In our reading from Genesis, God makes a covenant with Abraham and his future generations. At the end of the reading, it states that “God also said to Abraham: ‘On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.’”
One of things that draws me to the different pilgrimages I have undertaken throughout the years is the sense of history I have felt on these pilgrimages. In particular, I feel this every time I hike of the pilgrimage trail of St James in northern Spain. That pilgrimage started with the missionary trip of St James the Greater to Spain after Christ’s death and resurrection. James’ body was brought back to Spain for burial after his martyrdom in Jerusalem. Those remains were forgotten about for centuries, but were rediscovered by a hermit in the early 9th century. Some of the roads and bridges along the pilgrimage route were constructed by the Romans more than 1,000 years ago. Some of the churches on that route dates from the same era. Sometimes, as I am walking along the trail, I stop and can almost hear the footsteps of the millions of pilgrims who have traveled that route in faith before me over the centuries. Just as the modern pilgrims today follow in the footsteps of those who traveled these roads before them, we follow in the footsteps of faith of Abraham and his descendants, in the covenant God made with his people. We are to remain true to the covenant that God makes with us.
No comments:
Post a Comment