Way of the Pilgrim: Lost & Found

I’ve considered myself a pilgrim since I was 19. Why? Because in 2002 I went on my first pilgrimage to Toronto for WYD.  
 
World Youth Day is a massive gathering of young people who desperately are searching for God and come to encounter him and celebrate with the Pope. My life has forever been changed because of these gatherings, and countless others have been as well.
 
I have followed that first trip by preparing for and going on mission or a pilgrimage of some sort for the last 14 years:
 
2002 - WYD in Toronto
2005 - WYD in Cologne, Germany
2006 - Mission in Peru
2008 - WYD in Sydney, Australia
2011 - WYD in Madrid, Spain
2013- WYD in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Mission in Maceio, Brazil

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​This is the first time I’m not preparing or going on pilgrimage. You could say the case of #fomo is running wild inside me this week. As an extrovert to not be amongst my friends and millions of fellow Christians is hard. Especially from my quiet office in Saskatoon.
 
But as I was watching a live stream of a prayer gathering happening for WYD in Krakow, I came to realize I forgot what it meant to be a pilgrim somewhere along the way. The tears streaming silently down my face are not from missing out, but that I missed being who I was.

Brothers and sisters, we are pilgrims every day of our lives if we admit our brokenness and need for a healer. The question is simple. Can I be real, honest, and vulnerable to those I trust to seek help, forgiveness, healing and consolation? Will I simply allow God permission to work in my confusion, hurt, pain, and indifference?
 
Recently, the answer is I haven’t. It is just that simple. But, now upon reflection, I see God has taught me at least fourteen lessons for these 14 years:

1. A pilgrim is a person who makes decisions.
   
2. A pilgrim asks questions.
   
3. A pilgrim pays attention.
   
4. A pilgrim is a sinner.
   
5. A pilgrim is loved.
   
6. A pilgrim prays.
   
7. A pilgrim is not alone.
   
8. A pilgrim respects others.
   
9. A pilgrim shares.
   
10. A pilgrim hurts.
    
11. A pilgrim can’t skip ahead.
    
12. A pilgrim rejoices
    
13. A pilgrim goes home.
    
14. A pilgrim rests.

I do not need to be away to be a pilgrim, as much as my heart yearns to be. A pilgrim is on a holy journey, seeking answers to questions they often don’t even know to ask. A pilgrim is someone who through challenges is cracked open to grace to nourish one's soul. A pilgrim is someone not at their destination, but intentionally drawing closer day by day.

What lesson is God teaching you on your journey this day?

- Colm Leyne