One of the parish mission talks I love to give focuses on the idea that life is a pilgrimage. Seeing life this way changes everything. It helps us through suffering, it reminds us of the power of friendship, and it calls us to persevere and not stay stagnant in the spiritual life. Recognizing I’m on pilgrimage reminds me why I’m here and helps me put everything in perspective–the twists, the turns, the blessings, the surprises, and the falls. It encourages me when I get turned around or stumble; it helps to to focus on the purpose, the end, the goal.
It also reminds us of the importance of frequent reception of Holy Communion. If my life is a journey, I need to be nourished.
The Greeks and Romans had a custom of giving a meal to those setting out on a trip. They referred to this as viaticum, or provisions for the road. The word has entered the Catholic lexicon to refer to receiving Holy Communion on our deathbed, for our final journey. But we are all pilgrims; we are all on some stage of that journey. In a sense, every time we receive Holy Communion it is provision for the road.
Thomas Aquinas reminds us in his great hymn Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem:
Lo! the angel’s food is given
To the pilgrim who has striven;
We cannot do this journey alone. We need the encouragement of our fellow pilgrims, who carry us when we can’t walk, who pray for us when we cannot pray for ourselves. We need the support of the pilgrims who have successfully completed the pilgrimage, the intercession and example of the saints. And we need the nourishment of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus gives us his flesh and blood not just to sustain us, but to transform us.
As pilgrims on this pilgrimage–one that is full of dangers and hardship–we need a reminder of our destination. Christ gives us that reminder every time he becomes flesh on our altars. He gives us his resurrected flesh and blood. Once again, Thomas Aquinas reminds us that in the Eucharist: “a pledge of future glory is given to us.” Here and now, we get to share in the wedding feast of the Lamb.
This Sunday, as you receive the bread of angels, ask Our Lord to nourish you for the journey ahead. Ask him to help you never receive this great gift in vain. Beg him to give you the courage and love to stay on the path toward the great banquet that awaits us in heaven.
Image credit: Photo by Sylvain Brison on Unsplash
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