“Not only does the Lord not abandon us, but He often pushes us and says: “Get up! You must go on. I will not leave you alone. I will feed you. I will give you what you need to continue.'”
– Pope Leo XIV
An unusually long week of travel out west happened to come during an even longer season of spiritual desolation. It was nothing serious; rather, it was a lingering sense of distance from the Lord.
Over dinner with some of our longest-tenured supporters, I realized the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage was passing through Orange County, right where I happened to be. My organizer friend texted me the schedule, and, with a day already full of meetings, I thought to myself, “Oh well, not going to happen.”
As the day progressed, two meetings needed to be rearranged, and the colleague I was traveling with asked what I wanted to do with a newly found two-hour gap in our schedule. I suggested doing his annual performance review. He suggested anything else, so I checked out that pilgrimage schedule. There was adoration happening at a church 10 minutes from where we were.
As we walked into a church full of people, the priest was finishing a brief reflection. While he spoke to everyone, one line felt like it was just for me: “These pilgrims have crossed the country for Him. You have come to adore Him. But He adores you! He never stops pursuing you! He always knows where you are and yet He still seeks you. Seeks your heart!”
It was a little oasis amidst my spiritual desert, and, for a moment, I didn’t feel quite so far from the Lord.
Later on, I thanked my organizer friend for the peace I received. He teased me saying, “We did all that just for you Dan.” As we laughed, I couldn’t help but think about how far I was from home and how far I felt from God, and despite my distractions, deflections, and even dismissiveness, He found a way to reach me. Through colleagues and circumstances, schedule changes and strangers, He got me to lift my head up and look to Him. If this is the Lord’s pursuit of me, what is my pursuit of Him? The perpetual pilgrims who processed from Indianapolis to Los Angeles overcame long days, challenging conditions, and even protesters. Can I overcome my pride and doubt long enough to make one step toward Him in thanksgiving for His quest for me?
As we make all sorts of trips this summer, let’s be sure that whatever our destination, we are making plans to meet up with Him.
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