Blessings on the Journey

I don’t know the first time that I heard the saying “blessings on the journey.” It’s a saying that requires both no and so much thought. What’s the journey? Am I on one now? Where am I headed? Who is journeying with me? 

Now, I don’t claim to have all the answers to these questions, but after a bit of reflection, I have some thoughts.

Over the last six months being in DC, I have had the privilege of partaking in a plethora of incredible religious events, including talks by Cardinals and Bishops about Catholic Social Teaching, encountering many relics, visiting shrines, and encountering Jesus in those who I get to accompany. However, with so many great experiences of faith, the most impactful for me have been the processions that I have gotten to partake in. From the procession honoring World Migrants and Refugees Day to the procession for Our Lady of Guadalupe, I have walked down the middle of some of the busiest streets in DC. 

There are many reasons why I enjoy engaging in a procession, from the communal singing to the beauty of prayer as movement, but the reflections processions offer me on our earthly pilgrimage is what I want to focus on and share with you!

During these events, our earthly pilgrimage, the pilgrimage all of us share, is further illuminated. 

First, each of these processions began at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in DC and ended at a different church around DC. By starting and ending at a church, we are beginning and ending our journey by being with God. The same holds true for our earthly pilgrimages. Each of us begins our life with God choosing who He wants to live and who He wants to live Him and out of His love and mercy we are born. Throughout our days on Earth, we walk forward in hopes of meeting God again at the end of it.

During a procession, you encounter and walk alongside so many individuals who all have their unique stories, but for a few hours along the way, our journeys intersect. We come together, young and old, rich and poor, from all walks of life to journey together, whether that be for a few miles, hours, days, months or years. We walk together to meet Jesus, and as we go, we urge each other with our lives and testimonies toward Him, by our love and life. 

So, as you continue your earthly pilgrimage through life, towards Heaven, I say, “blessings on the journey.”

Question for Reflection: When have you walked in a procession or taken a journey that reminded you of your walk towards Heaven?