Walking, Walking, Walking

Jesus was closely connected to the earth. We know this because he was a walker; as Brian Doyle says, “Mostly what we see of the physical Christ in the Gospels…is the travelin’ man—walking, walking, walking, all over Judea….” People who walk are intimate with mud (which Jesus used as a healing agent) and dust (which he wrote in and washed off the feet of his disciples). People who walk move slowly enough to notice the growth of weeds and wheat and the behavior of sheep and shepherds (staples of Jesus’ parables).

We also know that Jesus was closely connected to the earth because he retreated to the desert, the mountains, and the sea when he needed time alone with God. He chose fruits of the earth, bread and wine, to become transfigured into his body and blood. He spent his last moments of precious freedom in a garden. He was hung on a tree and buried in a tomb hewn out of rock.

We who follow the way of Jesus must also be earthy people. During times of trouble, we can turn to nature for healing and consolation. In the face of our human failings, we can look to the wisdom of earth, which teaches us patience, faithfulness, acceptance of death, and the assurance of new life. When we get too full of ourselves, we can allow the awesome beauty and workings of the universe to teach us humility. We can remember that we are of the earth and to the earth we will return—which means that we will be held by God as God holds the earth that God created.

We are entering into Holy Week at the time of a pandemic. Although we can’t gather in churches, we can go outside and meditate in God’s earthly temple as we follow Jesus’ practice of walking, walking, walking on the path of beauty, sacrifice, death, and new life.