Pilgrimage to the heart
For the last 3 days, I've been traveling around southwestern Indiana, doing a little hiking and visiting places. I had an idea of things to see, but I stopped a couple extra places and spent some extra time whenever I felt like it. When I would tell people at work I was going to be off 2 weeks, the first question was always "where are you going?" Like vacations and life aren't worth leaving if you don't leave home.
I didn't have to leave Indiana to find some interesting and inspirational places. My first stop was Terre Haute (slightly unplanned) to pray a labyrinth at St. Mary of the Woods College and the convent of the Sisters of Providence. I ended up being there half the day. The church of the Immaculate Conception is huge, and beautiful inside. Nuns began filling in after a while and the next thing you know Mass had started. So I stayed for Mass, lunch, and visited other sights on the campus: the shell chapel of St. Anne, a replica of the grotto of our Lady of Lourdes, and an outdoor stations of the cross. Catholicism has a rich contemplative heritage of it's own, I pray one day we Orthodox will be in communion with our western family.
After some hiking at Shakamak state park, I drove into New Harmony for the night. New Harmony is a kind of "new agey" place that in the early 19th century was the sight of a couple attempts at a utopian society. There are two outdoor labyrinths, plus a lot of gardens, one dedicated to the theologian Paul Tillich, one with a chapel dedicated to St. Francis; a roofless church with several pieces of artwork. Interesting place. And of course, I hiked a couple hours at Harmonie State Park.
The next night I spent at St. Meinrad monastery and seminary. I attended several services with the monks, including Vigils and Lauds at 5:30 a.m. That was unplanned, but the loud bells rang for 15 minutes starting at 5:15 so I took the hint I should be at church. On the way out, I drove up a hill to the Monte Cassino shrine. It was like a little chapel on a hill, very beautiful inside with western type icons. I sat and prayed silently for a while until the first visitor showed up. Between hikes, services, and jogs I began reading "Why Not be a Mystic?" by Frank Tuoti.
There were definitely some sharp contrasts during the 3 days. The ancient theology of the western world at St. Meinrad seminary, against labyrinths under full moons in New Harmony. Praying deep in the woods with nothing but birds and trees, against praying in a shrine or an incredible gothic style church. And upon my return home, a little of each. My woods I can see from this computer, with the leaves changing colors and falling to the ground, along with an icon of the Theotokos hanging in our living room.
So what did I learn, what did I gain from this short pilgrimage? There were no earth shattering visions, or audible voices giving me direction. But I did sense the presence of God. As a wild turkey or a fox darted in front of me in the woods; when a hundred women and men who dedicated their lives to prayer filed into church for mass; when I silently prayed in the shrine, at 5:30 for vigils, at a labyrinth, on a jog. And I sensed the presence of God when my family greeted me home, and when I gazed out to my back yard woods. "Christ is in our midst! He is and ever shall be." He truly is in our midst: wherever we are, so is He. What a powerful thought!
I didn't have to leave Indiana to find some interesting and inspirational places. My first stop was Terre Haute (slightly unplanned) to pray a labyrinth at St. Mary of the Woods College and the convent of the Sisters of Providence. I ended up being there half the day. The church of the Immaculate Conception is huge, and beautiful inside. Nuns began filling in after a while and the next thing you know Mass had started. So I stayed for Mass, lunch, and visited other sights on the campus: the shell chapel of St. Anne, a replica of the grotto of our Lady of Lourdes, and an outdoor stations of the cross. Catholicism has a rich contemplative heritage of it's own, I pray one day we Orthodox will be in communion with our western family.
After some hiking at Shakamak state park, I drove into New Harmony for the night. New Harmony is a kind of "new agey" place that in the early 19th century was the sight of a couple attempts at a utopian society. There are two outdoor labyrinths, plus a lot of gardens, one dedicated to the theologian Paul Tillich, one with a chapel dedicated to St. Francis; a roofless church with several pieces of artwork. Interesting place. And of course, I hiked a couple hours at Harmonie State Park.
The next night I spent at St. Meinrad monastery and seminary. I attended several services with the monks, including Vigils and Lauds at 5:30 a.m. That was unplanned, but the loud bells rang for 15 minutes starting at 5:15 so I took the hint I should be at church. On the way out, I drove up a hill to the Monte Cassino shrine. It was like a little chapel on a hill, very beautiful inside with western type icons. I sat and prayed silently for a while until the first visitor showed up. Between hikes, services, and jogs I began reading "Why Not be a Mystic?" by Frank Tuoti.
There were definitely some sharp contrasts during the 3 days. The ancient theology of the western world at St. Meinrad seminary, against labyrinths under full moons in New Harmony. Praying deep in the woods with nothing but birds and trees, against praying in a shrine or an incredible gothic style church. And upon my return home, a little of each. My woods I can see from this computer, with the leaves changing colors and falling to the ground, along with an icon of the Theotokos hanging in our living room.
So what did I learn, what did I gain from this short pilgrimage? There were no earth shattering visions, or audible voices giving me direction. But I did sense the presence of God. As a wild turkey or a fox darted in front of me in the woods; when a hundred women and men who dedicated their lives to prayer filed into church for mass; when I silently prayed in the shrine, at 5:30 for vigils, at a labyrinth, on a jog. And I sensed the presence of God when my family greeted me home, and when I gazed out to my back yard woods. "Christ is in our midst! He is and ever shall be." He truly is in our midst: wherever we are, so is He. What a powerful thought!
posted by Jeff at
9:20 AM
