Saturday, June 19, 2010

Sandals & the Modern Pilgrim


Seamus’s left sneaker was doing something weird to his arch … and after days of walking, his left foot was getting pretty achy. Of course, trying to walk in a way to avoid putting weight on the foot began to impact his shin. So, he’s wearing sandals (a.k.a. flip flops). That doesn’t sound ideal for such a journey … but … as I think about it, his patron saint, Saint James, always wore sandals when he trekked about with Christ. Maybe this is a nudge from heaven … a way to really feel the journey and perhaps notice some things he might not have noticed if he were blasting through at 20 miles a day. I don’t know. Sometimes, less is more. Saint Francis (Seamus’s confirmation saint) walked to Santiago de Compostela from Assisi in 1214. He certainly either wore sandals or went barefoot the whole way there ... and back.




Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, … “Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick.”
-Matthew 10:5a,9a




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