30 05, 2015

Pilgrimage 3 of 5

By |2015-10-15T18:58:05+00:00May 30th, 2015|Theology|

The Church Fathers compared the Jews´ time in the desert to a Christian's pilgrimage on earth. This is to ultimately lead them to the Promised Land. For us, earth is training ground to be able to enter the eternal Promised Land, but the Old Testament shows that the giants to be defeated are too great for natural powers to conquer. It takes supernatural power to enter the land of milk and honey...not because milk and honey are hard to obtain, but because of the enemies that block us. This is why sanctifying grace is so important to enter into heaven. Grace is not the "Price of admission," wrote Frank Sheed, [...]

21 05, 2015

Pilgrimage 2 of 5

By |2015-10-15T18:59:41+00:00May 21st, 2015|Theology|

Do we walk this Pilgrimage of life alone?  Or perhaps alone with God? On the Camino in Spain, I frequently hear young and old people  say "Well, everyone has his own Camino!"  Indeed, St. John Paul II said that each person is a particular image and likeness of God. So, yes—that means everyone's pilgrimage through life is equally particularized and beautiful. But I think the phrase "Everyone has his own Camino" would have confused JPII a little since he came from a tight-knit Polish family and group of friends, seminarians...notwithstanding the tremendous loss he suffered. Furthermore, that phrase would have never been heard on this Spanish pilgrimage 800 years ago. Why? Because they always [...]

16 05, 2015

Pilgrimage 1 of 5

By |2015-08-31T19:16:36+00:00May 16th, 2015|Theology|

This is a series not on my current pilgrimage, but on the Theology of Pilgrimage.  A priest-friend from Denver once said to me:  "Pilgrimage isn't just another analogy for the Christian life.  Pilgrimage is the reality of the Christian life."  That may not sound too profound at first, but the more I meditated on the Old and New Testament, the more I realized that every book of the Bible fulfilled these words.  It is no wonder that he had walked the Camino a few times. I'm in Spain now, but when I wrote this post, I was flying from India to Spain.  Flying over the Red Sea, I look at the computer [...]

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