In the last issue of this article, I ended my thoughts about the spiritual journey that we humans are called to make by commented on the fact that Mary, the Mother of God, also had to make such a journey. She experienced her call as a gradually unfolding process, a journey, not unlike the one we are called to make. Because she was human, she made the same journey that we are called to make. We sometimes picture Mary, because she played the role of the Mother of God, as someone why didn’t have to endure the same life struggles that we do. On the contrary, she experienced all the things that we experience. The picture of her life was not clear to her.

In most journeys, the end is not determined by the way one gets there. If New York is the destination, when a person arrives, it makes little difference whether he or she flew, took the train, drove or walked. New York is still the same. But the spiritual journey is different.

In fact, the journey is more important than the destination since it is in the journey that we must make that we have the opportunity to transform our lives. In fact that is why life is a journey. As we travel along through life, we encounter multiple ways to change our minds and hearts because of the various things that we experience.

In one view of the spiritual life, what comes after death is all-important, and the goal of life is getting through the pearly gates, even if it is a last-minute dash. But when we see the spiritual life as a journey, the way we live each day is all-important, because we see life after death as a continuation of the way we live our relationships with ourselves, with others and with God.

There is nothing in my studies or experiences that makes me believe that life after earthly death is static, that is never changing. All living and created things are dynamic, that is ever-changing. Look around you. The entire universe is constantly in flux and changing. Why? Because it is alive! That is why I believe that the view of the spiritual life as a journey is so very appropriate. We will be on this journey for all eternity. It would be horrible, at least in my estimation, if things never changed for all eternity. I believe we would become quickly bored and discontented.

Many people see their lives as a series of isolated incidents with no direction. Only you yourself can determine the direction even though you have to go through many changes. If your goal is to enter ever deeper into a real and true relationship with God, then that will provide direction to your life. When all things are seen through this prism, life can become an exciting journey!