One of the descriptors in the brief bio I sometimes use in publicity for my parish or retreat center gigs goes something like this: “She has a commitment to accompanying adults in their on-going journey of faith.” What a sleeper statement … for the privilege of traveling with, journeying with, those who struggle to and then find God in all things has been the delight of my professional and spiritual life. Like the sacred work of spiritual directors and pastors and religious educators, to share in the journey ultimately informs your own.
Journey is the theme of our Gospel for today. Does it sound familiar? One week and one chapter away now from Jesus’ sending out of the disciples, the mission has been entrusted to the seventy-two! (Who are these folks? – unnamed leaders who represent the Christian mission in Luke’s own day?) Talk about the multiplier effect! This advance team for Jesus carries the same urgency and single-minded mandates embraced by the Twelve: carry not even the basic supplies and protections, welcome hospitality, preach the Good News, discern possibilities, shake off what is not producing fruit, don’t look back.
One difference between the two commissioning stories caught my imagination… This time Jesus says “Go!” Can’t you hear him? Begin, he says. Don’t let all the what-ifs paralyze you. Free yourself from the false sense of security of packs, cloaks, and sandals. And then keep on going, when you grow weary, when the road ahead is covered with forest or fog, when the detours seem to take you further from home. And look around. There just might be someone ready to join you in the journey – someone who, like the Mission of Loyola Jesuit Center, is willing to accompany you as you seek a deeper friendship with God, a God who is both our destination and the ultimate companion on the journey.
Christine Eberle, a popular retreat leader and facilitator of Days of Prayer at Loyola, has a new book of meditations coming our way. Finding God Along the Way: Wisdom from the Ignatian Camino for Life at Home (due for release in January, 2025), is Christine’s spiritual travelogue as she walked in the footsteps of Ignatius. One early reviewer heartily endorses the book as a read for not only the bucket-list pilgrims in our community, but for “all of us who lace up our shoes each morning to walk through the holy and challenging terrain of our own lives.” As we plant our feet and then put on our walking shoes today, may we find companions who will tend to us, no matter the terrain. And may we find opportunities to accompany another toward that Greater Friendship.