Pope Francis has written the preface to his new book, “Faith is a Journey.” The book, published on November 6 by Vatican Publishing House (LEV), includes excerpts from several speeches by the Pope on the theological virtue of faith.
Vatican News
Vatican City, Wednesday, November 6, 2024 (REI): “When I was a priest in Buenos Aires, and also maintained the habit of bishop in my hometown, I had the habit of meeting fellow priests, religious, I loved walking through different neighborhoods to visit communities or talk to friends.” Walking is good for us: it connects us with the events around us, it helps us discover the sounds, smells and noises of the reality around us; In other words, it brings us closer to the lives of others.
Walking means not standing still: believing means having an inner restlessness that moves us towards something “more”, taking one more step towards the heights that we reach today, knowing that our relationship with God tomorrow this path will take us higher, just like the relationships in our lives with a loved one or between friends: never ending, never taken for granted, never completely satisfied. It doesn’t happen, it is always sought, but it is still not enough. It is impossible to say with God: “It is all finished; everything is in its place; that is all.”
That is why the Jubilee Year 2025 must lead us with an important dimension of hope to a greater awareness that faith is a pilgrimage and that we are pilgrims on this earth. We are not tourists or vagabonds: we do not wander aimlessly existentially. We are pilgrims.
Pilgrims live their path in the light of three key words: risk, effort and goal.
risk
Today we no longer understand what pilgrimage meant for Christians of the past, because we are accustomed to the speed and comfort of traveling by plane or train. But a thousand years ago, embarking on a journey meant running the risk of never returning home due to the many dangers along the way. The faith of those who decided to take to the streets was stronger than any fear. The pilgrims of the past teach us to trust in God, who called them to visit the tomb of the apostles, the Holy Land, or a particular pilgrimage site. We also ask the Lord for a small part of that faith, accepting the risk of abandoning ourselves to his will, knowing that his will is the will of a good Father who only wants the best for his children.
Attempt
Walking definitely means hard work. The many pilgrims who have once again flocked to the ancient pilgrimage routes know this well. I think of the Via Francigena, in Santiago de Compostela, and of the various routes that have emerged in Italy, dedicated to some famous saints or witnesses (Saint Francis, Saint Thomas, as well as Don Tonino Bello) thanks to the positive cooperation between They are inspired public institutions and religious organizations. Walking requires getting up early in the morning, preparing a bag with essential items and eating some simple food. One feels pain and thirst in the legs, especially during hot summer days. But there are many good things to be found on the way to this undertaking: the beauty of nature, the sweetness of art, the hospitality of the local people. Those who undertake the pilgrimage on foot – as many can attest – obtain much more than the effort made. They form beautiful relationships with the people they meet along the way, experience true silence and fruitful introspection that the frenetic pace of our times often makes impossible, and understand the value of the essential compared to the glamor of having all the unnecessary things. , but lose. view of the essential.
Aim
Walking as pilgrims means that we have a destination and a direction for our walk, a purpose. Walking means having a goal, not depending on chance. People who walk have a direction, they do not wander aimlessly, they know where they are going and they do not waste time going from one place to another. That is why I have often emphasized how similar walking and being a believer are. Those who have God in their hearts have been blessed with a guiding star: because of the love we have received from God, we have to love others.
God is our goal, but we cannot approach Him like a place of pilgrimage or a cathedral. Those who have made pilgrimages on foot know well that, ultimately, reaching the desired destination – I am thinking of Chartres Cathedral, which has experienced a resurgence of pilgrimages thanks to the initiative of the poet Charles Péguy a century ago – does not mean that feeling satisfied . In other words, while externally the pilgrim knows that he has arrived, internally he knows that the journey is not over. God is like this: He is a goal that moves us, a goal that constantly calls us to move forward because He is always greater than the idea we have of Him. God Himself explained it through the prophet Isaiah: “As they are higher heavens than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). With God we are never done. We are always on the way, always looking for it. But it is precisely walking towards God that gives us the encouraging certainty that He is waiting for us to give us His comfort and grace.
