{"id":107791,"date":"2023-05-03T15:29:28","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T22:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=107791"},"modified":"2023-05-03T15:29:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T22:29:36","slug":"the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"The Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Cross<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This is an excerpt from my journal, dated ten years ago today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

G<\/span>od\u2019s communications with us humans are often subtle. As the Prophet Elijah discovered, the Voice of God is often to be found in the whispering wind (1 Kings 19:11-13<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, however, God reaches out and whacks us upside the head, either physically or mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often times, I tell people of points in my life where God spoke to me in one way or another, and the immediate reaction from them is doubt. They suspect embellishment or coincidence. Or in one memorable case, hallucination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong; a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing by and large, but at some point you veer off from skepticism and right into making excuses for your disbelief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m as guilty of that as anyone. Some days I can hear God on the whispering wind; some days I need a whack upside the head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The object of the Camino is the tomb of the Apostle Saint James the Greater in the Cathedral dedicated to him in the city named after him, Santiago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everybody walks the Way for different reasons. I walked with Christians, with Atheists, with those seeking wisdom or answers or direction, and with those just out for a nice long hike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At different points of the Way, I suppose everybody finds some answers, but these inevitably lead to more questions. At least for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had prayer intentions for the pilgrimage, but mostly I was there seeking a certain spiritual clarity that typically eludes me in the bustle and busyness of the modern working world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By the time we got to the end, I had learned quite a bit, and I\u2019m still unpacking the experience. I remember sitting in the crypt, kneeling in front of the tomb of Saint James the Apostle and asking, \u201cnow what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was over, the Way was walked. What now? I had finished the Way, and I was already missing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, God decided that He wasn\u2019t going to be subtle this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We went to the Pilgrims\u2019 Mass at the Cathedral. This is the feast of two more Apostles, Saints Philip and James the Less. The Gospel reading<\/a> for this Mass is from the fourteenth chapter of Saint John\u2019s Gospel. It begins:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Jesus said to Thomas, I am the way and the truth and the life.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sure, you say, \u201cthat\u2019s just a coincidence, the reading mentioning \u2018Thomas\u2019 and \u2018Way\u2019 on the day you just happen to end your pilgrimage, Thom\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I may be a little thick, but I know the Voice of God when I hear it. Usually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Way isn\u2019t done \u2013 the Way continues forever. The Way isn\u2019t just a walk, the Way is Christ<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that I\u2019ve finished the Way to Santiago, my call is to continue walking with Christ, the Way and the Truth and the Life.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is an excerpt from my journal, dated ten years ago today. God\u2019s communications with us humans are often subtle. As the Prophet Elijah discovered, the Voice of God is often to be found in the whispering wind (1 Kings 19:11-13). Sometimes, however, God reaches out and whacks us upside the head, either physically or mentally. Often times, I tell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":80611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40,15,3,16,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camino","category-meditations","category-moments-in-time","category-saint","category-silence"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/crypt-entrance.jpg?fit=2592%2C1936&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-s2z","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2043,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/benedict-xvi-on-silence\/","url_meta":{"origin":107791,"position":0},"title":"Benedict XVI on Silence","author":"Thom","date":"25 January 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday for World Communications Day, Pope Benedict XVI rather counter-intuitively gave an address on silence. In the spirit of the Desert Fathers, and of the monastic admonition to silence, the Pope spoke of the relationship between \"silence and the word\". No dialogue is possible without both of them. In silence,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Meditations"","block_context":{"text":"Meditations","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/meditations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Pope-Benedict-XVI-001-300x180.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":90996,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-voice-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":107791,"position":1},"title":"The Voice of God","author":"Thom","date":"03 May 2019","format":false,"excerpt":", following Vespers, I gave Father Wagner's family the compostela from last year's Camino. It seemed fitting, since I had walked for him. Indeed, the Pilgrim Office staff had written on it \"Vicarie pro Rev. Michael Wagner\", indicating that I had walked as his substitute. Today I am reminded of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/9401468729_d6f3b51005_b.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/9401468729_d6f3b51005_b.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/9401468729_d6f3b51005_b.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/9401468729_d6f3b51005_b.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":422,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-tao-of-the-word\/","url_meta":{"origin":107791,"position":2},"title":"The Tao of the Word","author":"Thom","date":"18 March 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"During Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. This particular passage strongly reminds me of Tao Te Ching. Abba John, who had been exiled by the emperor Marcian, said: We went to Syria one day to see Abba\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wisdom"","block_context":{"text":"Wisdom","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/wisdom\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":236,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-word-is-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":107791,"position":3},"title":"The Word is Love","author":"Thom","date":"10 November 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Just got home from a conversation with Fr. Beuzer. As before, he's given me much to think about and much to pray about. Although we had a fairly far-ranging discussion, talking about everything from my job search to Alaska, it all revolved around the Lectio assignment he gave me the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Meditations"","block_context":{"text":"Meditations","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/meditations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":76477,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/finding-the-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":107791,"position":4},"title":"Finding the Way","author":"Thom","date":"03 July 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The Incredulity of St Thomas\" by Caravaggio communications with us humans are often subtle. As the Prophet Elijah discovered, the Voice of God is often to be found in the whispering wind (1 Kings 19:11-13). Sometimes, however, God reaches out and whacks us upside the head, either physically or mentally.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Thom-at-Roncesvalles.jpg?fit=598%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Thom-at-Roncesvalles.jpg?fit=598%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Thom-at-Roncesvalles.jpg?fit=598%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78989,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/finding-the-way-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":107791,"position":5},"title":"Finding the Way","author":"Thom","date":"03 July 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThe Incredulity of St Thomas\u201d by Caravaggio God\u2019s communications with us humans are often subtle. As the Prophet Elijah discovered, the Voice of God is often to be found in the whispering wind (1 Kings 19:11-13). Sometimes, however, God reaches out and whacks us upside the head, either physically or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"The Incredulity of St Thomas\" by Caravaggio","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Caravaggio_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas-300x221.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107791"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107792,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107791\/revisions\/107792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}