Pilgrims Return
Henry Carse, of St. George's College, Jerusalem, says that the earliest story about the meaning of the Jerusalem Cross is that it is a pilgrim's cross. The central, largest cross, represents the pilgrim, and the four surrounding crosses are smaller as they are community sending forth the pilgrim, standing behind, supporting with prayer.
When the pilgrim reaches the ultimate point of pilgrimage, that source of spiritual meaning for pilgrim's tradition, and turns to make the journey home, the reference of the four smaller crosses changes and becomes the pilgrim community, all those whom the pilgrim has met and with whom her soul has mingled in communion. For me, this is inclusive of the originating community, as, through their prayers, they too were pilgrims, and indeed, in some ways, have the more difficult pilgrimage, unaided by the renewing link to central places of the faith, and only journeying by naked prayer and faith.
After New Orleans, our pilgrim group was plunged into the life of the Taize' Community with about 1,800 other pilgrims, mostly from aged 15 - 30, from many countries and Christian denominations around the world. The national complexion of each week of Taize' from March through November, the period when guests join in the life of the community, varies according to school schedules. Our week had large groups from Sweden, Germany, Finland, Poland, France, Hungary, and the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as smaller groups and individuals from many other countries.
While at Taize' we shared the life of the Taize' brothers, with three periods of prayer each day, Bible introductions and reflections in smaller groups, work for the life of the whole community, meals in common, and workshops led by the brothers, on such topics as seeing icons, and fair trade and micro-credit.
There is a tree near the Taize' church which has become, over the years I've been involved in leading pilgrimages there, our group meeting place for the meals. Over the course of the week our pilgrims brought more and more of their friends to join our little meal for checking in and companionship within the larger community. This year we were joined by Swedes, Americans, French, English, and Poles, among others. The pilgrim community was growing before my eyes, embodying the story of the Jerusalem cross.
The life at Taize' is very simple, and it is a powerful lesson that most pilgrims respond to this simplicity with real happiness. The meals are quite simple, but we relished them. We sat on the floor of the Taize' church for at least three hours of the course of each day, yet there was never a complaint about this; we were too absorbed in the prayer of chant and of silence. Our pilgrims found the work of cleaning toilets, for example, to be something to which they looked forward, done as it was with singing and in community, often involving deep discussions of their life journeys.
Leaving was tearful. Many of the pilgrims expressed their feeling that in the course of a week they had grown very close to so many others, which I attribute to the extreme liminality of Taize', a characteristic of pilgrimages and places of pilgrimage; we were betwixt and between, and thus open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
From Taize' we journeyed to Chartres Cathedral, to visit not only that great pilgrimage destination, but also because of the ancient labyrinth built into the floor of the cathedral, the origin of the Rev. Lauren Artress' incredibly influential work on labyrinths, and the model for not only the two at Grace Cathedral, but uncounted others across the United States and the world. We were blessed to be met at the cathedral by Lauren herself, who gave us a spirited and intelligent introduction to the labyrinth and to the cathedral.
The last evening in France, over a meal at our hotel, we shared our reflections on the pilgrimage. I the pilgrims' stories to be full of courage, awareness, love, and hope for the future. The pilgrims come back with great gifts of the spirit to share in the Diocese of California. I know you will welcome and support their visions as you supported them during the pilgrimage.
