Pilgrimage

Ash Wednesday
He’s on the road
         waiting for me

today we begin
a forty-day walk
to Jerusalem

I lace up my shoes
and follow
from a safe distance

but it’s bound to happen
His eyes will catch mine
and I must summon the courage
     not to look away

for in His loving gaze
questions arise
        memories
        hopes
        and fears

and we will
carry them all
        to Jerusalem*

 Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. – Luke 9:51

Questions as you begin your Lenten pilgrimage:

• What feelings does this poem or these images evoke in you?
• What do they tell you about what you are carrying on your Lenten journey?

Credits:
Photo of hiking boots and scallop shell on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela from Paulo Coehlo forum. Labelled for reuse.
“Pilgrimage of Sight” by Brian Whelan was featured in explore, a magazine from the Ignatian Centre of Jesuit Education in Santa Clara California. The painting is owned by the vicar of Blythburgh Church in Suffolk, UK. Used here with permission.
“Pilgrimage” by Esther Hizsa from Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, 2015.

© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2020
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-20  http://www.estherhizsa.com