Summer, what does it mean to you?
Longer days and shorter nights affect how we feel, and what we choose to do
with our time. Those extra hours can be filled with a sense of duty to work harder
for some, while for others they become an opportunity to enjoy life a little more,
using those lighter mornings and evenings to relax or pursue hobbies.
There has recently been, and continues to be, an interest in pilgrimage. Perhaps
this is due to celebrity programmes on TV where we see a group of individuals
travelling together – sharing their thoughts, beliefs, doubts and life experiences.
As they journey together, we often see changes among them.
The last days of July are traditionally set aside for pilgrimage. The weather makes
it ideal for travelling and sleeping under the stars. Pilgrimages are not the same as
holidays. They are journeys to special places – very often Christian shrines, holy or
sacred places, springs, wells and standing stones. Important as the destination is,
it is not always the main thing. For many pilgrims it is the journey itself. It is an
inner and outer walk. The landscape outside and the journey of the soul inside as
they become almost inseparable, and both deeply sacred.
The word ‘pilgrim’ comes from the Latin word ‘peregrinus’, which means one who
travels through the land. In the Middle Ages, peregrini would set out from the
known and familiar, placing themselves in the mercy of new and unfamiliar
landscapes. This is still part of what changes us in our modern pilgrimages. We
discover things about ourselves, resources we didn’t know we had, and struggles
that seem hard to overcome, which we either learn, or fail to learn, to embrace.
With the craziness of this social media-mad world of ours, I wonder if many of us
would benefit from the odd pilgrimage or two? Giving intention to leaving the
familiar landscape of constant messages, emails, scrolling, and being available
every minute of each waking hour, in exchange for the beauty and silence found
across the Sandstone Trail or Bishop Bennet’s Way.
Jesus very often took himself away from the company of his friends to spend time
with God. I might choose to follow His Way this Summer and find some
unchartered landscape both outside and inside my soul – what about you? .
Rev Veronica x
From June onwards, Rev Veronica’s Day of Rest
will now be a Wednesday.
Rev Veronica Green
01948 663758; 07928 792337