearly transparent. We sense that celestial proximity in icons, as we gaze on the holy face that gazes knowingly back at us. We go to church to worship—an activity we might engage anywhere, honestly—because the space itself is consecrated for holy purposes. Recently I visited St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia, which contains the shrine of St. John Neumann. You can actually see indentations worn into the floor where countless people of faith have genuflected. Now that’s holy! Places of pilgrimage, whole cities like Jerusalem, are imbued with a sacred character. Stained by the blood of martyrs for centuries, you can’t take the sanctity out of those stones. The Lateran Basilica, the dedication of which we observe today, became sacred as a symbol of the church that endures through the crises of generations. But it’s not just humanly constructed places or routes that become sacred, like the Via Dolorosa or the Saint James Trail in Spain. Old-growth forests contain groves described as “cathedral.” Mountains are places of sacred encounter to people like Moses and Elijah and Jesus himself. Some places naturally seem to hold more majesty, mystery, and beauty than others. The experience of them is so awe-inspiring, you want to take off your shoes. In the practice of the Liturgy of the Hours observed by those who use the common breviary, we speak of the sanctification of time. Monks pray around the clock to remind us that time is a creature too, made by God, and endowed with its own kind of stewardship. Time has to deliver the goods, has to produce a “sacrifice of praise.” By praying at marked hours, we are made aware of the holiness of all hours. Time cannot be wasted, because mortal life has real limits. When we talk about the saints, we imply that some lives have done an especially noteworthy job of delivering up the goods. We know holy people not because of how they look or what they say, but because of what they do and how they do it. Extraordinary measures of love, commitment, courage, wisdom demonstrated by the saints thrill us with inspiration. But just as with places and things and hours deemed holy, the holiness of special people serve to remind us that holiness is not the calling of the few. We are all temples of divine indwelling. Related scripture links Isaiah and the temple: Isa. 2:1-5; 6:1-4; 56:7; 60:1-22; 66:1-2 Other prophets: Mic. 4:1-3; Mal. 3:1; Jer. 7:1-15; 26:1-19; Ezek. Chs. 40-48 Jesus and the temple: Matt. 12:5-6; 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6 The church as temple: 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19-22

Authors Alice Camille

holiness pilgrimage

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The inner word

15 Jul 2012 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Jesus’ empowering and “sending” of the apostles (in Greek: apostolos, “one who is sent”) to extend his mission of healing reflects the missionary strategy of the Early Church: travel light and keep moving, do what is good, and put your trust completely in God. Actually that’s a good approach for Christians of any time and place. Life is a journey, a pilgrimage to holiness. “To take nothing for your journey” brings home the truth that in the end the only thing you really have is God. To have “nothing,” then means to have everything. The less you have, the more you gain. The deepest security lies in not worrying about security. What can you unload from your life to bring you closer to God?

pilgrimage travel light

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The inner word

27 Jun 2010 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Elijah's summoning of Elijah comes in the midst of everyday activities: Elisha is plowing. Where do you hear God's call in your daily work? Christ has set us free to serve others and live by the Spirit, Paul says. Do you experience your ministry more as service or, at times, a form of "slavery"? What can you do to "free" yourself to do your best and most satisfying work? In the gospel today, Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem. With the church, you, too, are on the road with Jesus. Consider how your life has been a pilgrimage-where it's been, is now, and is going. What has been your road? What are you following?

call work Service Journey pilgrimage

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Make us instruments of your peace

30 Oct 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus encourages the people to remember that “you have but one Father in heaven.” The world’s many religions, however, offer prayers to the divine in very different ways. Pope Benedict XVI has invited members of all the world’s major faith traditions, and even several secularists professing no faith, to join in a pilgrimage for world peace in Assisi Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of a similar gathering. This time, however, the leaders won't take part in common prayers. In 1986 religious leaders were invited by Pope John Paul II for a day-long prayer for peace. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger disapproved of leaders of all faiths praying together. This time around members of the different faiths will be allowed personal time for private prayer and then will join together in a brief pilgrimage. Around 300 participants were expected to attend. The pope held a pre-trip Catholic prayer service at the Vatican Wednesday evening. A spokesperson said that Thursday, "The emphasis is on pilgrimage rather than on praying together." Sources: Articles by Daily News & Analysis (India) and the Associated Press

Peace pilgrimage benedict xvi assisi

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Homily stories

15 Jul 2012 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

LAST APRIL Wabash College student Andrew Domini saw a CNN Presents documentary on Mother Theodore Guerin, the French nun who founded the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. It talked about a miraculous healing that had been part of Mother Guerin’s canonization process and reminded him of an aging friend who had been diagnosed with stage IV cancer. “He’s the kind of guy who gives so much and doesn’t expect anything in return,” Domini told CNN. “I wanted to do something for him.” So he decided to make a pilgrimage to Mother Guerin’s shrine to pray for his friend. He could have driven but said he “wanted to walk. . . . I wanted it to be a sacrifice.” With a few supplies he left his fraternity house, walked all day, slept where he could the first night, got a short ride the next day, then walked—and in the end crawled—the remaining two miles to Mother Guerin’s chapel shrine. Jesus made it clear his apostles were to rely only on God and the hospitality of strangers. A fraternity brother found that truth by walking 70 miles. You can find it in the pilgrimage of daily life. As Mother Guerin once said: “What have we to do in order to become saints? Nothing more than we do every day. Only do it for the love of God.”

Authors Joel Schorn

mother guerin pilgrimage

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Who's listening?

03 Oct 2010 - Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Increase our faith!" It was the plea of the apostles then, and it's been the plea of Christians ever since, including the people who make their weekly pilgrimage to church. Some of them, perhaps many, may be questioning their faith, wondering if they really believe and what they believe in. They may feel their faith to be small. The message today, however, is to celebrate that "smallness" of faith, which can do mighty deeds. It was the small faith of the early followers of Jesus that kept them together and moving forward. From such littleness came a worldwide religion. Even struggling faith, distracted prayer and worship, and halting attempts to do good have value. They keep us on the road, following in Christ's footsteps. Small is beautiful!

Faith pilgrimage Prayer worship

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