A pilgrimage is more than a journey — it’s a sacred venture in which the pilgrim opens their heart to be changed by an experience of God. Pilgrimage is an integral part of the Jubilee Year. It is an invitation both to a personal journey of the heart, as well as physically visiting places of grace, like the six holy sites around our diocese that Bishop John has designated. More than 2,200 folks have visited these sites and what a blessing it has been not just for them, but for their families and for our entire diocesan community.
But today, I invite us to consider a different kind of pilgrimage: the pilgrimage of life.
In every moment, whether filled with grief or joy, boredom or blessing, we are offered an opportunity to seek the face of God. Personally, I find it easier to reach for God in times of sorrow or elation. Yet, God calls us to seek Him even in — indeed, especially in — the ordinary and mundane. In every single step, God is present and active, longing to walk with us, just as He did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. (Lk 24:13-35)
This issue of The Catholic Sun focuses on Hope for the Elderly — a hope that is not cheap or easy, but hard-won. It is a hope that has been “put on” like a cloak of grace, weathered by the daily wear and tear of life. Our elderly family members, neighbors and friends are our seasoned pilgrims. Their wisdom has often been formed in the crucible of suffering and deepened by a lifetime of learning to depend on God.
And from that dependence comes a rare and beautiful freedom — a freedom to pour out love, share faith and hand on hope. What a vital role our elders play in our families, our parishes and our world. I witness this in my own life through the remarkable gift of my 98-year-old mother-in-law, Louise.
Louise is the proud mother of five sons, grandmother to eight and great-grandmother to 13. Every single day, she prays for each of them by name, with intention and devotion. But it doesn’t stop there. She is the go-to prayer warrior in her neighborhood and community. Friends from Phoenix often send me intentions to pass along to her, knowing that when she says, “I’ll pray for you,” it isn’t a polite phrase — it’s a sacred promise.
I see this same spirit in our Angels of Hope prayer circle, a new initiative where faithful men and women, many elders themselves, gather together in fellowship to lift up intentions from across our diocese with prayerful hope. Their ministry is hidden but powerful, a beautiful act of spiritual mercy. You can be one of them by joining this mission of intercession — becoming a quiet pillar of prayer for those in need.
In addition to powerful intercessory prayer, Louise also knows suffering. Life has not been easy. Yet she sees the face of God in every person and in every circumstance. Her faith is not only a comfort — it is a conduit of God’s presence. In prayer, she listens to God and then hands on His love with a powerful, maternal tenderness.
Hope in the elderly is real. Louise, with her walker and her rosary, is walking, living proof.
Let us honor our elders. Let us learn from them. And let us walk our own pilgrimages — opening our hearts to be changed every step of the way by an always-present God.
