Buen Camino!

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 88; PM Psalm 91, 92  1 Samuel 3:1-21; Acts 2:37-47; Luke 21:5-19

At this time tomorrow, twenty-five pilgrims will be flying out for a journey to Spain. We will walk the last 100 km of the Camino de Santiago. We will walk to find ourselves. We will walk to grow deeper in relationship with God and one another. We will walk to listen for the ways God is calling us to follow the Way of Saint James – and the Way set out for us by Jesus Christ. This is a pilgrimage of faithfulness, adventure, and surely some fun.

Our band of pilgrims includes twenty teenagers from Saint Stephen’s and five (brave) adult chaperones. We will walk and pray, sharing meals and making life-long memories. There will be obstacles we cannot anticipate. There will be grace that we do not deserve.

The intention for this endeavor is for young people to practice spiritual discernment, apart from the other distractions of life. What big, beautiful things could happen if we invite these burgeoning adults to listen intentionally for God to call them? Are they too young for this kind of experience? We see in Holy Scripture (appointed aptly for today in 1 Samuel 3:1-21) that the boy Samuel served the Lord in the Temple under the priest Eli. As Eli’s eyesight diminished, the Lord began calling Samuel by name in the middle of the night. Samuel believed his mentor was calling. Eli knew more: “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Be still and listen, he advised. The Lord called Samuel. Prepared by the counsel of Eli, the boy responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Samuel shared the vision with Eli. As Samuel grew into a prophet, the Lord was with him and “let none of his words fall to the ground.” (v. 19)

The story of Eli, Samuel, and God inspires me today – that the Lord will call these twenty youths, as they search for what it means to be young people in this time. God will be calling my four chaperone friends and me, too. Our steps will be of prayer, nourishment, uncertainty, and glee. We will walk daily, embracing moments of silence and laughter. We will make new bonds of care and connection. All with God’s help and your prayers. Over the next two weeks, I ask that you pray “buen camino” for us – to have a good path, spiritually and physically – for that is the prayer that we will offer others we meet along the Way.

Faithfully,
Katherine+

Reflection and Challenge

Each of us meets the Lord in varieties of ways. How do you listen for God? Do you need to be in conversation with others? Or silence and isolation? To be in nature? Set aside some time this week to pray and listen for God’s call for you. Journal and reflect on what the experience is like – for regardless of what we hear from God, our openness to listen shapes the way we live in faith.