Category: Bible (Page 56 of 418)

About a thousand years ago, when Latin was still in vogue, Ultreia et Suseia became a greeting used by pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. One traveler greeted another with the single word Ultreia! The fellow pilgrim responded with et Suseia!

Further and Higher!

The phrase Ultreia et Suseia formed a message of encouragement for fellow pilgrims, urging each other to persevere both physically and spiritually. The expression encapsulates the essence of pilgrimage, reminding travelers to overcome challenges and strive for greater heights.

I’m reminded of CS Lewis’s book The Last Battle, when characters urge each other to move further up and further in. Mr. Tumnus declares, The further up and the further in you go, the bigger everything gets. The inside is larger than the outside. So it is with the kingdom of God—the inside is larger than the outside.

David praised the Lord for enabling him to go further and higher: He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.

Our true pilgrimage lasts until we meet Jesus face-to-face. Perhaps we should ask the Lord for the feet of a deer? For the energy and sure-footedness to follow Him further and higher on our journey?

One thing for sure, as we face steep hills and hot days, a little support goes a long way. Let’s encourage each other to love, and let’s not grow weary in doing good. Whether in Latin or English or any other language, we can root each other on to go further and higher.

Psalm 18:33

Wall painting from the Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) began over a thousand years ago as a pilgrimage to venerate the bones of James the disciple of Jesus, martyred by Herod in Jerusalem. Over a millennia millions of seekers walked the trail, from all over the world, hoping to hear a whisper from the Lord. Their devotion created a thin place between heaven and earth, a path where souls tune as feet trudge.

The Apostle Paul wrote of those who turn to the Lord as ones who walk in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham.

We all benefit from walking in the footsteps of the faith of those who’ve gone before. Each step I take on the Camino places my feet in the tracks of others, many with a far better connection to the Lord than I will ever achieve. The path also fills with seekers and those just out for a good walk. I pray these folks gain a hint of the divine that lifts their thoughts to God.

Whether we walk a pilgrimage in Spain, or step across the street to visit a neighbor, when we do so as followers of Jesus we enjoy the privilege of walking in the footsteps of our fathers and mothers in faith. Plus, we add our prints for those who follow us to walk upon as well.

Romans 4:12

Photo by Jacob Campbell

As I return from my journey of the Camino de Santiago, I find myself missing the phrase pilgrims exchange to each other—Buen Camino!

The words mean good way or good journey. As pilgrims we cheerfully encourage each other as we meet along the trail, sit down to eat, or go to bed in the evening. Buen Camino sticks in your head and gets in your blood.

I like this catchphrase better than have a nice day, or stay safe (which particularly sets me on edge, because who ever did anything interesting by staying safe). Enjoy a good journey reminds us that we walk into an unknown future, and we hope the best for those on their way. Sending a friend off with vaya con dios (go with God), carries an equally powerful sentiment.

It was said of King David that he walked before God in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart. Those are strong qualities for a journey with the Lord. Perhaps a meaningful send-off springs from those attributes—may you go in faithfulness, righteousness and uprightness of heart.

All said, I will miss declaring Buen Camino! If you and I happen to meet and it slips out, please humor me. The practice will fade, but hopefully the deeper message it conveys will carry on with those I encounter in the future.

I Kings 3:6

Photo from my archives

Along the route of the Camino de Santiago townspeople built fountains to refresh pilgrims on their journey. Some fountains date back hundreds of years. Many still work, the water out of the tap clean, fresh, and maintained by the local municipality. One famous fountain even dispenses free wine, provided by a nearby winery and built to encourage pilgrims on their way.

Walking all day builds a powerful thirst. Instead of wine I carry water and refill my bottle regularly. Preferring the softer drinks, nothing tastes better to me after a long hot walk than an icy cold bottle of Coke.

Just as pilgrims encounter physical thirst, our souls face dehydration of their own. David wrote, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul yearns for the waters of God. I try other substitutes, but none sustain. His Holy Spirit refreshes and empowers. The Lord is the source, and our souls intuitively search for this relief.

While on his own journey Augustine prayed, You have formed us for yourself O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you. Rest is another word for thirst. You and I thirst until we drink deeply from the fountain of the Lord. Then the waters of God refresh and satisfy—even better than a bubbly fountain of red wine.

Psalm 42:1

Photo: Water fountain along the Camino de Santiago