Troubadour Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George + March 2015
Courage, Pilgrim! by Mother M. Maximilia I have been on a number of pilgrimages in my life, mostly to well-known sites: Lourdes, Fatima, Rome, and Assisi. One unlikely pilgrimage destination was Denver, Colorado. The year was 1993 and I was an unsuspecting college student. Although I looked forward to this incredible trip, when the doors of the bus closed behind me, I did not realize I was on the threshold of a journey that would literally change my life. I am speaking of World Youth Day with Pope St. John Paul II. I can summarize my experience of this pilgrimage by asking and answering three questions. 1. Why did I set out? 2. What did I experience on the way? 3. What did I find in the end? Why did I set out? I knew the 1,400 mile trip would be gruel-
ing, but the energy and enthusiasm of youth allowed me to see the inevitable hardships as an adventure! The overall sense of adventure was not primarily bound up with the details of the journey, but with the person of John Paul II. I was intrigued and attracted by the depth of his insight into the human heart. His irrepressible faith in God’s mercy and the goodness of life had awakened something inside of me. In other words, the faith of John Paul II had communicated to me the promise of something great. What did I experience on the way? The first few days of the pilgrimage were exciting. Everything was new and spirits were high. I was impressed and edified by everything. And then came the day when I realized I was tired of living out of a suitcase, sleeping on hard floors, and eating hamburgers. Little did I
know then that we would eat many more days’ worth of McDonald’s before I could say that I had seen the Pope! I had reached the point of being disgusted with the bus, the sleeping bag, my companions, and humanity in general. And I was disgusted with myself for being disgusted. I had begun to lose my courage. To lose one’s courage is to lose one’s heart. It means that one forgets one’s deepest desires which is the reason for setting out on the journey. In my case, I had lost sight of why I wanted to be at World Youth Day with the Pope. This can also be said of life in general. On the path of life, we lose courage when we cannot remember the promise of glory that made it possible for us to strike out with confidence. What did I find in the end? I discovered that my general feeling of disgust was shared by everyone on the bus. Dorothy Day once said that the greatest penance is to suffer the shame of our sheer inability to be generous. So it was with us. This made us more understanding of each other and revived what we so desperately needed – a sense of humor! I did indeed finally see the Pope. That is an experience I will never forget. I was moved beyond all expectation. At that moment, I learned that God’s promises are real and that no amount of hardship invalidates them. At journey’s end I found my heart. Courage, pilgrim!