God doesn’t answer. Usually. Maybe there were or there are some people, whom God answers to in understandable way. So it may went like this:
“Hello, Lord God.”
“Hello Mark/Anna/Eve … what’s up?” God answers.
You speak and hear the answer, as in the case of another human being. Well, as a rule – this not happens.
I remember the priest’s sermon on my parish. The priest clearly and loudly expressed that one shouldn’t speak to God in reckless manner. You cannot speak to Him without proper attitude. “Do not even think about talking to him while lying down! Once” – as he admitted – “he had such ideas, but he rejected them.”
I think he did wrong. I think that it’s worth to talk to God, especially on a personal, individual pilgrimage, whenever we feel like it. Such a pilgrimage can be an immersion in loneliness. Finally, we get time for ourselves, time to stay with each other, with nature … However, the pilgrimage is a religious act. It’s not trekking endeavour or an attractive journey, although these elements are part of the pilgrimage. It’s not a journey “deep inside yourself”, though this dimension is in every pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is really the way to God and that’s why it’s worth talk to Him.
It is worth talk to God, even though He doesn’t use the language we speak. It’s also worth talk to him, because “It’s not good for a man to be alone”. These words direct us towards marriage and and being friend, express the truth about us, that we become ourselves only in relationship to someone else. And if there’s none else, maybe God can be the other side of this relationship.
It is worth talk to God in the most ordinary way. Of course it’s good that we have and use prayers, these specific statements learned by heart and mind. But maybe we can speak to Him, in our “own way”, with our own words, sometimes being far from dignified or special.
It is worth to speak to him especially when we try to avoid Him. When we want to be alone, when we’re tired of life. When we want to throw grudges and even accusations right into His face. Even, while it can be risky, when we get angry with Him. There’s a figure in the Bible – surprisingly another James/Jacob – who fought with God and “won”. And due to this conflict and struggle, Jacob got a prize from God, not a punishment: “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
It’s not about victory. It’s about relationship. Such a relationship in which everything can be spoken.
Therefore, talk to God when you walk, talk when you’re in bed, wake up or fall asleep. Speak, when you feel admiration and gratitude, speak when a wave of sadness, anger or bitterness fills you up. Speak. Because that way, you’ll express in words what you’re doing by your feet. You’ll show that way, that your pilgrimage has a purpose. That you are pursuing of this “I AM” and your steps and words will become the path to Him. In this way you’ll create a “camino”, the road to happiness, to Love, to be a true human being.
————————
The remaining of the 10 pilgrim rules:
# 10- It’s not too late
# 9 – Trust God
# 8 – Rely on yourself
# 7 – Be a good road companion
# 6 – Do not take too much
————————
“Road” – my book about pilgrimage.
Your words are beautiful and piercing. I would love to see rules one through four. None of the links seem to bring them up. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind comment. There’re no links to rules one through four, because I publish them once a week on Saturday, and till now, there where rules ten to five. So the rule #4 will be next Saturday and so on, until the most important, rule number one 🙂