2233AFC081222 – Run, Pilgrim! Run!
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Hebrews 12:1-2a – 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith
Before we get into today’s study, I want to say a little something about that title. Each essay starts with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance – a title and a Key Verse – and them we work together to put those seeds to work. When I started this on Monday, I had in mind to use this short passage from The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrews (the whole letter is fabulous reading!) and something about moving forward in life. Then a bit of a movie popped into my head and I had to chuckle a little as I realized that what was coming would be a little like this clip: Run Forrest! Run! (↔ Video Link!) Here we go then!
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! I sometimes wonder if The Apostle Paul was a young athlete before he received his call from the Lord. There are several instances in his letters where he alludes to being in a race. It’s a good analogy, I believe, because – like our daily lives – it has a start, a course, a purpose, and a destination. When we think of a race, we think of the winner as being the one who is the fastest, or strongest, or most skilled. Not all courses, though, are designed for speed, or strength, or talents. For instance, take the idea of a pilgrimage into consideration – it has a start, a course, a purpose, and a destination. It’s not something one races through; in fact, the outcome of the pilgrimage is often better if we take our time following the course. We will look at some other characteristics of this “race” format called Pilgrimage. Before we get into that, though, I have to give credit to Rev. Fr. Nicholas Apetorgbor for helping me to grasp this idea. He emphasized the point that Pilgrims need to have Planning as part of their pilgrimage. Here’s what grew from that Faith Seed:
In this race, the pilgrim needs to have a plan and be patient, persevering, prepared, and prayerful. Let’s take some time to look at each of those.
- Pilgrim
- Plan
- Patient
- Persevering
- Prepared
- Prayerful
Pilgrim – a sojourner, someone who undertakes a sort of quest for religious reasons such as edification, devotional sacrifices, or in thanksgiving for blessings received or anticipated. These wayfarers might travel alone or in groups. As pilgrims in this World, we start out on a journey. I have at times quoted – more or less – Robert Zimmerman (i.e., Bob Dylan), “I was born a long way from home and I’m on my way there now.” It is indeed 
a long road, the Road of Life, and we need to pay more attention to where we’re going and less attention to where we’ve been. Pilgrims rarely take off without some sort of plan for where they are going and how to get there. One very notable exception is our old friend, Abraham We need a plan.
Most of us reading this have a definite information in mind, our bags are unpacked and closets cleaned out, and we’re just waiting for that trumpet to sound. As we wait to either board that long train coming or hear Gabriel blow his horn, there are things we need to tend to. One of them is nicely illustrated in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. At one point in the narrative, Pilgrim sheds his burden. His burden is all the worldly distractions – including “progressivism” – which he carries and mulls over as he goes. Eventually he comes to a cross and a grave and realizes that it is only the salvific Grace of Christ’s redemption through conquering death and sin. This is the connection with the liberation of Forrest Gump. He got rid of what was holding him back and miraculously went far beyond any conceivable improvement. Because we are pilgrims, we, too, have to know where we’re heading (starts with H) and who is going with us (starts with J not S). Therefore, if we know where we’re going and who is going with us, we need to have a plan to deal with what or who we encounter along the way. We have to deal with bullies just as Forrest did. We get rid of what holds us back.
The worst bullies are the ones sent to us by the Foe who the Prince of the Air. We also have to deal with obstacles like the mountains and valleys in our lives, the raging rivers and surging seas. Fortunately, we have an exceptionally well-organized guidebook called the B.I.B.L.E. which describes to us every possible choice in planning our pilgrimage. Now, I’m sure you saw this coming, but I have to say, “Yes, it is the Absolutely Perfect Plan designed by God – his APP.” We have a plan, and it includes a M.A.P. (Measure of Actual Progress); therefore, the only way we can get lost is to refuse to use these important planning tools. Next on our list is to be Patient.
Frankly, this is one of the most difficult parts of a pilgrimage – it even has its own tune which usually floats up from the back seat on any long trip; “Are we there yet?” Sometimes it sounds like “Good morning, Lord. Thank you for this day. Will this be ‘the one?'” Sometimes it sounds like I Love to Go a-Wandering.” (↔ Music Link) The most patient 
people I know are continuing their pilgrimage in a state of suffering – not suffering brought on by the subordinates of the Foe – but rather from illness, loss, and/or pain. When such as these make use of the APP and the M.A.P., there is incredible patience because there is unfaltering Hope. Not all of us must bear adversity in order to have Hope, but among those who do patiently endure adversity, Hope is a welcome solace. Hope is what enables endurance so that we persevere in our journey.
