Reflection by Cora Adam
On Thursday, February 16, 2023, students and friends of the Saint Benedict Institute filled the auditorium in the Martha Miller Center at Hope College. The lecture, “What Do You Want? Pilgrimage and Desire In a Faraway Place,” distinguished between want and desire and spoke to the power of placing Christ first in one’s heart. Dr. Richard Ray shared his stories of traversing the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route to the burial site of St. James. Dr. Ray is a Professor of Kinesiology and teaches a senior seminar on pilgrimage. He is the author of Walking Gratefully and The Shape of My Heart.
The first words Jesus says in the Gospel are, “What do you want?” These words are pertinent because they set our hearts to something. Fixing one’s heart on Christ and seeking to do the right thing creates a transcending sense of fulfillment. Aristotle uses the word eudaimonia or “flourishing” to describe the ultimate goal of giving more of yourself to others. We must set our hearts on something unfading and eternal to flourish. What one truly desires, loves, and longs for is more than just wanted.
Dr. Ray realized the path to flourishing on his pilgrimages. He traveled the Camino de Santiago in 2016 and again in 2019. He described his 32-day pilgrimage as a “sacred journey to a sacred place for a sacred purpose.” Throughout history and literature, pilgrimages are a source of controversy in which pilgrims wrestle with their life’s meaning. Examples include Moses’ journey to the Holy Land, the Emmaus road, Homer’s Odyssey, and the spiritual longing exhibited in the Canterbury Tales.
The Camino de Santiago, or the way of St. James, is a 500-kilometer route from France towards the Atlantic. It brings pilgrims from all over the world who wish to seek out God. The pilgrimage is physically challenging. Pilgrims walk twenty miles a day over varied terrain. Dr. Ray met fellow travelers from around the world, from different backgrounds and life circumstances. Some people on the journey were seeking clarity on their vocation, atoning from sin, fulfilling vows, or on vacation and enjoying the history and natural beauty.
The Camino de Santiago humbles its travelers and reshapes their hearts. The sacred journey forces one to set aside desires for material things, control over life, and perfect health and reminds one of humility and compassionate humanity. On the route, towns host pilgrim hostels. Walking for many days while trusting in God and receiving help from others tunes one into what they most desire. There are also many churches to visit and priests who bless pilgrims on their journey. It allows God and worshipping God to become a habit.
Contemplation, prayer, and preparation are essential to pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is an opportunity to retreat from daily life and to pray without ceasing. The dedication required for going on a pilgrimage gives time and space to reorder wants and reshape hearts. By worshiping, wanting, and desiring Christ, Dr. Ray was able to change his life for the better, orienting his life around Christ. He urged the audience to think about what we most desire. He advised that if we wish to participate in a pilgrimage, we need to plan carefully and then give ourselves to God.
Dr. Ray had such tremendous gratitude for the impact of the pilgrimage that he returned to the ancient footpaths again. The process and the journey are where the change takes place. Rejoice through challenges! The experience left him feeling “flooded with grace” and hope.
Photo credit: Adam Vander Kooy
