Today, our group arrives in Spain and gets acquainted with what lies ahead.
While it might seem that a pilgrimage begins on the departure day you’ve marked on the calendar, in reality, we begin our journey as soon as we decide to set out. For the pilgrim this means that the pilgrimage doesn’t begin the day you set out on the Camino, but it begins at home.
The same is true of a retreat. We begin as soon as we accept the Holy Spirit’s invitation (or inclination) to go deeper. The desire to pray (or the desire to want the desire to pray) is the first step. Who knows what taking that step might hold? We might have inklings, but truly only God knows.
We set out in faith. Like a pilgrim, our pilgrimage begins from where we stand. The Camino doesn’t begin in Spain, it begins at home. As we set out on this journey, we must ask ourselves: what do I desire from the days ahead? Is there a particular grace that I am asking God for? As I sit in prayer, is there something God desires for me during these days of spiritual journey?
Naming these desires and attentive to God’s desires for us, we can begin our journey on a sure footing. We need to listen to God and to our inmost thoughts to be able to follow the Spirit’s inspirations. Trusting that as we set out from what is familiar (home) and embrace the adventure that God has in store for us in the days ahead, we are not alone. God walks with us and is calling us to pay attention to the graces we need and desire in this moment.
Today, take some time to set aside a prayer space for these Camino Days. This may mean making a physical space where you will pray each day or it could mean choosing a prayer (like the Our Father, Hail Mary, or Glory Be) to begin and end your periods of prayer.
Once you’ve set this time/space aside, sit in prayer for a given time (5 or 10 minutes) and ask Jesus: “Jesus, what do you desire for me during these days of reflection? Where are you leading me? What are you inviting me to pay attention to?” Listen to Jesus’ response. Then share with Jesus what it is that you desire for these days. What grace do you desire? What gift would help you walk this Way with Jesus?
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