To Be A Pilgrim – Br. James Koester
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One of the things which fascinates me about the saints is that often those things for which they are most remembered and venerated, probably never happened. We keep today the feast of St. James and John the Apostles. As you know, James is remembered in parts of the Church as the one who first preached the Good News of the Gospel in Spain. It would appear that today only Spaniards believe this, for the earliest accounts of St. James’ travels to Spain only goes back to the seventh century. Truth, at least of the historical kind, seems to be unimportant when it comes to devotion to James, for even today his shrine in Spain continues to be one of the great places of pilgrimage in the Church.
According to that story, sometime after Pentecost, James travelled to Spain to preach the gospel. So far so good. But it gets better. While he was there, the Virgin appeared to him on the banks of the Ebro River, and commanded him to return to Jerusalem, where he faced his martyrdom. This apparition of Mary, known as Our Lady of the Pillar, is the first apparition of the Virgin, in a long series that includes Lourdes, Fatima, and Walsingham. But it gets better. Mary is presumed to have been living in Jerusalem at the time, so this was not so much an apparition, as it was an act of bilocation. Curiously, or not, some of the earliest archaeological evidence of devotion to Mary in Spain, dates to the fourth century, not far from where this apparition is said to have taken place. Another story of James’ martyrdom is that his accuser immediately repented and suffered the same fate as James. Following his death his body was transferred by to Spain, either by angels, or floating in a stone boat.
Tradition, apparitions, and floating boats made of stone aside, what we do know about James is that he was the first apostle to die, beheaded at the orders of Herod Agrippa.
So, what is it about this apostle who attracts so many stories and whose shrine continues to attract thousands of people a year to a place where he probably never set foot? Having been on pilgrimage myself, I think it may have less to do with James than it does with the event of pilgrimage.
To be a pilgrim, regardless of where you go, or how you get there, is to be open to God. To be a pilgrim is to be open to God in order that God may surprise you.
Some years ago, I walked the St. Cuthbert’s Way, the 60 mile pilgrim route from Melrose, Scotland where Cuthbert began his monastic life, to Lindisfarne, where he lived for so many years. On my pilgrimage to Lindisfarne, I was surprised by God any number of times. I was surprised that I could actually walk that far. I was surprised by the conversations I had with complete strangers who were also walking. I was surprised by how close I felt to Cuthbert as I walked through a landscape he would have known. I was surprised by how nature became a revelation of God to me. I was surprised, by myself, my those who walked the route at the same time, by people I met, and by God’s companionship.
Having seen people on the route, later in the pub, and again in the hotel, I was surprised by the bond we developed. On the last day of my walk, having crossed the mudflats to Lindisfarne, I sat as two women approached. They and I had followed each other for four days but had barely spoken. Once they too crossed the flats and sat down, we watched in total silence as the tide come in. It felt as if we had known each other for years.
People who come on pilgrimage to the monastery say much the same thing. Having arrived as strangers, passed one another silently in the halls, eaten in silence, worshiped day by day here in the chapel, they leave, perhaps not even knowing the other’s name, but they leave as friends, united in a common experience of God.
St. James may have never gone to Spain, but that is irrelevant to millions of people who have made the pilgrimage to Compostela where his shrine is. Pilgrims aren’t going places simply to see the sites. Pilgrims don’t go to shrines as tourists do to stately homes. Pilgrims go to be surprised by God, and to discover a bond with other pilgrims that only silence can create.
But the truly surprising thing is that you don’t have to travel thousands of miles to be surprised by God. You only have to be a pilgrim. And you can be that, right here and right now, by opening yourself up to the power and presence of God.
Thanks for the sermon which has enlightened my spirit. We are indeed pilgrims else’s or anywhere. It is a lifetime journey in pursuit of the faith which leads to the experience of God. Silence is an important ingredient in the pursuit of God. In silence we focus on God through meditation of the Word and God comes to us.May the good Lord help us to learn and to experience Him more and more.
omG! thank you brother + james , yes=the most wondrous ! !
i know you heart wants the third !
but i dont want to give you that ,
here is why …
i dont want your monk heart or mind to get “too big … ”
it could but dont go that route; ! please sir …
ok/ dont / get a big ego boost from my supreme thankfull-ness,
for this posting / …et yet/… wow =brother !!! you hit it out o the park
go NY
you hit /the nail squarely upon the head of deepening /and invitatorially
inquiring… that…. one soul ,/ must =/ press forward . thank you … tremendously good sir .
Thank you for your profound and enlightening reflection!
