Preparing for Pilgrimage ~ WYD Sydney 2008

In 19 days time I will be setting out on pilgrimage as chaplain to a group of 170 young people from the diocese of Westminster to the XXIII World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia. During the next couple of weeks I shall be posting some thoughts and reflections on the theme of pilgrimage and journey as I prepare myself to be a pilgrim again

I often wonder if we consider human experiences and needs as expressions of our need for God. Hungers need to be satisfied and thirsts need to be quenched. Restlessness, dissatisfaction and itchy feet often invite us to pursue new paths and new ways. In this time and with this group of people, we have been called to be pilgrims. We are on a different road with new people and we need to reflect on this so that we might grow in this journey. The author of Psalm 62 conveys the depth of longing for God that is at the heart of pilgrimage.

O God, you are my God, for you I long for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you like a dry weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory.
Psalm 62.

For centuries men and women have journeyed to distant places known for their holiness, so that they might become closer to God. The condition of a pilgrim was very popular in medieval times. The reasons for undertaking the pilgrimage varied from person to person. For some it was a penitential exercise; absolution from their sin would only happen at the journeys end. Other pilgrimages were undertaken in thanksgiving for a favour obtained or to seek healing from disease. Often the reason for the pilgrimage was just to be in a place associated with Jesus, or where some of the great saints of the Church had ministered. The physical closeness of these icons of holiness nourished the faith of the pilgrim. But being a pilgrim is more than just setting out to reach a significant destination, To be a pilgrim is also an attitude that requires a certain state of mind and heart. For the Christian, a pilgrimage is an intense lived experience of baptism. The pilgrim's journey is a symbol of the desire to follow Christ, to walk the way of holiness. I think that there are four pillars to pilgrimage

• Thirst for God
• Community
• Prayer
• Service

A pilgrimage is an intense living out of the journey we undertake towards intimacy with God, and paradoxically this intimacy has its genesis in community. The pilgrim soon learns the benefit of sharing the journey with others and in this need community is brought to life. A moment of profound encounter with Christ is often realised in the word, embrace or concern of a fellow pilgrim. We could say that growth cannot be achieved in isolation, but in dialogue and relationship.
We are all people of worth. John of the Cross and Teresa of Jesus learned to revel in the fact that God delighted in them, that they were people of immense worth and dignity; simply that they were precious to God. Community or - to put it more generally - Church is a celebration not just of the reality of my own worth but of the worth of the whole of creation. The language of this celebration is prayer, and the action or liturgia of this celebration is service.
Pilgrims today are not so different from the pilgrims of yesteryear. Our ways of travel may be more sophisticated, making the modern pilgrimage easier, but the lessons to be learnt by the pilgrim remain the same. A pilgrimage is not just the action of an individual, but of the Church. The pilgrim seldom undertakes the journey alone, but journeys with others.
The pilgrim has a ministry to others on the way: a ministry of attentiveness to fellow pilgrims, a ministry of prayer for the needs of all. Above all, the pilgrim is called to share the gift of who they are, seeking authentic relationship with Christ and one another. The pilgrim also seeks solitude for those moments of prayer that nourish faith, that affirm and challenge, that quench the thirst we have for Christ but leave us wanting a more intense experience of encounter with him. A pilgrimage is an expression of the joy that comes from knowing Christ, and of the hope that we have in our future with him.
Some attitudes for pilgrimage

• Be aware of others
• Be joyful
• Tell your story
• Listen to others
• At times, be still.
• Pray
• Encourage

To be a pilgrim is to proclaim Christ in our midst. The destination of our pilgrimage is immaterial, for if we desire to follow Christ, Christ is our destination. Let this time awaken within us the desire to be a pilgrim people, journeying together, sharing talents and needs, as we seek the Christ in our midst, he who is the beginning of our journey and its end.

