On the Hill

“Blessed the man who finds refuge in you, in their hearts are pilgrim roads.” —Psalm 84:6

A reflection by seminarian Tommy Rhodes, Diocese of Owensboro, KY

Life is a series of moments, a path, a journey, a pilgrimage. No matter what words you use to describe it, we all enter into moments that extend beyond the plans we make or the paths we trek. Every one of these moments is unknown to us until we experience it. This universal experience lies at the heart of human life and defines the idea of pilgrimage. Every person is a pilgrim navigating the foreign lands of life, traveling from one moment to another, unsure of where the next step may lead, trusting in the path, knowing there is a destination. That path is a search, and that destination is God, but unlike a beach or a building, humanity’s destination has been seeking us out since the beginning of time. We hear in the first paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that, “at every time and in every place, God draws close to man.” God draws close to us in a series of present moments that we experience as a path, a journey, a pilgrimage.

At the close of my Propaedeutic Year of formation at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, I was blessed to embark on a pilgrimage to follow The Way of St. James, known as El Camino de Santiago, in Spain. I set out with my fellow Propaedeutic seminarians and two priests, passport in hand, and absolutely no foreign travel experience. With my backpack on and no idea what I was setting out to experience, I left the Holy Hill of Saint Meinrad for Spain.

The Way of St. James is a pilgrimage that I had heard of and read about before. Its destination is the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, where the tomb of the Apostle, St. James the Greater was found. St. James traveled to northern Spain, preaching the Gospel as Christ’s witness “to the ends of the earth” as Christ charged the Apostles at his ascension. Upon his return to Jerusalem, he became the first of the Apostles to receive martyrdom. After this, his body was returned to northern Spain and was buried in a tomb that was later discovered by a hermit around A.D. 820. This tomb and its subsequent cathedral became a destination for pilgrims to visit in a spirit of penance and devotion. As the tradition grew, routes began to develop and have now been well established, from Roman trade roads to well-marked paths.

We began our journey in Sarria, Spain, which is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Compostela. Setting out, we began walking through the Spanish countryside amidst hundreds of pilgrims from around the world. Each day consisted of 5-6 hours of walking amid praying the Liturgy of the Hours with my fellow seminarians and pilgrims, visiting small churches in town after town, and going to Mass. Most of the time, however, was spent talking to other pilgrims about their experience as we walked.

Now, the beauty of pilgrimage is that while no two stories are exactly alike, we all share in the experience of a journey, a path, a search, and a longing for something. Many of those I spoke to were Catholic, embarking on the Camino in a spirit of devotion and prayer. Many were not Christian and set out on this journey searching for other things like self-discovery or an escape from everyday life. No matter what brought someone on the Camino, there was always something that seemed to be the same in their stories, and that was a destination, a desire for a change in some aspect of their lives.

One man spoke of his search for peace and clarity after struggling with his mental health. Another spoke of mourning and recollection after the death of his father, who urged him to go on the pilgrimage. A mother and daughter spoke of a desire to simply share a journey together. In a series of vulnerable moments, each of these strangers shared their experiences and, with searching hearts, sought refuge in the company of others on the Way.

While on the Camino, a pilgrim’s needs are met by local communities that generously provide affordable food and housing. They find refuge in churches and restaurants when it rains and shelter in hostels for the night. In each moment of need, the pilgrim looks to the related good to fill that need. When you are hungry, you receive food; thirsty, a fountain to drink from; tired, a place to rest; alone, a fellow pilgrim to confide in. The real beauty of these places is that they point to a deeper reality, a deeper need that has led them on this journey: the need for refuge. Not a temporary place to sleep or to eat, but a true refuge to return to in every present moment. One that will seek you out and draw close to you as you continue your path, your journey, your pilgrimage. This place of refuge is God, a dwelling place, a rock, a stronghold who is always there in a series of present moments. God is the destination of our pilgrimage, the place of refuge that we seek amid the twists and turns of life. As we trace our needs and desires deeper, we find that below the surface, no matter how it appears, every need and every desire is a need and a desire for God. Every moment of our life, our path, our journey, our pilgrimage, is at its deepest a search for refuge in God. This is the beauty of pilgrimage: that there is no other destination than that place of refuge in God that is seeking us out always in a series of present moments.