One week from today, the pilgrims from St. Mark will be at the tomb of St. James in the cathedral in Compostela. We will have arrived, after 71.5 miles of walking, at our destination. It is a little strange for a group of Lutherans to be doing something like a pilgrimage to such a prominent medieval shrine. Luther pooh-poohed on such things and most of us were taught that as children that they didn't really matter much. My experience with such things suggests something different. Certainly, we are looking for something different than the pilgrims of Luther's time. Yet, I wonder if we aren't, in many ways, looking for the same thing, namely a deeper connection to God and the benefits that brings. Why else would we walk to this church? We could just fly in, visit, and fly out.
The walking builds relationships. In our walking we build relationships with those who travel with us, with those around us and even with those who have gone before us and, we would hope ultimately, with God. The walking gives us time and, as we know, relationships take time.
If my experience of these things in the past is an indicator for our experience now, I suspect that we will see something far greater than some bones in a very old box.
No comments:
Post a Comment