The Apostle Paul tells us about perseverance in Romans 5:3-5 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (added emphasis) A little later on in Romans 12:12 he reminds us 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. This echoes our Key Verse shown above. Being prepared with these things can certainly make our pilgrimage here on Earth more rewarding. My dear friend in Maricopa AZ has reminded me that “All of us are issued the same sized suitcases. Some of us are just better packers.”
We pack to prepare for our journey. I confess I have a tendency to over-pack, to squirrel away, or to need a bigger suitcase. The same-sized suitcases are the 24-hour days of our lives. It’s usually GIGO – garbage in, garbage out – that throws us off track. As we get older, we also notice that our train of thought leaves the station before we get there (or we show up at the wrong station). What should we pack to prepare for our journey? Well surely the B.I.B.L.E., the M.A.P., and the APP should go with us. Those are all good things to have, but – for most of us anyway – it’s also good to have some persons traveling with us. One good reminder is in
Proverbs 3:5-6 – 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
When we overload our lives, it is often because we are overpreparing – taking ourselves too seriously. In the letter of James we read in James 4:13-15 – 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” 14 Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will 
bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” In the first reading for this Sunday, we have the account of a conspiracy against the Prophet Jeremiah. Another man declared a false prophecy (apparently for his own gain) and so supporters of that false Prophet convinced the king, Zedekiah, to have him executed by tossing him into a muddy, miry cistern (a local reservoir made of stone – Heb,: בּוֹר [bowr] ↔ Click Link {bore} pit, well, underworld, death). That was certainly not something Jeremiah had in his plan! However, he did have God with him, and it was in God’s plan for Jeremiah to be rescued. Our Psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 40, includes this in verse 2 – 2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
Do you recall who else was thrown into “a desolate pit?” Joseph was thrown into a pit (← Check it out!). His brother, Reuben, intended to return in secret and rescue him, but his brothers had already decided to follow a plan by another of Joseph’s brothers – Judah. Jeremian and Joseph both relied on the Lord to rescue them, and that is the sort of planning and preparation we should practice as well. In all their trials, they addressed God, THE El Shaddai, in prayer and rested on his guidance and mercy. Both of them suffered so that the greater good in God’s APP would be fulfilled. For Joseph, it was the saving of many including his own family. For Jeremiah, it was the assurance that the prolonged bondage of Israel by Babylon would result in a stronger Israel and eventually help make the incarnation of the Messiah possible. If we reflect on all the “success stories” we read in the B.I.B.L.E., all of them were men and women who had F.A.I.T.H. – they could say in all certainty “I am Fully Aware I Trust Him.”
Belovéd, we too are prayerful people, and we too know we can always trust God. We may not always understand his answers or easily discern his intentions, but we do know that God, and only God, have the Absolutely Perfect Plan. Something we sometimes (or even often) forget is that we are part of that plan! That plan always includes being freed from the burdens we take upon ourselves so that we can carry the Graces and Blessings God has prepared for us since The Beginning. Whenever it seems just too hard to go on, we have the narratives in the Bible to inspire and edify us. Jesus told the Apostles – and through them told us – that living a Christian life will include persecutions (← Check it out please?) and divisions: Luke 12:51 – 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! Why is that the case? Why should serving Christ be a divisive responsibility? I believe it is because we too easily follow the ways of our ancestors when it comes to idolatry. We would rather love and serve anything or anyone rather than God. Here is why I believe that: Matthew 10:37-39 – 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
So, ʻŌmea, like true pilgrims we must have a plan and be patient, persevering, prepared, and prayerful. Whether we walk, run, crawl, climb, fly, or skip our way up to heaven, we need to know where we are going and why we want to get there. It is because God has called us, and we have answered that call. Remember – God does not call the qualified. God qualifies the called. Sometimes all we need to be freed from our limitations is giving them up like Forrest did. We can win that laurel crown in this race of pilgrimages. Just remember, if you’re resting on your laurels you’re wearing them on the wrong end.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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