Skip the schedule and read the quotes... "The Pilgrim"

originally: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2006

"Strannik" -The Pilgrim

As most of you know, I leave again November 1st. It has been such a blessing to be at home for such a long time -watching Bobby's kids, helping with retreats, and just being available to people. I first will be traveling to Ireland to give some parish mission talks next weekend at Fr. Tom Ryan's parish (some of you remember him as our 'Irish Missionary' at St. Thomas for about 10 years). After that I will be traveling to England for a few days to meet and speak with some University students. Then it is on to Poland where I will be serving for a few months -praying, meeting with people for spiritual direction and giving retreats (I especially ask for prayers for my retreat over Christmas/New Years for 60-80 students on the vocation of men and women). Hopefully all will work out with my visa and I will be able to then spend 3 months or so in Russia (February-April?) serving the people who I grew so close to those 2 years I lived in Siberia. And after returning to Poland I will most likely be returning home again sometime later on next summer (although that all must be planned out yet).

As always, I entrust all my work to your prayers, and I want to promise you that you all will be in mine as well. In Jesus, we are always united as one.

Strannik" is the Russian word for a holy pilgrim. As I re-read some writing of Catherine Doherty the past few weeks (see the link), I saw how my life which seems very strange to some, actually makes quite a bit of sense to her. When people ask what I do, I often answer that I am a 'pilgrim hermit' -one who tries to live the contemplative life in the midst of the world, bringing Jesus to people one heart at a time. I thought I would share with you a few quotes from her book:

“Out of some depth unknown to them (pilgrims) hear a voice. They may not see Him who called, but they know. They know who it is who called and they cannot resist. They have to arrive. They have to go out of big cities, out of beautiful surroundings, out of rich houses with soft and downy couches, away from wine, song… they had to go. They had to go and nothing could hold them back…Those pilgrims have a strange way of listening… Half the time they don’t know where they are going, and many in the beginning don’t even know why. But this persistent strange voice, that was no voice at all, spoke distinctly, though it wasn’t audible.”
“A pilgrim goes to preach the gospel with his life –person to person –to anyone at any time. There is no rush. There is no rush at all...

"...It is a strange pilgrimage. It is utterly unhurried. It is a pilgrimage whose only goal is the heart of God… It seems, therefore, that the pilgrimage of such people is formless. It is formless! Now he is here, helping somebody build a house. Then when the house is built he moves on, walks long stretches, until God places before him another (work). And the pilgrim stops again. And again he performs that which is of need to someone else. Maybe it will take him weeks. Maybe he appears to settle there wherever it is, but he never settles. He is always on the march. His particular task finished, he moves again. There is no settling down for such a pilgrim. Sometimes it may take him years to do what God asks of him…but his heart is always waiting for the next call..."

“The pilgrim has a heart that must encompass the world.”

Love you all, in Jesus. Amen.

Fiat.