Pilgrimage, exile, exodus, mission... is walking a path of transformation or conversion?

Pilgrimage, exile, exodus, mission… is walking a path of transformation or conversion?

To Brother Olivier of Saint-Martin. You are provincial prior of the Dominican province of Toulouse, and you directed the Lourdes Rosary Pilgrimage for ten years. What prompted you to write this book with Natalia Trouiller?

Traditionally, the preacher writes a book on the theme of pilgrimage which was, this year, “Let us walk in the footsteps of Christ”. The many walkers of the Bible, all in different situations, can support the journey of each and every one of us.

But I wanted another look that would open up the reader’s perspective, not lock them into a single reading. Having already written a book in the form of dialogues with Natalia (1), it was quite natural that I asked her to co-write it with me.

To Natalia Trouiller. You are a journalist. I ask you the same question…

Olivier and I have been friends for ten years. I can’t refuse him much! Although, honestly, writing another book wasn’t part of my plans.

Since our last work together, four years ago, my multiple sclerosis has progressed: I am more tired, I walk less well. But for him, I came out of retirement. And I had a lot of fun with it. This is also what friendship is: the other sees things in us that we do not see – or that we no longer see.

HAS brother Olivier of Saint-Martin. You evoke many literary or artistic memories of walkers. Which touches you the most in literature or in art?

The question is difficult! But if we had to cite one, it would be Bernanos, and in particular his Diary of a country priest. This may seem strange, because it is not a literal walker figure.

However, I am each time amazed and overwhelmed by the journey of the young priest of Ambricourt who, without realizing it, transmits grace to those he meets, without forgetting the priest of Torcy! In painting, there is Fra Angelico and the Dutch painters who are, for me, the masters of light… a light in movement which speaks of God.

HAS Natalia Trouiller. You are referring to the psalm which thus describes man in relation to God:standing, standing on his two feet, full of strength, impatient to set out on a straight road ». Is the pilgrimage of life really so simple for the believer?

No, of course, if we read this psalm literally. It’s actually quite the opposite! But this says something not about the exterior of man, but about his interiority. What makes us human is our ability to move forward internally. This is how God invites us to walk with him. And when we can’t move forward – this can happen for a whole bunch of reasons – others are there to carry us.

To Brother Olivier of Saint-Martin. You cite RL Stevenson or Sylvain Tesson, who took to the road following a tragedy, and for whom the hike was restorative. What advice would you give to someone who is setting out with this goal?

I don’t really have a recipe, as the situations and people are so different. However, there is perhaps the choice of the route we want to take and the meaning we give to it.

Then, not to set a mileage performance goal so that you can take the time to meet, to marvel, to take a break whenever you want.

I also like the idea of ​​taking one or two books (for example, the New Testament and a book that you particularly like) to be able to settle down and invent another rhythm.

HAS Natalia Trouiller. You emphasize that, from Genesis, we see that man is made for itinerancy. Can you remind us of the episode you are referring to?

We don’t think much about it, but from the creation of man and woman, God emphasizes that man “will leave his father and his mother to cling to his wife.” So he must set out, leave, find his own destiny, a place of his own. God’s blessing on his new creation is not static: it is made to accompany humans on their journey of life.

HAS brother Olivier of Saint-Martin. Take for example the pilgrims of Saint-Jacques who, as they progress, relieve themselves. How does this liberation happen?

The pilgrimage is a special walk, since it has a destination with a spiritual dimension. The simple act of walking implies an escape from the world in which we usually live.

Then, I believe that long-distance walking allows another pace, slower and more human. As Frédéric Gros writes, we no longer run after time, we give it to ourselves; and this allows us, imperceptibly, to detach ourselves from many things that hinder us (including pretenses or appearances) and to find a new relationship with Creation. Finally, perseverance also plays its role!

HAS Natalia Trouiller. Throughout this book, you draw on biblical characters who have walked a long way. Where could we draw our inspiration from, men and women of the 21st century?

There are many. But perhaps one of those who inspired us the most is Ezekiel, the very one who is prevented from walking. He advanced with the captives that Nebuchadnezzar took from Jerusalem to Babylonia. Then he stood still, refusing to set out blindly.

We live in a world where freedom of movement is very great: transport has never taken us so far, so quickly. But, paradoxically, we are internally as if garroted. And we have to invent new ways to move forward. Ezekiel, who is a bit like the inventor of the “sit-in”, has something very modern about it.

HAS brother Olivier of Saint-Martin. Aren’t the Emmaus pilgrims also models for pilgrims?

Yes, but there too in a paradoxical way. They are called “pilgrims”, even though they walk in the opposite direction to that of the usual pilgrimage: it is the day of the Resurrection, and the two disciples return home.

They represent our pilgrimage on earth which is made up of winding paths, joys (having followed Christ for years), disappointments and misunderstandings (what has just happened with the death of Christ), encounters which allow a new beginning. Yes, it really is the story of our life!

To Natalia Trouiller. The same goes for the Three Wise Men, who set out because they saw a star appear in the sky. And they teach us something more: they don’t retrace their steps…

Exactly. Just because we go back doesn’t mean nothing has changed. Every journey changes us profoundly. We’re not leaving the way we arrived! This is undoubtedly the lesson of the Magi, who of course feared Herod’s vengeance, but who also undoubtedly had another route towards themselves to find after meeting the Child in the manger. So they returned home “by another route”.

To Brother Olivier of Saint-Martin. Why do you say that Mary Magdalene invented our pilgrimages?

The figure of Mary Magdalene is quite exceptional. Touched deep within herself by God’s love, she was not afraid to anoint Jesus’ feet in front of everyone. She had the courage to face the looks of condemnation from others. On Good Friday she was there, and on Easter Sunday she was the first to go to the tomb, but in terrible sadness.

Her encounter with the resurrected Christ “repairs” her, and she sets off on the road to become the first apostle of the Resurrection. It launches us on the paths of God, on the pilgrimage of life!

HAS Natalia Trouiller. In the Bible as in life, can’t walking also be an escape?

Obviously! We have many examples, the most famous of which is Jonas, but not only that. In fact, if I read the Bible carefully, I don’t find a prophet shouting for joy when God gives him a mission. Their attitude ranges from cautious circumspection, like Gideon, to outright flight.

But escaping is precisely part of homelessness. Sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself better. It’s the same thing for wandering: that of Cain, for example, will allow him to find himself.

HAS brother Olivier of Saint-Martin. You quote the famous phrase of Saint Augustine: “Advance on your path, because it only exists through your walk.” Can you comment on it?

Saint Augustine is truly a champion of desire and hope. This quote from The City of God invites us to never give up when the temptation to discouragement seizes us. To continue, humbly, our path is to proclaim that darkness does not have the last word. This means that we open a space so that light and love can fill us.

This is what this Doctor of the Church writes in the same book (X, 32): “What you desire, you do not yet see, but by desiring it, you become capable of being fulfilled when that time comes. that you want to see. » A whole program for our paths!

  1. Released, relieved. Understanding how God saves us, Mame, 2020.

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