The Joy of the Journey

I remember as a child, whenever my family would prepare to go on a family vacation, my mother would clean the house from top to bottom. I always asked mom why she made such a fuss about the house being clean when no one was even going to be there to see it. At first I thought that maybe it was because she wanted one less thing to worry about when she got back. I think another part of it was, that if something happened to us, God forbid, a relative would not come in to find our house in disarray.

As I got older and able to drive, I realized that I loved to take road trips in my car. I would always make sure that the oil had been changed recently, the gas tank was full, my course was carefully mapped out so as to make perfect time, and the right CD’s were selected and just an arm’s reach away. I was very methodical and planned for almost every occasion.

Just a few weeks ago I took a trip to visit a friend of mine who lives in Banquete, TX. The drive is approximately four and a half hours. As I was leaving College Station, I was focused on taking the right roads and making good time. I had never been to Banquete so I was worried about whether I would be able to find my way. A friend of mine told me about one of the old painted Catholic churches that is located in High Hill near Schulenburg, TX. I was told that I had to stop and visit to see the beauty of the church. As I drove through Schulenburg I looked desperately for the sign that told me where to turn to go to High Hill. For one reason or another, I missed the sign telling me where to turn. I realized that I was excited about my time in Banquete. I was focusing on the things that I was going to do and the conversations that I was going to have. I was focused on my destination.

I had a wonderful time in Banquete. I drove back to College Station completely relaxed and ready to face the challenges that awaited me when I returned home. I noticed things along the drive that I had not noticed the first time. As I passed through Schulenburg, my attention was directed towards a sign on the side of the road. Lo and behold, there was a sign for St. Mary’s Church in High Hill. I applied the brakes a little too rapidly for the current conditions and did not take into account the swiftness of the oncoming traffic but by God’s grace alone, I made the turn without injury.

I was rewarded for my faithfulness in following the sign. I do not think that my words will adequately express the beauty of this church. I fully expected to find the church locked up tight at 6:30pm on a Sunday night, but I found the front doors open. I walked into the Church and I felt my breath taken from me instantly. The beauty was overwhelming. I walked up towards the front of the church and cautiously took my place in a pew. I began to recite Evening Prayer which is something I was recently taught how to do. I was looking up at a statue of Mary which is at one of the highest points above the altar. As I began to pray the Magnificat, I experienced a feeling that I had not felt before. It felt similar to the feeling when you get a chill or find yourself getting goose bumps, however, it lasted the entire time I prayed our Blessed Mother’s prayer. I was struck dumb and filled with joy at the same time. I got up and left the church and drove the next fifty miles with the widest eyes you have ever seen. It was truly a wonderful and grace filled moment.

After reading all of that you are probably wondering what my point in telling the story is. By now, if you have been reading my blog you will know that while the following point I have to make is simple and easy to grasp, it will take many words to convey it.

Life is a journey. This is a metaphor that we have all heard and sometimes take for granted. Hopefully, all of us have the goal of being faithful to God and obtaining eternal salvation in Heaven. The destination for all of us is clearly defined. However, there are many different routes that we can take and sometimes the routes we plan do not always work out.

Knowing that we are about to embark on a journey, we prepare ourselves. We educate ourselves in our faith. We learn many lessons in life that allow us to obtain the physical goods necessary for the journey. We try to maintain good health. We want to make sure that our bodies will stand up to the rigors of the journey we call life. However, at times, we spend so much time in preparation that we lose sight of the journey itself. In today’s times many of us have said that we are too busy to get more involved in church. We are too busy to spend quality time with our family. We are too busy to take a vacation, too busy to get a good night’s sleep, to read the Bible, or too busy to exercise. We are so busy planning for the journey of life and making sure that we have the physical objects we think we need as sustenance that we get hypnotized by the road ahead and miss what we are passing by.

Once we do finally embark on the journey, some of us are too focused on the destination to enjoy the path we take. That or we are so convinced that we know the path we need to take, that when a detour is put in our path, we completely give up and lose our way. Sometimes despite the warning signs of fatigue, illness, depression, or physical pain we continue on our path instead of listening to the signs that tell us to take a different direction. We know the path that we are on is not good for us but we put our nose to the ground and push forward. We do this because we believe that we know the way and if we try hard enough we can get where we are going without asking directions. When things are bad we push forward because we believe that there is something greater and better waiting for us once we finally reach our destination.

The journey need not be overly difficult. God does not expect us to know everything that lays ahead of us on the road to salvation. Our Lord Jesus does not expect us to know the way that is why He tells us, “Come, follow me.” He is the way, the truth, and the life.

God does not ask us to plan for five days from now, five years for now, or even fifty years from now. God does not want us to live for the future. He wants us to live for today. How many times have you told yourself, if only I can get through tomorrow things will get better. Eventually you tell yourself, if only I can get through next week or next month, everything will be better. In the process of waiting for something better we miss what we already have. A good and very holy priest recently said in a homily, “we should not pray for the things that we want, we should pray that we want the things that we already have.” God does not want us to live for the future. He wants us to live for today.

Occasionally when we are headed down the wrong path in life, God will let us know. Like the good Father, or the gentle shepherd, He will seek us out and guide us back to the flock. Sometimes the roadblock is a gentle suggestion of conscience to change our path. Other times, the road in front of us completely disappears until we decide to turn to God and ask Him to show us the way.

What about the destination? Are any of us sure where we are truly headed? Is the love and glory of God our Father something distant and far off? Four weeks ago we heard the answer from the book of Deuteronomy, “This commandment that I command you is not too hard for you; neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, ‘Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear and do it?’ But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that you can do it”

Knowing that, we need not look for God in far off places. He is in our heart. We have Him now. We need not worry about where we are going so long as God is in our hearts and leading the way.

In my own life I have learned that God sometimes leads you in a direction that you never think you would have gone on your own. In fact, sometimes He leads you down a road that you do not think your are equipped to deal with or qualified for, but in the end, you realize that by doing your best to be faithful to Him and paying attention to the direction in which He leads you, you finally start to notice the beauty of the journey itself.

So, my advice to everyone including myself is to slow down, turn off the radio of life, roll down the windows, take in the fresh air, and enjoy the ride with God at your side and let Him lead the way.

Pax Tecum,

Tom