An Example of a Pilgrim

Today was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We are used this day as a day of reflection and prayer. I see this as very important. We have been experiencing many things on this pilgrimage during this first week and today gives us a chance to reflect deeper on the meaning and significance of what we are doing and why we are in the Holy Land. We can take all the outward gifts that we have been receiving and allow God to bring them inward, into the depths of our hearts and souls.

This morning we heard a talk by one of our priests on the significance of the Immaculate Conception in our lives as pilgrims. As I heard him speak, I was reminded that Mary is our model for this journey. I am learning that being on a pilgrimage is not easy. It takes much faith and trust in our Lord. Since our departure on this pilgrimage, I have had to leave behind many of my attachments and comforts, but I am seeing that God is blessing me with something new. He has taken me out of my regular routine and has opened up new horizons.

As I reflect on our pilgrimage in light of the Immaculate Conception, I realize that the life of Mary is the perfect example of a pilgrim. In saying yes to becoming the Mother of Jesus, Mary abandoned her own will and allowed God to take her to places where she would have never imagined. She was taken to a stable in Bethlehem, where we had Mass the other day, to have a child, and she was later taken to Jerusalem to watch her child die on a cross. Mary’s pilgrimage was not easy, but in allowing God to guide her in a new direction her life was filled with joy, purpose, and meaning.  Each one of us is on a pilgrimage to the heavenly Jerusalem.  Through the example of Mary, may we be open to the Holy Spirit and allow God to take us to new places, places that we would have never dreamed or imagined, so that our lives will be filed with a sense of renewed joy, purpose, and meaning.