On our best lent ever program Matthew Kelley asked this question in so many words ” Are you a Pilgrim or a Tourist on this earth?”
Instantly that question brought back memories of when I went to Medjugorje in former Yougoslovia, in March 1990.
I don’t know why, but for the grace of God I did not go on this journey to Medjugorje as a tourist as I normally would have when I traveled, but I went as a pilgrim.
“So what is the difference?”
Well,; as a pilgrim I went seeking God, His Mother, and finding an awareness of holiness, that I was told was present in that holy place.
Those of you who have heard my conversion story that I told here for mothers and others two years ago know that I was not disappointed in the holiness that I found in Medjugorje, and that I came away knowing what it felt like to be a Pilgrim versus a tourist. Here then is a reflection on what I feel it means to be a Pilgrim/versus/Tourist on this earth.
A pilgrim knows that life is a journey, we believe in heaven.
A pilgrim looks at each day as a gift from God = each day is a new beginning.
A pilgrim enjoys life more, and gives of their = time, talent, and treasure.
A pilgrim focuses on what matters most in life, and seeks after the truth.
A pilgrim is aware of the presence of God, and all that is holy in their daily living.
A pilgrim is aware of how they treat themselves, and how they treat others.
A Pilgrim Prayer = By Thomas Merton
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain, where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I am following your will, does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you, does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything part from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
Though I may not know anything about it.
Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem lost in the shadow of death?
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
And you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Let us ask ourselves this question?
Are we Pilgrims, or are we Tourists, on this journey called life?
