Have You Ever Been On A Pilgrimage?

One of my very favorite works of English Literature is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The prologue tells us that when spring comes and the flowers bud, when the young green shoots in field and forest appear, when the little birds make melody; then people have a strong desire to go on pilgrimage to distant shrines on foreign shores. Especially they go from every county in England to Canterbury to visit the shrine of the Holy Martyr Thomas á Becket that interceded for them when they were sick.

I have been on pilgrimage to Canterbury several times. There is always a sense of coming home, a sense of my own roots sunk deep in the soil of English Spirituality, itself centuries old reaching back through the Reformation, through the Late Medieval England of Chaucer, through the Ancient Monasteries founded yet on hills even more ancient, past the time of Arthur and his knights, past the mission of St. Augustine who founded Canterbury itself in 597 AD, into the dark and winding forest pathways of the early Celtic Christians. Our roots are sunk deep in English soil planted centuries ago by wandering missionaries in the days of the Early Church. We have roots that ultimately reach back through history to the saints who gathered around Jesus at the Passover Table so very long ago.

We are all on pilgrimage still, and the pilgrimage defines the course of every Christian life, even the lives of those whose traditions and backgrounds are very different than our own. The Psalmist says:

Happy are the people who strength is in you!
whose hearts are set on the pilgrim way.
Those who go through the desolate valley
will find it a place of springs,
for the early rain has covered it with pools of water.
They will climb from height to height,
and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion. (Psalm 84:4-6 BCP)

Every Christian life is lived on pilgrimage, a pilgrimage that wends its way to our heavenly home. Hand in hand we travel to “Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV).

Lent is a time marked by a conscious awareness of our pilgrimage through this habitation of dragons (Isaiah 34:13-14) wherein we dwell. This is a time of self-examination. There is no discovery of the knowledge of God, without self-discovery, but that self-discovery must be made under grace and the forgiveness of God. This is a time of discipline when we lift our drooping hands, strengthen our weak knees, and make straight paths for our feet (Hebrews 12:12).

This Lent enter once again on the holy adventure, the pilgrimage to Canterbury. Take up your Book of Common Prayer and pray Morning or Evening Prayer each day. Take time to read something a little challenging. Try Brother Lawrence’s little book, The Practice of the Presence of God; or perhaps a more modern works such as Henri J. M. Nouwen’s, The Way of the Heart. If you want something to stir your thinking, try Brian D. McLaren’s, A Generous Orthodoxy; or even an old classic like St. Athanasius, The Life of Antony from “The Classics of Western Spirituality”. Any of these titles are available through Amazon, and some of them may even be found in a local bookstore.

Some practical Lenten encouragement from Sister Magdalen Stanton at St. Scholastica Monastery will help us on our way. She says:

“As we start thinking of Lent, we frequently wonder what we can give up. How about giving up complaining, or bitterness, or being pessimistic or judgmental? While giving up is beneficial, there is great value in giving to, which can take many forms: Alms, food and clothing to agencies who distribute them to the poor, extra monetary donations to your favorite charities, and direct service to others are ways to give. Service to others allows us to use some creativity—we all know people who need a listener, who need a little special attention or help, or whose life would be enhanced by something as simple as being treated to a pleasant lunch, a freshly baked cake, or even a greeting card to let them know that they are in your thoughts” (St. Scholastica Monastery Oblate Newsletter February 2007).

The life of a pilgrim should be marked by balance, a balance between the earnest desire to seek the face of God, and the call to serve Him in serving others. It is this same balance of prayer and labor that so marked the lives of many ancient pilgrims who have gone on before us. The pilgrim seeks the face of God, and “God wishes to be seen, and He wishes to be sought, and He wishes to be expected, and He wishes to be trusted” (Julian of Norwich). This Lent let it be your desire to be an intentional pilgrim, not an accidental one.

Faithfully, Father Rob +

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