I walked into our empty church building and felt out of sorts and empty. The inside has been completely gutted, only the ceiling and brick walls intact. What caught my attention was the floor, torn up in places revealing dirt and gravel. As a walked I noticed the underground piping system which carries water in and out of the building. A trough has been created to carry water to our new baptismal font. On top of this system of pipes the floor will be poured and shaped.
This underground network of pipes carry water….life…in ways we are totally unaware. We walk on the floor as water is flowing in and out underneath our footsteps. The foundation has a life of its own.
The foundation of our lives is God, whose presence flows in and out of our awareness, our memories, our prayer. This “foundation”…God….dwells in our hearts and we are usually completely unaware this Divine Indwelling. As we walk over the floor of our church, unaware of the life that is flowing underneath, we walk through life disconnected with the very Foundation of our lives.
Pilgrimage is walking with a purpose, with a deeper awareness the very Presence that “grounds” our lives. The more we are grounded in God, the more inner peace we have; the better we make decisions; the more patience we have; the ability to forgive and let go of bitterness increases; the less likely we are to complain ; the more we give thanks.
Every time we walk, whether around the block, in the park, along the lake or on a Camino in Spain, we can open ourselves up to this life giving foundation. Whether we walking freely, with a cane, or a walker or a wheelchair, we can be on a pilgrimage that gently reveals the hidden “underground ” presence of God.
Buen Camino. Fr. Frank