Being a pilgrim Mi 5:1-4a; Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45 Our Lady left the nest of Nazareth; That Christ her son might bless Elizabeth. Stay with me, Lord, throughout the busy day; Anoint with Grace all that I do or say. The short poem above comes from “Franciscan Crown: Mirror of a Franciscan Vocation,” a pamphlet to accompany one as they pray the Franciscan Crown. For those who do not know, the Franciscan Crown is the rosary that is unique to the Franciscan Order. The beads are arranged in the same way as the Dominican rosary. The primary difference is that there are two decades more. So, the Franciscan Crown has seven decades rather than five, and each decade focuses on one of the Seven Joys of Mary. They are: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, the Finding of Jesus in the Temple, the Resurrection of Our Lord and his Appearance to His Mother, and the Assumption and Coronation. Each decade is accompanied by a short poem, a meditation and a brief closing prayer. Another special aspect of the meditations and prayers is that they are eucharistic. Each meditation draws a comparison to Mary carrying Christ in and with her just as we carry Christ in and with us though the Eucharist. As Mary brought Christ into the world and into her cousin’s home, we too carry Christ into the world and into the homes of the people we love. How might we walk differently in the world if we remember this? Last week we thought about the theme of hope for the upcoming jubilee. However, the theme is not simply “hope.” It is specifically “Pilgrims of Hope.” There are many ways one can be a pilgrim. One can travel to holy sites, as we are encouraged to do for Jubilee Year 2025. But we are also pilgrims in our daily lives, too. We journey through life, learning how to love God and neighbor as we make our way back to our heavenly home. But maybe for this jubilee year, we can think of ourselves as different kinds of pilgrims. We are not only pilgrims who are traveling somewhere sacred, but pilgrims who can bring the sacred into our daily lives and to those we encounter. This may seem like a task that mere mortals have to work very hard to achieve. But if we think about what Mary does for Elizabeth, it is not all that big of a task. She goes to visit her cousin and stays with her for part of her pregnancy. We can imagine that she is helping Elizabeth, who is pregnant at an old age, with daily tasks and chores. She simply spends time with her. Sacred does not always mean big, grand gestures or acts that only a divine being can accomplish. Jesus already did that. The world needs small acts of love and care. It needs transformation that cannot happen in one fell swoop, but takes time and dedication, with each of us doing our part. As you consider how you are called to journey through the jubilee year as a pilgrim of hope, I share with you the prayer that accompanies the Joy of the Visitation from the aforementioned pamphlet: Our Lady of Service, for whom no duty was too small, help us to see that love transforms every action, and that without it what is praised by others as success is dry and fruitless for eternity. Saint Francis, servant of all, teach us to copy Mary in her humility.
About the Author Kate Oxsen is an assistant professor of Old Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union.