The Saint

By Catholic Editor, Faith Addington

It is said that life is a journey, however, I find it much more helpful to imagine life as a journey up a mountain. When hiking up a mountain, you have a general idea of where you are going but do not have an exact idea of what it will look like once you reach the summit. Once you begin hiking up the mountain, there are always a series of commonly traveled paths on which you begin, but as you hike, the paths begin to thin and become scarcer. Along the way, you might stumble over logs or rocks or other small inconveniences that deter you only for a few minutes. You might run into bears that will bring about fear, despair, and slow your journey. Each of these incidents slowly wears your spirit and makes you more prone to stumble into sin. You might come across a fork in the road; on the left is the same path you have been traveling, but on the right is a dip in the mountain. How relieving it would be to take a break from hiking upwards and continue on a path that offered instant gratification! Choosing the path on the right, your mood is instantly lifted from the small grievances of earlier. However, soon you begin to realize that you forgot the bigger picture of hiking upwards in the momentary temptation of relief: anything that goes down in a mountain must go back up. The valley that you traveled down led to an even steeper incline up the mountain, not to mention having strayed from the original path. 

However, not all is lost. One of the most rewarding experiences in hiking a mountain are the beautiful views that rejuvenate your spirit. You might pause and rest in the peace or continue on your way with a newfound strength. As you continue traveling, you might find rivers or lakes: the perfect place for cleansing and refilling what you will need in the continuation of the journey.  

The journey of life is never a straight path, rather, we stray from the path God has designed for us and we take a circuitous route instead. Fortunately, because of our Lord’s abounding love for us, the steps off the path that we take are never final. God will always lead us back to His plan if we ask. We might get bumped and bruised along the way, but our God never abandons us. He knew all of the times we would stray off His path, yet he still calls us by name. We are traveling home because we are His.