A ‘Pilgrimage of Life’
A reaction paper by Mitch Owen Gil G. Ledesma
The author is studying Medical Technology at Colegio San Agustin, Bacolod City (CSA-B).
This year we celebrate the Year of Faith. Because of this we had a ‘Pilgrimage of Life’ on Saturday 1 December 2012. A pilgrimage is a journey of grace, it a spiritual journey of faith towards God. Pope Benedict XVI began his apostolic letter Porta Fidei, announcing the Year of Faith, with these words: The ‘door of faith’ (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church . . . To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime’. The ‘Pilgrimage of Life’ made me ask how strong my faith in God is and what I must do in order to serve Him.
During the pilgrimage we visited many churches here in Negros Occidental and I learned a lot about their history. One example is San Isidro Labrador Church in Binalbagan. I learned that that was where the Augustinian missionaries first planted the seed of Christianity and that San Isidro is the Patron of Laborers, a true model of hard work.
After that we continued travelling and had the chance to share our experiences, opinions and views on how we relate our work to our faith and trust in God. Through that, I realized that in everything we do, we should know why we are doing it. We must always bear in mind that God is the source of all our knowledge, wisdom, skill and talents, so we must work through his grace and for his glory.