Day by Day, Oh Dear Lord Three Things I Pray

Pilgrimage can be very rigorous; the geography is unknown, schedules collide, sleep is limited and personalities clash. Anyone who has been on pilgrimage in a group knows there is a particular time when the group itself becomes a tinder box and one more challenge will spark an explosion. This moment usually takes place as pilgrims are trying to get their bearings as to the lay of the land. It’s a time when all you can see is your discomfort because the big picture - God’s plan for you during this time - has not yet come into view.

Any pilgrimage group experiences these growing pains. Wrestling with personal comfort and group dynamics can be daunting. After all, it’s easier to take a van into Philly, pay $25.00 (or more) a day to park and walk right into the Convention Center – isn’t it?

Well, after the navigating the directions to the train station, the ticket booth, the train schedule and the stairs to get to the train, we take a seat on the train and settle in for an hour ride (includes the stops and transfer) into Philadelphia.

It’s on this ride that the preoccupation with self-centeredness begins to fade and pilgrimage begins to catch light and glimmer. Two DOGR pilgrims talk with a gentleman and learn he has just been released from the Department of Corrections facility and is heading back home to his family. Their exchange includes conversation about life’s transitions, parenting, belief in Jesus, and prayer.

Another DOGR pilgrim talks with a gentleman who is supportive of Pope Francis visiting, but as a street musician, he loses out on weekly income to support his family because he will not be able to play during the visit. The pilgrim freely gives him money to offset his loss, knowing that he needs the money more than she does. This man however, recognizes that the other gentleman just got out of jail and in turn gives him the money. In an act of further generosity, both men make sure we know how to make our train transfer.

It becomes clear that a comfortable van ride into Philadelphia does not allow for this level of encounter. A pilgrim places themselves at the disposal of the Holy Spirit. It’s in the exchange with another, the encounter of lives, that the Spirit works its wonders. Our task is to cooperate, to go out of our comfort zone, to pay attention, to transform the lives of others and to be transformed. God is working wonders here in Philadelphia. We have no idea how his plan will reveal itself daily. That is the mystery and magnificence of pilgrimage. We just grab our empty backpacks and try to pay attention to what He will place in it day-by-day.