I write from Greater Boston but I’m from Spain, with ancestors from Zaragoza, by the Ebro River, where Our Lady of the Pilar is venerated (I have an image of her, given by my mother, near my desk).
As I child, my parents took us to Santiago de Compostela many times and I knew of Camino de Santiago much before Official Camino Passports and Certificates were even ideated, or the route marked., or it was known internationally as a walking “destination”.
A member of our congregations is just back from the UK, where she walked, coincidentally, the St. Cuthbert’s Way.
I’m approaching a period of sabbatical and I often find myself wondering if I should embark on a pilgrimage on foot, and which one would be the “right one”, the truly meaningful and profound one to take.
Then, here is your sermon, leading me to a halt: “But the truly surprising thing is that you don’t have to travel thousands of miles to be surprised by God. You only have to be a pilgrim. And you can be that, right here and right now, by opening yourself up to the power and presence of God.”
Thank you and God bless you.
A friend sent me your sermon as I am preparing to walk the Portuguese Camino to Santiago in a week. The timing was perfect. I needed this.
My wife and I went to Lindisfarne not on foot but on a bus. Because of the tide, we had to cross to the island before dawn. We were sleep deprived, as our hotel room was right across the street from a bar where a raucous party had been going on until the wee hours of the morning. The island was nestled in fog, and the faint sunrise found us walking among the ruins of the ancient priory alone, in half-light that seemed both spooky and numinous. Every sound was muffled except for the wild cries of the seabirds. Only when the sun was higher and the fog began to burn off did we realize that our walk had taken us close to a large flock of remarkably quiet sheep. I go there again and again in my mind, where as tourists we unquestionably became pilgrims.
Insightful and inspirational sermon. Thank you. I walked to Santiago last year and it was the process of pilgrimage which was transformational. Slowing to walking pace allows you to be open to God and to others and that remains.
A very nice sermon, Brother James! Thank you. As you say, we can open ourselves to God’s presence and power right here and right now. God is everywhere after all.
Thank you for this story. I am a Spaniard on my father’s side. I grew up with those traditions and folklores. Even if not 100% historically accurate, these stories have a kernel of truth.
Magnificent sermon, Br.James! I have never been to Compostela, but have been to other places on pilgrimage, especially Emery House and the Monastery. Your description of watching the tide come in on the mud flat at Lindisfarne reminds me of all the times I’ve watched the ocean tide come in and go out and how swimming in the ocean is for me to be held in the palm of God’s hand.
Thank you Br James for your words on pilgrimage. I returned to the Holy Land this past April, 2022. It was a wonderful trip, but very different than my first trip in 2016. I realized when I returned home, the sidewalks. were very similar to those in Jerusalem, although with less stones and sand. My encounters with others on the pilgrimage was quite special, but indeed my encounters with neighbors,as I walk the dog, are different, but no less special. Our God is present on the streets of Jerusalem, in my neighborhood and on your street as well!
Thank you for this reminder!
Marilyn
Perfect timing for me to receive this in my mail today. I will be hiking the Camino Portuguese for a week to Santiago beginning September 5th. I have been planning this for three years (thanks to the Pandemic), and now it is actually going to happen, God willing. But I was talking about it to my boss the other day, and suddenly I felt this cold chill in my heart. What after all this time–planning, thinking, talking about this trip–what if I make this pilgrimage and feel nothing? I have done contemplative work and felt it has changed my life. I have been thinking the pilgrimage will change my life, but what if it doesn’t. Will I look back with regret on the entire enterprise as a wasted effort to get closer to God?
i think I need to let go of this sudden “cold feet” feeling, and follow your advise, trusting that God will surprise me and I will feel that bond with my fellow pilgrims. So thank you for this.
What a familiar feeling. I walked this route last year and it was transformational. Your Camino will be what it is meant to be for you. Slowing down to walking pace gives you a lot of opportunity to feel surrounded by God’s presence. My anxieties disappeared with the first step. Buen Camino.
Loved this reflection on pilgrimages! I’ve been blessed to make a few, very meaningful journeys like that to Iona, Ireland, & Spain – but did not have the words to describe these experiences of “ Being surprised by God along the way, and meeting new friends through the deep bond of silence.” Many thanks to Brother James!
If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (From Hebrews 11)
Thank you for this beautiful reflection
I really enjoyed listening to this sermon and reflecting on my own experiences of pilgrimage. It allowed me to see some things in a new way. Thank you, Br. James.
Lovely ……
Thank you…….
Life is a pilgrimage, all of these same events happen daily. One wonders, is depression the losing of the appreciation of the. Encounters?
Great commentary on pilgrimage