By John Paul Lichon
Founder, Verso Ministries
I firmly believe that at the origin of any pilgrimage is an invitation – a beckoning, a call. Something pulls us, draws us in to something deeper, something more real. Maybe it’s a simple invitation from a loved one. Maybe it’s a “bucket-list” thing. But more than that, I’d venture to say there’s something deeper, something more carnal, at the heart of our invitation to be a pilgrim. To me, a pilgrimage is an invitation to consider a life more genuine and authentic, somehow both separated from the world but also diving deeper into the world around us.
Last night I drove the 2.5 hours from South Bend to Indianapolis to get ready for this Holy Land Pilgrimage with Nativity Catholic Church. One particular song kept drawing my attention over and over, and over, and over. 4 times in a row, in fact, I listened to “The Road Home” by Stephen Paulus.
Have a listen:
The invitation in our pilgrimage of life is one in the same. It’s a beckoning, a calling, an invitation to a life of authenticity – of truth, beauty, and love. It’s the same invitation that Jesus offered the disciples, and it’s so simple: “Come, follow me.”
A pilgrimage is a journey to discover life as it’s meant to be lived – to encounter beauty, to think about life’s most pressing questions, to truly engage with those we pass along the way. A pilgrimage is a physical journey which helps us to find our path along our spiritual journey back to God.
So I invite you to join us – pilgrims from Indianapolis – as we head to the Holy Land and attempt in our small way to respond to Jesus’ call, “Come, follow me.” We’ll be there for the next 10 days, and together, I’ll invite you to explore with us this invitation to find our way home.
Full lyrics: “The Road Home” by Stephen Paulus
Tell me, where is the road
I can call my own,
That I left, that I lost
So long ago?
All these years I have wandered,
Oh when will I know
There’s a way, there’s a road
That will lead me home?
After wind, after rain,
When the dark is done,
As I wake from a dream
In the gold of day,
Through the air there’s a calling
From far away,
There’s a voice I can hear
That will lead me home.
Rise up, follow me,
Come away, is the call,
With the love in your heart
As the only song;
There is no such beauty
As where you belong;
Rise up, follow me,
I will lead you home.
