My pilgrimage was not a long one, as pilgrimages go. It was a mere 75 miles, from northeastern Illinois to southeastern Wisconsin. The seven young people who helped expedite the move where delightfully proficient and pleasant, still, it was a difficult experience, as is any move or change.

Through it all I found myself thinking of other pilgrim people....the Israelites, forced to wander from their homeland to a strange land; our ancestors who crossed oceans to come to a new world; those depressed disciples traveling to Emmaus after their friend's crucifixion; and yes, even Jesus who journeyed through the desert for forty days before embarking on his life's mission.

The pilgrimage, the journey, is a classic symbol of spirituality. In our personal spiritual and prayer lives we are constantly challenged to resist the temptation to stop and settle into our familiar temples. We are continually called to exhibit a holy lust for venturing into the new and unknown.

Of course, it is much less disquieting to live a religious life without regularly re-examining and redefining what we believe and how we live those beliefs. It is far easier to pray the way we did twenty years ago, to use the familiar prayers we learned as children. It is much more convenient to settle for our familiar God rather than follow a mysterious God of newness and surprises who moves on ahead of us, urging us forward.

Yes, moving can be difficult, even traumatic. It can also be exhilarating and inspiring. Like any change, a move can launch us into a holy wanderlust for new life, new possibilities, and new spiritual challenges.