I have an article published on Crisis magazine, on the spiritual purpose, even the necessity, of ‘pilgrimage’, which take various forms, from the explicit walking journey, through hills and vales, to the more ordinary daily ‘pilgrimage’ we make to our local church. Feel free to peruse, and feedback is always welcome.
There is a personal element to the article, for I depart this upcoming Sunday for my native land of Scotland, ‘pilgrimaging’ to various sites, before journeying by hook and by crook to Rome. I would love to retrace the steps of the great Belloc, recounted in his inestimable Path to Rome, but have not the time, and the world has changed much since he travelled by foot from Canterbury to the Eternal City.
I will be posting as I go along, so that, if you are so inclined, you may travel with me. I will also take your intentions along, even in an inchoate way, since I know not most of you who read these words, but can carry a vague, global image of the ‘needs of Catholics in Canada’. There are many intentions for which we must pray, for the Church, our country, the land of our birth, our family, friends, apostolates, workplaces, bishops, priests, religious, young and old, for sinners and the perseverance of budding saints, for vocations and more ‘harvesters in the vineyard’, as Christ urges in today’s Gospel; for families, whose needs are endless; for the unborn and their mothers and fathers; for the sick and suffering and dying; for those in war and conflict; for peace in our time, and the list goes on, for each of us carries our own specific intentions.
So journey onwards, to heaven!