Once there was a woman—let’s call her Mabel—who decided to walk the famous Camino, the pilgrimage route that ends at the tomb of the Apostle St. James, at the church of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Every year over 400,000 pilgrims make this journey, many of them beginning across the Pyrenees Mountains along the border with France, following a carefully-marked path, along which are located simple guesthouses where pilgrims can sleep at night. Mabel, besides being somewhat high-strung or emotional, was rather proud and stubborn, so she decided to do things her way; she started walking in the opposite direction from everyone else. It was already dusk, and people tried to dissuade her, warning that it would soon be dark and that going in the wrong direction was a bad idea. Mabel wouldn’t listen; she set off—and sure enough, a few hours later she was hopelessly lost in the dark and crying over her situation. Then she saw lights in the distance, so with renewed energy, she walked into the town—only to discover it was the town she had left earlier; she had been walking in a giant circle.
Not learning from her mistake, the next morning Mabel began once again walking away from Santiago de Compostela. However, the yellow arrows mounted on trees or signs and marking the pilgrimage route were all facing away from her, so she didn’t see them—and again she became lost, even in the daylight. As she sat weeping by the side of a road, a car stopped, and the driver kindly gave her a lift back to her starting point. Taking this as a sign, Mabel finally decided to follow all the other pilgrims. However, she still had a lot to learn. Even though she was now going in the right direction, Mabel continued to want things her own way. While all the other pilgrims got up early in the morning, Mabel slept in; she would arrive at the next guesthouse late in the day, when it was already dark, and in trying to find a place to lie down, disturbed everyone else’s rest.
After a few days of this, Mabel was ready to quit: she was tired, her shoulders hurt from carrying her back pack, and there were blisters on her feet. Other pilgrims, of course, had similar problems, but over their journey they had come to know one another, and were constantly encouraging and supporting each other. That, in fact, is a major part of the entire pilgrimage experience. Mabel, in her pride and stubbornness, hadn’t made any of these connections. In a rare moment of humility, Mabel admitted this to herself, and decided to give it one more day. She got up early and set out with the other pilgrims, prayed and talked with them along the way, listened to their stories, and shared some things about herself. All this helped: her backpack seemed lighter, and her stride became stronger, and a few days later she and the others reached Santiago de Compostela. As she later said, “Things in my mind began to change, and a little bit of clarity started to come. I just felt that something inside me started changing, and it was very good” (Fr. Edward Linton, OSB, “The Priesthood as Pilgrimage,” The Priest, July 2024). It’s God’s plan that our lives be a journey of spiritual growth and self-discovery—and for this to happen, we need time alone and time with others, times of solitude and times of sharing. Only if we let the Holy Spirit lead us in this way can we be sure of reaching our goal of Heaven.
Jesus had sent out the apostles on their first missionary journey, and when they returned, they told Him everything they had done in His Name: driving out demons, healing the sick, and preaching a gospel of repentance and salvation. After listening to their joyful report, Our Lord then invited them to rest with Him in a deserted place. So it is with all followers of Christ: there are times when we must be actively involved with the people around us, and times when we need to be apart from others. God can be encountered in both these experiences. As St. Paul says, Jesus came to bring peace to those who were far off, and to those who were near—in other words, God’s grace is available to us at all times and in all places, if only our hearts are open.
Surveys show that an increasing number of Americans—especially young adults—claim to be “spiritual,” but not “religious.” Aside from the fact that this description can also be applied to the devil, the idea that one can somehow relate to Jesus while ignoring the authority of His Church and neglecting to receive the grace of His Sacraments is, at the very least, foolish—and potentially dangerous. Very few people are called to go off in the wilderness and live as hermits; most of us are created with a deep inner need for human fellowship. This need is not a weakness; it’s an important way in which God Himself relates to us and helps us grow in holiness. The Lord wants His children to offer each other a good example, encouragement, and support. Those who foolishly try to get to Heaven on their own, or—to use New Age terminology—seek “enlightenment” or “personal fulfillment”—are in danger of getting lost or going in the wrong direction, as Mabel did at first. The Lord relates to His people not only as individuals, but as part of a faith community—meaning the Church. We are called to journey to Heaven together.
At the same time, each of us needs periods of quiet and solitude. It’s not enough just to worship God at Mass once a week; we also need regular experiences of Scripture reading and personal prayer—ideally, every day, even if just for fifteen minutes. This is where much of our growth in holiness will occur; this is how we can be spiritually renewed after the busyness of life and the demands of being with other people. In this regard, quiet time in front of the Blessed Sacrament in church is especially valuable, along with the grace we gain each time we worthily receive the Eucharist. When we die and meet Jesus face to face, we don’t want to be strangers. No, at the moment of judgment, we’ll want to be Our Lord’s friends—and a sign of true friendship is a desire to spend time with the other person, relaxing in and enjoying each other’s presence.
Too many people today are like Mabel, stubbornly insisting on having things their own way when it comes to their spiritual journey through life. Fortunately, she repented. We can only pray this will also be the case with others in danger of getting spiritually lost or going in the wrong direction. Our Lord seeks to guide His flock through personal encounters with Him and through active membership in His Church. May we have the wisdom, humility, and courage to hear and answer the call of our Shepherd.