A favourite book - Fr Elijah

Michael O'Brien presents a thrilling apocalyptic novel about the condition of the Roman Catholic Church at the end of time. It explores the state of the modern world, and the strengths and weaknesses of the contemporary religious scene, by taking his central character, Father Elijah Schäfer, a Carmelite priest, on a secret mission for the Vatican which embroils him in a series of crises and subterfuges affecting the ultimate destiny of the Church.
Father Elijah is a convert from Judaism, a survivor of the Holocaust, a man once powerful in Israel. For twenty years he has been "buried in the dark night of Carmel" on the mountain of the prophet Elijah. The Pope and the Cardinal Secretary of State call him out of obscurity and give him a task of the highest sensitivity: to penetrate into the inner circles of a man whom they believe may be the Antichrist. Their purpose: to call the Man of Sin to repentance, and thus to postpone the great tribulation long enough to preach the Gospel to the whole world.
In this richly textured tale, Father Elijah crosses Europe and the Middle East, moves through the echelons of world power, meets saints and sinners, presidents, judges, mystics, embattled Catholic journalists, faithful priests and a conspiracy of traitors within the very House of God. This is an apocalypse in the old literary sense, but one that was written in the light of Christian revelation.
"I've read thousands of books, and this is one of the great ones. I hope tens of thousands read it, and are shaken as I have been. It's a novel that grips one like a thriller — indeed it is a thriller, but also something far deeper. There are love and friendship, interwoven with drama, but what it is essentially is faith, faith in the Christ."
— Sheldon Vanauken, Author, A Severe Mercy
"Father Elijah is that rare thing, a great novel which is also a testimony to orthodox Catholicism. But it is more even than this. Basing himself squarely on Scripture and human experience, O'Brien has produced a prophetic work and a manual of spiritual warfare. This compelling masterpiece will stretch your imagination in the right direction. Read it and pray."
-— Stratford Caldecott, Centre for Faith and Culture, Oxford

"I guarantee you that once you take up this book you will not put it down until the end of the world. Here is a meaty page-turner with the pace of a thriller, beautifully written, and that something more that turns entertainment into literature."
— Ralph McInerny, Author, Fr. Dowling Mysteries

"... offers up a tale that is satirical, sly, and fast-paced."
— Booklist

"A joy to read. Smoothly crafted, the characters came to life for me. It is a classic story, told in an inspired, inspirational way ... wonderfully uplifting."
— Larry Bond, Author, Red Phoenix

Great Read!

I have just finished reading this book. It is beautiful, disturbing, hopeful and insightful all at the same time. Michael D. O'Brien is such a gifted author and I have always enjoyed the power of his story. He has a way of clothing the reader in the skin of the main character.

The Island of the World is set in the context of World War II and the entire region of Yugoslavia is torn by conflicting factions: German and Italian occupying armies, and the rebel forces that resist them--the fascist Ustashe, Serb nationalist Chetniks, and Communist Partisans. As events gather momentum, all hell breaks loose, and the young and the innocent are caught in the path of great evils. The novel follows the agony and the rising of Josip Lasta, the main character. From childhood to old age you follow Josip's life which is touched by both despair and by God's providential blessings. But the real story is Josip's spiritual journey. He has to learn to regain his faith in God, which was strong as a child but lost as a result of the evil he encounters. We see him, through the course of the novel, struggling with anger and hatred towards the people who turned his childhood world into turmoil. The real climax is when he encounters a mysterious figure, a priest in St Peter's Square (who is really Christ) and as a result sees that God had indeed been with him even in the midst of deep evil. Josip is thus changed and healed by the encounter and learns to feel charity for those who hurt him and to carry God's message of love and healing to all the hurt and wounded souls God places in his path along life. This novel cuts to the core question: how does a person retain his identity, indeed his humanity, in absolutely dehumanising situations? Through the life of Josip, O'Brien shows us that this will demand suffering and sacrifice, heroism, deep forgiveness and reconciliation, and even holiness. It is a story about the death and resurrection of a soul. This book will awaken your mind and stir your heart to its depths.

All of the elements that captivated the fans of O'Brien's other novels are here: exploration of the nature of faith, deep dialogue, extensive character development, and a writing style that makes the reader want to keep on going. Most important, O'Brien demonstrates, through fiction, the beauty of faith and grace. As with Homer's Ulysses, as with Tolkien's Frodo, we carry our wounds, our losses, our beloved ones and encounter the only thing we truly seek and hope for: the eyes of the One who can heal our wounds, embrace our hearts, save our deepest loves.

I highly recommend this book; fans of O'Brien will love it, fans of good Catholic literature will love it. It will touch you.