Dear Friend,

Reflection by Dianne M. Traflet, J.D., S.T.D.

Pilgrimages and Perspectives

I called a college friend at the beginning of Lent to see how her trip that day was from Kingston, NY, to White Plains, NY.   I had expected her to complain about the early morning journey on roads she was unfamiliar with and the likely traffic she encountered particularly on the way back home during rush hour.  But my friend had no complaints; she explained that the day was beautiful, the scenery at times was lovely, and that she had discovered a different path for the evening commute than the morning trip. She made it seem that she was on adventure, even a pilgrimage.  In fact, these days, she has been trying to pray more, as she accepts prayer from others. “I feel enveloped in prayer,” she told me.  As we continued our conversation that day, we turned our focus from the commute to the reason for her trip:  radiation therapy for metastasized breast cancer.   My friend had no complaints about the therapy; it seemed to be going well.  Then, she turned her attention to how I was feeling.

I was under the weather, and everyone knew it.  I had been complaining throughout the past few days.  How could I complain about something so minor when my friend was dealing so courageously and positively with a life-threatening illness?  What a wake-up call to put things in perspective. I also received such a wake-up call from seminarian James Prumos as I read his story of a journey that was meant to be an inspirational pilgrimage but turned into a painful experience.  Imagine being on a lifetime pilgrimage to the Holy Land and fracturing your toe!  Imagine the disappointment of not being able to walk with your fellow pilgrims to inspiring sights. We can imagine his fervent prayers—and those of the priests and seminarians on the pilgrimage.  Back at Immaculate Conception Seminary, we joined in those prayers. How happy he must have been when he recovered enough to go to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  There, he prayed at the site of our Lord’s crucifixion, and he was attended to by an Eastern Orthodox monk who gave him oil from the lamp on the altar of the crucifixion.   James realized the great grace of that moment, and among the many lessons he learned, he concluded:  “We must not lose sight of the power of the Cross….We are called by God to look to the Cross as both our model of love and our way of salvation.”

Dear Lord, thank You for your redeeming love.  May we be grateful, even during our struggles, for the gifts You are bestowing on us. May we have open eyes to see Your gifts and open arms to receive them.  Please bless those who are having a difficult Lent, particularly because of health issues.   Whether little annoyances or major health crises, please help us to keep our focus on You and to fix our gaze on Your cross. May every day be a true pilgrimage where we strive to see Your face, learn and follow Your will, and receive Your love.  May we love with Your love. Amen.

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Dianne M. Traflet, J.D., S.T.D., Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Administration and Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, earned a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, an M.A. in Catholic Theology and Pastoral Ministry from The Institute of Advanced Studies of Catholic Doctrine, St. John's University, and an S.T.L. and an S.T.D. from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (The Angelicum), Rome. Dr. Traflet is a key leader in the Center for Diaconal Formation, and she gives numerous lectures, retreats, and days of recollection, including some specific to wives of deacons and deacon candidates. She is the author of Edith Stein: A Spiritual Portrait (Pauline Media, 2008).