"I will hear what the Lord God will say, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts." from Psalm 85
The picture of journeying, of seeking, of movement from one place to another, has always resonated with me. Some of my favorite stories have that theme. The Fourth Wiseman, where Martin Sheen's character spends a lifetime seeking Christ, in a way he thinks necessary yet ultimately seems futile, only to find in the end he has always been with Him. In The Rabbit Proof Fence, three little aborigine girls traverse a thousand miles by foot to return to their homes. In The Way of a Pilgrim, a man devotes his life to wandering the Russian countryside in hopes of finding spiritual direction.
In my own life, my long distance running seems to be a picture of what is going on inside. Whether I'm running 13 miles, 26.2, or something in between, along the way I find the journey is truly the goal, not the finish line. The finish line is only a temporary stop until another beginning to a new journey.
The nation of Israel wandered for 40 years in the desert. Much of that wandering was their own fault due to their disbelieving, but still they would have journeyed. Philip in the book of Acts travels wherever the Spirit leads him. In each of our own hearts, I think the Spirit still leads us today on a journey.
The spiritual life can be summed up in this aspect of journey, of seeking. What we are called to do, day by day, moment by moment, is to turn our hearts to Christ. To the Christ of the Church, to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and to the Spirit of Christ within each of us. We may travel many distances, and many different places looking to find inner peace. But ultimately it is only found within us, in the Spirit of God that has been born in each of us. Yet the human heart can be deceptive, it can move and gyrate and twist itself in new directions. Which leads us to always return again to the center, to the Spirit of Christ. And in a journey of silence and solitude, we turn again to that Spirit within.
The picture of journeying, of seeking, of movement from one place to another, has always resonated with me. Some of my favorite stories have that theme. The Fourth Wiseman, where Martin Sheen's character spends a lifetime seeking Christ, in a way he thinks necessary yet ultimately seems futile, only to find in the end he has always been with Him. In The Rabbit Proof Fence, three little aborigine girls traverse a thousand miles by foot to return to their homes. In The Way of a Pilgrim, a man devotes his life to wandering the Russian countryside in hopes of finding spiritual direction.
In my own life, my long distance running seems to be a picture of what is going on inside. Whether I'm running 13 miles, 26.2, or something in between, along the way I find the journey is truly the goal, not the finish line. The finish line is only a temporary stop until another beginning to a new journey.
The nation of Israel wandered for 40 years in the desert. Much of that wandering was their own fault due to their disbelieving, but still they would have journeyed. Philip in the book of Acts travels wherever the Spirit leads him. In each of our own hearts, I think the Spirit still leads us today on a journey.
The spiritual life can be summed up in this aspect of journey, of seeking. What we are called to do, day by day, moment by moment, is to turn our hearts to Christ. To the Christ of the Church, to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and to the Spirit of Christ within each of us. We may travel many distances, and many different places looking to find inner peace. But ultimately it is only found within us, in the Spirit of God that has been born in each of us. Yet the human heart can be deceptive, it can move and gyrate and twist itself in new directions. Which leads us to always return again to the center, to the Spirit of Christ. And in a journey of silence and solitude, we turn again to that Spirit within.
posted by Athanasios at
5:26 AM
|
0 Comments
