The journey

St. Paul had a powerful conversion experience as he was making his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. It was an experience that led him to change his mind about his immediate intentions and caused him to embark upon a road that would lead him on a 17-year sojourn in which he learned about the Jesus he was persecuting and grew in the faith that began on the day he was thrown off his horse.

Paul’s journey was a process of conversion from being a rigid Pharisee to a wise and spiritual Christian leader. It was also a process of missionary activity in which he covered some 28,000 miles, quite a feat in days when travel was not quick or easy. His journey can be mirrored in our own life, as we engage in our own ongoing process of conversion, particularly in this season of Lent.

Paul urges us on to seek a greater perfection, but also to be aware of our limitations. Both need to be held together. If we focus mainly on our limitations, we can fall into negativity and despair. If we see only our accomplishments and our striving to achieve, we can fall into pride and self-sufficiency. We are sinners who are loved by God and called to make our life’s journey as St. Paul did, in support and service of God’s people. In the spirit of St. Paul, we get up after we fall down, and we continue forward, knowing that Christ accompanies us every step of the way.

Photography is a way that I chronicle my own journey of faith, particularly my belief that the Spirit of God is to be found everywhere we look. The created world itself is not God, but God is present in everything. It is something of that divine Spirit which draws my attention in the scenes I photograph. How do you see the presence of God in your own life, and what is your response? The season of Lent is a good time for us to ponder these questions and to think about our own life of faith, where it is now, and the journey the Lord is calling us to make. Blessings on your journey!

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)