I have travelled with parishioners on numerous occasions with my first trip dating back to a 2010 trip to Hawaii with 72 of my closest friends. I followed that trip with trips to Alaska, another to Hawaii, France, Ireland, Germany for the Passion Play, the Camino de Santiago in Portugal and Spain, and a Caribbean Cruise to kick off my 65th year of life. Later this year I will return to the Camino as well as a trip to Italy and one back to Ireland. Some of those trips have been "vacations" and some of them have been "pilgrimage." Sometimes we were tourist. Sometimes we were pilgrims. My cruise in January was a vacation; my trips later this year to the Camino and to Italy will be pilgrimages.
I liked the distinction of pilgrim and tourist. I also like the image Matthew Kelly uses in the book of a hotel. We never stay in a hotel and think of it as our home. In the same way, our time here on earth is not our destination. It is where we stay on the journey back to God, our true home.
I heard a story once from a woman religious at a conference. She told the story of being with her grandmother (who raised her) as she was dying. She remembers saying to her grandma, "Mamaw, don't leave me!" to which her grandmother replied, "Honey, I'm going home. Don't ask me to stay."
For people of faith, life is a pilgrimage: a sacred journey to a spiritual place. God has blessed me on this journey.
One of the final prayers at a funeral Mass says this: Lord God, whose Son left us, in the Sacrament of his Body, food for the journey, mercifully grant that, strengthen ed by it, our brother (sister) N. may come to the eternal table of Christ. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Jesus gave us the Eucharist as food for the journey. May we always be strengthened by it.
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