The most important part of a Lenten pilgrimage

Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent…

Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white. (Lk 9:28,29)

Two questions: What are your prayer intentions for Lent? How is God answering these intentions?

I ask this because I just finished a pilgrimage to the shrines of Mexico. The leader, Fr. Marcel Amadi, said before we started that each pilgrim should have some specific intentions.

Lent is like a pilgrimage. A person makes some sacrifices during the forty-day journey, surrenders some control, and elevates his/her prayer activities. The leader of the pilgrimage is Jesus, and the Lenten pilgrims walk with him through the desert or to Jerusalem. Although there will be some trials along the way, there awaits a glorious destination: the Easter celebration.

The journey up the mountain of transfiguration is also like a pilgrimage. Jesus was the leader and selected a few fellow travelers to join him: Peter, James and John. While on this journey, they had to surrender some control, make some sacrifices, and venture into the unknown. They were traveling up a mountain, which means they were traveling closer to God.

I had three intentions for my pilgrimage:

See God. I wanted to see and experience God in a surprisingly new way in the Masses we celebrated and at the holy sites.
Get clarity on my mission. After leaving full-time employment nine months ago, I filled my week with other activities. I wanted to keep those activities that bring me closer to God and jettison those that bring me further away.
Not get on my spouse’s nerves. I’d like her to join me on many future trips and pilgrimages.

On the way up the mountain, Peter, James, and John may have had similar intentions. They wanted to get closer to God as they ascended with the man they were coming to know as Lord and Messiah.

They also needed some reassurances on their mission. Eight days before making this trip, Jesus made the fateful pronouncement: “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Lk 9:22) Later, he said that to follow him, one “must deny themselves and take up their cross daily.” These are hard words. The three needed some assurance that this was God’s plan and that this pilgrimage to Jerusalem will be worthwhile in the end.

My third intention might have also applied: along the way, don’t be annoying to the other disciples.

God magnificently answered the intentions of the three disciples in the transfiguration. Jesus revealed his glory and became dazzlingly white. The Father spoke from a cloud and said, “This is my beloved.” By association, it’s as if God was saying that if you follow the beloved of the Father, you too will be my beloved. With the appearance of Moses and Elijah representing the Law and the Prophets, they saw God bringing to fulfillment the plan to renew all creation.

The experience provided them this assurance: Yes, this pilgrimage will be difficult, but it will be worthwhile in the end.

My intentions were also answered, albeit a little less dramatically. I indeed saw God in the holy sites. I saw the original tunic of San Juan Diego, with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe emblazoned across the front, wonderfully preserved in a golden frame. I saw relics of Blessed Father Pro, the Miraculous Cross of Poison, and the baptismal site of Juan Diego.

I saw inspired art and architecture in the old basilicas and cathedrals. Columns soared to heaven, leading my eyes to see legions of angels and a host of saints embellishing the holy places.

Speaking of intentions, the uncorrupted body of Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio provided a great visual. At the head and the foot of the body were two notebooks in which pilgrims could write. One, prayers needed. The other, prayers answered. The pages of both were filled.

Sometimes God answers prayers, but the person doesn’t notice. It would have been easy to see these sites as historical artifacts. In them, however, I saw God’s Spirit inspiring the original artisans and the faithful for centuries. I was looking for God during this pilgrimage, and I found him.

God also revealed to me subtly which activities are core to my mission. This revelation came in conversations, contemplative prayer before numerous tabernacles, and one surprising image. In the Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family), an engaging icon of the Holy Family was prominently displayed behind and above the altar. I imagined myself in the place of young Jesus, with Mary and Joseph standing behind me. I felt a wash of peace. With the eyes of my heart, I saw their approval and felt their affirmation.

God gave me a bonus sighting. It was in other pilgrims, both those in my company but more so the thousands of people God was drawing to these holy sites. Some walked forty miles, arrived in Mexico City at 3:00 AM, and marched down the street singing and dancing to the drums beating in the background. Another sighting was at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where pilgrims made the last leg of their journey on their knees.

God also answered my third intention. I was a little cranky with my spouse on the first day, and God quickly reminded me in my morning prayer the next day that part of answering this intention was up to me. I vowed then to become a kinder and more patient traveling companion.

If you haven’t written out a few intentions for your Lenten pilgrimage, it’s not too late. If you can’t think of any, feel free to use the same that I chose, which may have been on the heart of the disciples trekking up the mountain of transfiguration: