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The Gospel today resounds with warnings which echo in our times of wars and ecological crises. We are told there will be signs, then fearful events, before the Son of Man comes to liberate us. How can we understand the signs of our times? Discernment involves seeking to understand God’s desire for our lives, and then aligning ourselves trustingly to His will. When we find ourselves at a crossroads in life a walking pilgrimage can be a good way of discerning the right path. An outer journey can free us to focus on our inner journey, on questions of meaning and purpose. It may involve experiences of vulnerability to the elements and of dependence on the goodwill of strangers. Pilgrimage involves stepping out of the cares of one’s daily life, working role and family relationships to become a marginal and transient person, often the recipient of hospitality, but sometimes of hostility.

  

Pilgrimage may be an experience of companionship with others or of solitude. There may be times of silence, of looking inwards, and occasions of encounter with others, of looking outwards. There may be meetings with strangers who challenge our assumptions about ourselves and the world.

Walking pilgrims must divest themselves of excess physical, psychological and spiritual burdens and carry only what is essential. However we should not discard tradition or experience thoughtlessly, or we may throw out some crucial piece of survival kit.  

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Walking is a lesson in humility. It necessitates acceptance of problems: there is no point railing against the rain, steep hills or aching knees. Recognition of one’s smallness and transience in this world promotes humility. The dust of the road erodes pride and rain washes self-delusion away.

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The spirituality of walking pilgrimage is grounded by the constant contact with the Earth’s surface and the slowness of movement across the landscape. Feelings of awe at creation or of unity with it may arise. There will be opportunities for liturgies, prayer, for being open to God and for discernment. Pilgrims are on a covenantal journey, with those who walk with and welcome them, with those who have gone before and with those who will walk the way in the future. They can walk alongside others and accompany them in their discernment.

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The outer pilgrimage ends, but the inner journey can continue through discernment and reflection. The hope must be that at the end of our pilgrimage through life we might be better prepared to stand before the Son of Man.

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Phil McCarthy leads the Hearts in Search of God project. For more information visit www.pilgrimways.org.uk