Why worry - live for today, us and the church and start with forgiveness.

 We have completed our first day of walking.  We decided to just walk 16 km today and at first I found myself calculating distances and coming up with stratergies for the walk.  Then I remembered my own advice and the promise to myself to just Be and just walk.  It is so easy to fall back into the everyday habit of making plans and tryIng to control the unfolding of one's life.  Jesus taught that today had enough worries without taking on tomorrow's as well.  So I will walk for today and not worry about tomorrow or about timing and destinations.

I think the church carries this burden as well.  We like to control the journey and seem to live in the past or be anxious about the future when all we have is this moment and this day.  What if the church was able to focus on today and today's work?  There is more than enough suffering in our communities that needs a compassionate response and more than enough individuals seeking spiritual wisdom in this moment to worry about tomorrow.  Will the church still be in 50 years? who cares!  we have a task for today, let the divine spirit take care of tomorrow and 50 years from now.

At the end of the gospel of John, Jesus askes Peter three times to care for the people, maybe he asked repeatedly because he knew the human habit of loosing focus.  Listen church let me make this clear take care of my people.  And of course Jesus' people are much more the just the folks in our church.  He told us his people include the "little ones" in need.  The thirsty, the hungry, the sick, the lonely, the prisoners.  Is there a shortage of such folks that the church can't find its mission for today?

On the pilgrim journey you meet forks walking who become your community.  Some you see once or twice some nearly everyday. They all become a living and moving community with a common purpose and common basic needs, food, accomadation, directions, protection from sun, heat and rain.  They all have common problems: hunger, thirst, blisters, weariness.   It is these commonalities that create natural community.

The same is true for a congregation or the whole church.  With common needs, common concerns community is formed.  However in our modern culture the people have  been convinced of two lies, one that their individual needs are unique and problems are unique and  that both are solved with purchases, that is money.   

On the pilgrimage such lies cannot be sustained.  Everyone experiences similar problems and the needs are basic and common.   The money lie seems less so since indeed money can buy food, accomadation and services but underlying this is that real value is found in the friendship of others and money just cannot purchase the emotional support one needs to continue the journey.  

Maybe the beginning of the journey of renewal for the church and for each of us personally is forgiveness.  Today we climbed the "Alto del Perdon". The mount of pardon, or forgiveness.   

----Forgiveness is a vital healing need:

----Forgiving ourselves for past stumbles on the journey, forgiving others for their stumbles. 

For the church to seek forgiveness and offer forgiveness.   

 The journey invites us to climb the mountain of forgiveness in order to continue.   And when we get to the top we will find a few things, there are those who went before us, there is always room, and the journey continues beyond the peak and the forgiveness.  I have decided to just be and walk on the journey.  Peace BB 

At the top of "Alto Del Pardon"