Clergy Notes — Sunday, September 23, 2018

This week on Tuesday I walked to work. It is five and a half kilometres and I was energized and extremely proud of myself. However, they do say pride comes before a fall.  Wednesday, I was a little sore!

Why not take the bus? Well there are a few reasons for that, one of them being that it was a gorgeous day, at some point it will begin raining, and we won’t see the sun until late May of next year if we’re lucky! The main reason however, is that I have begun walking to see just how far I can walk in a day and how it feels, both physically and spiritually.

Next year after Easter I will be heading to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago, something I am very excited about. The Wardens and Fr. Kevin have kindly agreed to let me have the time and I will be gone for five weeks in total.

The Camino has many routes all of which lead to Santiago where the remains of our patron Saint James the Greater are buried.

In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make pilgrimages to special holy places or shrines. It was believed that if you prayed at these shrines you might be forgiven for your sins and have more chance of going to heaven. Others went to shrines hoping to be cured from an illness they were suffering from.

I am not going for either of these reasons, rather, having been encouraged by my confessor to walk, I am seeking the rhythm of prayer in the act of walking. As many of you know, I prefer to pray in an active way, although silent prayer and the daily office are part of my life too.

The apostles walked all over the known world when they were spreading the gospel and growing the early church, so I will be asking them to pray for me and perhaps impart some wisdom as I travel. In the meantime here at St. James’ we will be looking at the Book of Acts in our Formation this fall, and I hope you will be able to join me on this journey.

See you soon,

Mother Lucy