With a thesis on Pilgrimage in the works, I have been
defining and narrowing a definition of Home and Away, and what it means to be a
foreigner on a journey with a destination. Why does our heart feel so free in
places like the Camino in a way it doesn’t feel at Home? What is it about Home
that changes when we return from a pilgrimage away? Is it possible to bring
pilgrimage to Home or is it something that happens when we leave? These are the
questions I wrestle with as I uncover the historical and theological roots of
this ancient practice.
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| This city I call Home. |
Christian Mystic, Catherine of Siena, describes places of
wonder at the presence of God as “thin places.” These places beguile and
inspire, sedate and stir; these sites loosen our grip on routine and give us
new breath and a vision of “the good life.” Thin places are glimpses of God;
the gap between heaven and earth collapses and we lose our bearings to find new
ones. We are drawn to these places because they shed light on our real Home –
the home we journey towards in life with God.
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| With Jessica on the Camino de Santiago : August 2014 |
This idea of Home has been rolling around in my soul as I
consider next steps after graduation and where it might lead me. I don’t want
to remain in the Shire* and the comfort of my Hobbit Hole apartment that I have
lived in for the past four (almost five) years. I am challenged to conquer new
mountains and tackle new transitions. To step out of the shire can be scary and
new; it offers unforeseeable changes to lifestyle, routine, and forces you to
live in the questions. Leaving the comfort of home, one is put in the position
to be disoriented and jolted out of old ways of seeing the world. Yet, it is
only in the tension of here and there; the presence of suffering and joy; the dance
of challenge and ease that we truly transform.
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| The lights are always on at the Lily, welcoming me home. |
If life is truly about transformation, we should run from the
Shire anticipating the unknowns as the catalyst to change. And if there’s
anything in life I truly desire, it is this Adventure of faith wherein there is peace knowing God as Emmanuel, God with me wherever
I go.
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| These people are what Home is about. |
*Its t
Thin places, heh, Little One? What a lovely metaphor. Thank you for finding it for and sharing it with us. Best wishes in your continuing search for worldly and inwardly thin places. Please continue to keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteIn the LOTR, they return to the shire after the adventure. I wonder what that says?
ReplyDeleteGreat questions and thoughts here sis!
In the LOTR, they return to the shire after the adventure. I wonder what that says?
ReplyDeleteGreat questions and thoughts here sis!
True for Samwise, but Frodo doesn't return to the shire. He can't integrate his changed self into his old environment, thus has to continue on and find a new home (with the elves).
DeleteI wonder what that says? ;)