A Christmas pilgrimage to India
As member of a seven-strong group going to India for Christmas, I spent the last two weeks of December 2007 as a truly blessed time. A time for rest and discovery. But also a time for prayer, communion and remembrance of a baby born two millenia ago in Bethlehem: Jesus the Lord. As I attempt to write about this pilgrimage, several images surge to my mind: mass celebrated by Fr Pierre on St Francis-Xavier’s tomb in old Goa, the day after our arrival in India; a visit of Kurisumala ashram, the serene monastery hidden among Kerali mountain tops; a dreamlike evening spent above the Vagammon backwaters; visits of colleges and schools with so many young Indians full of enthusiasm for nursing or religious vocations; the Christmas vigil celebrated in the Syro-Malabar tradition at the St Thomas cathedral; a visit of Missionaries of Charity in Goa; streets of timeless Kochi; and so many faces encountered, some radiating with Christ’s hope and joy, others marked by scars of suffering and disappointment… faces ever so human regardless.
A special moment was Christmas morning itself spent at the Sisters of the Destitute convent, in Palai, Kerala. This convent hosts elderly people who are no longer able to look after themselves and have, in some cases, been cut from their families. Our group’s contribution was modest: some of us cleaned floors and windows, Jess - the student nurse of our group - bandaged an old man whose foot was gangrenous, others laid the table for lunch. Nonetheless I felt that morning that I was a privileged witness of the greatness of God’s love, expressed through the smiles of his “little ones.” I imagined a meaningful resonance between the simplicity of Christmas celebrations at the Sisters’ of the Destitute Convent and what must have been the humility of the Lord’s birth in the Bethlehem crib two millenia ago. I also highly valued our coming to India as part of a spiritual pilgrimage rather than a humanitarian trip, the like of which I had participated in previously. When for example I stood in the convent dormitory that day, surrounded by the bed-ridden old and maimed, the binding question to me was: “What to do in the face of human suffering? You are here this morning to help out but really you are making no lasting difference. In fact you are powerless - what good then coming here?” Finding no answers, I asked those same questions to Fr Pierre, who then replied that the most and least we could do was to commune with our neighbours’ suffering on this Christmas day, by the very fact of our physical presence and also through prayer. It was such a compelling recall of the frailty of us all. With an understanding of this human experience under a spiritual light, I realised once more why Jesus is the only way.
Back now in England, I keep several memories of the Christmas pilgrimage in India. Time will reveal the extent to which this experience has altered something in me as a person, in the way I relate to myself, others and the Lord. As a young professional starting in a London investment bank, I can only hope to try and project in the future, the same light of hope and life which I have witnessed on so many faces encountered during this spiritual journey.
Another pilgrim's testimony:
For me the main and lasting experience of our pilgrimage to
I am very grateful to each one of you because without your presence, dedication, trust and boldness, it wouldn’t have happened. I have been very impressed by the love, service and care among us. I have learned a lot in matters of simplicity and togetherness.
It seems to me that we have experienced how good and pleasant it is to live together in unity, as brothers and sisters in Christ.
On another note, I have found the mix of ages very good for the dynamism and stability of the group. Thank you also for the good humour and joy!
I am still stunned by our welcome in
Following in the footsteps of Saints was an adventure I will never forget and it is obvious to me that they were preceding us as I have noticed month after month in the preparation of this project. But what a wonderful surprise from Our Lady to show her presence as Our Lady of Life wherever we went…
I still can’t believe that wandering in the streets of
Of course, I miss all our friends there, the destitute we met on Christmas day which was my best Christmas ever!, the Carmelites, the atmosphere of simplicity and non-consumerism (what a relief it was!), the overwhelming beauty of people and landscapes, and especially the young people coming from all over India at the Jesus Youth convention, but I hope it won’t be too long before we can be reunited…
I’d like to finish with this quotation from Mother Teresa which I find so true…
“Beautiful are the ways of God if we allow Him to use us as He wants.”
Yes, Beautiful!