Jim Forest, an Orthodox Christian and author, believes in a broad definition of pilgrimage as "a way of life, a mode of listening, an attitude that motivate[s] choices, a discipline of being." His spiritual quests have taken him to many faraway places and yet he also has been mindful of the presence of God in the midst of his everyday travels and experiences:
"No matter how short the distances and familiar the route you travel on a given day, you can do it as a pilgrim — and no matter how long the journey or how sacred its destination, it is possible to be nothing more than a tourist. Whether the journey is within your own backyard or takes you to the other side of the world, the potential is there for the greatest of adventures: a journey not only toward Christ but with him."
Forest looks to the example of Dorothy Day whose walks in the city enabled her to notice beauty in places of chronic ugliness. Thich Nhat Hanh taught the author that walking meditation is a way to get in deeper touch with the earth and our relationship with all beings. Or, as Forest puts it, "walking can be a school of wordless theology."
The noise of modern life surrounds us, and it is often difficult to find places of peace and quiet. Part of the pilgrim's quest is to make the most of places to practice inner quietness and contemplative listening through prayer. Another aspect of pilgrimage is paying attention to the lives of saints: Forest pays tribute to St. Paul, Teresa of Avila, Saint Matrona Popova, and Benedict Joseph Labre. He also writes movingly about the thin places where ordinary matter seems charged with God's presence, including the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, the island of Iona, and even the secret annex of Anne Frank.
The pilgrim is always searching for fresh signs of grace, and we can find them in these times of war and rampant fear. Forest writes movingly of his own pilgrimage into the land of illness. He now spends 600 hours a year on dialysis machines and is dependent on the love and kindness of nurses and others. He concludes with an enlightening chapter on the spiritual practice of hospitality which is part and parcel of any understanding of pilgrimage. Forest was tutored by Dorothy Day, who practiced God's mercy and openness to everyone she encountered. We are reminded of the importance of strangers in the story of the travelers on the road to Emmaus.
