A Pilgrimage to Spain: Gracias!
Dear FBC Family,
One of the many things for which I am deeply grateful is the continual encouragement I receive from our congregation to care for my own soul. As one of my mentors said to me years ago: "The best gift you have to give to your congregation is a whole, healthy, God-centered you." Thank you for all the ways you support our entire FBC staff as we endeavor to lean into wholeness.
As a way of nurturing my spirit, next week I will fly from Dulles to Madrid to embark upon a contemplative pilgrimage to the historic cities of Ávila and Toledo, Spain, led by the Shalem Institute. There I will walk in the footsteps of two profound 16th-century Spanish Catholic mystics—Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross—whose teachings on spiritual deepening and the "dark night of the soul" have served as contemplative guideposts for nearly five centuries.
Timeless Wisdom in Troubled Times
What makes Teresa and John's spiritual insights particularly compelling is the context in which they lived. They ministered during Spain's golden age, when it was the most powerful empire in the world—yet this was also the era of the Spanish Inquisition, when fear and religious persecution cast long shadows across the land. The church had become entangled with state power in ways that brought heaviness and oppression to ordinary people.
In the midst of this darkness, Teresa and John discovered profound pathways to divine intimacy. Their mystical writings emerged not from comfortable circumstances, but from wrestling with God in times of institutional corruption and societal upheaval. Perhaps this is why their wisdom resonates so deeply today, as we also grapple with the tension between political power and spiritual grounding, between the noise of our troubled world and the still, small voice of the Holy.
Vacation vs. Pilgrimage
While I'll certainly savor the delights Spain offers—the architecture, the food, the culture—there are meaningful differences between a pilgrimage and a vacation.
Pilgrims move at a slower pace. As I am fond of saying, "We live in a rocket-speed society, but we have wagon-train souls." An unhurried rhythm allows us to be more fully present to each experience, each prayer, each moment of wonder.
A pilgrimage also carries a deeper intentionality—the focused practice of looking and listening for the presence and voice of the Holy in ancient stones, quiet chapels, and the stories of those who walked this path centuries before us.
Each day will be grounded in prayer and reflection, with a relaxed pace that allows for spacious moments of solitude and contemplative silence. I'm hoping to draw from this deep well of spiritual nourishment and return refreshed for the important work we share together.
Gratitude and Return
Thank you for this precious gift of time for rest and renewal. I'm grateful to our gifted staff and lay leaders, and especially to Pastor Eric for preaching on the two Sundays I'm away. Your generous spirit in supporting this journey means more than you know.
I look forward to being with you again on June 29th as we celebrate what God has done in and through our church this past year at our Annual Meeting. Perhaps I'll even have a story or two to share about walking in the footsteps of saints.
If you'd like to follow along with the itinerary, you can find it here.
Que Dios los bendiga (May God bless you all)…
Pastor Julie