The Journey

Gregory of Nyssa points out that the soul who approaches God as did Abraham, not through any pre-conceived notions or systems, but in the darkness of faith, is united with the God of the Bible and not with an abstract essence or idea.

Faith is the only way by which the soul can be united to the Transcendent.  In the journey, we leave all that is familiar and comfortable to us, all that is important and valued in our culture, and set out towards the unknown.  We know not whether we will be successful or whether we will die on the way.  We have no resources or support system but God Himself, and we are not too sure at first about whether He will indeed go with us on the way.

But in crossing the desert, we discover day by day that "our feet do not swell and our shoes do not wear out."  On the contrary, almost as soon as we realize our need for somethng, it is provided to us.  We learn to ask, and we learn dependency on God alone as our Resource.

Abraham's journey from Harran to Canaan allowed him to refuse the spoils of war offered to him by the King of Salem; the journey taught him that God Alone was his shield and his very great reward.  He could allow others to divide the rewards of earthly pursuits.

Jesus told Peter at the Last Supper that if he [Peter] did not allow Jesus to wash his feet, he [Peter] would have "no part" in Him [Jesus].  The whole point of a journey in faith is to allow God to wash our feet, feed our bodies and souls, and to become a familiar Presence and faithful Friend to us.  Jesus did not wash the feet of His disciples just to give us an example of humility, but because He always and everywhere reflected the nature of God---and what God wants of us more than anything else is for us to allow Him to wash the dust from our feet and our souls.

Let Me go with you; Let Me walk with you; Let Me share your burden, lift the load from your shoulders.  I can carry it better than you can.