Today was the day of the pilgrimage around the island. I was looking forward to it. After walking the West Highland Way and then not doing any serious hiking I was missing it. I was ready to get back out on the trails.
I hadn't really thought about the fact that this was a guided pilgrimage. With other people. It really changed things. The pace. The rhythm of when to go and when to stop. Where to pause to soak up the surroundings.
I was finding it rather frustrating. And was a having a hard time letting myself really engage in the experience.
Until I started to chat with a woman from Finland. At first it was mostly idle chit chat but then she mentioned the Finnish word for pilgrimage. Pyhiinvaellus (pronounced puhenviles). It translates roughly into trekking with the saints.
I was struck by the phrase. I love it. And it totally changed my attitude. What did it mean to we trekking with the saints of old, and the saints in the making around me?
And it got me wondering about the rest of our faith lives. How often do we think of our lives as pilgrimages in and of themselves? Not nearly enough. And how often do we stop and realize we are all trekking with the saints. Journeying together with a cloud of witnesses, and fellow travelers on The Way.
Trekking with the saints. Beautiful isn't it?
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