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TASK. A PROFILE OF THE ORIGINS OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES HERMITAGE PILGRIMAGE RETREAT Religious Education Coursework Day, 25/1/2013 Dr Fáinche Ryan, Lecturer in Systematic Theology. AND AN EXAMINATION OF WHY THIS PRACTICE HAS APPEAL FOR PEOPLE TODAY.
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TASK A PROFILE OF THE ORIGINS OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES • HERMITAGE • PILGRIMAGE • RETREAT Religious Education Coursework Day, 25/1/2013 Dr Fáinche Ryan, Lecturer in Systematic Theology.
AND AN EXAMINATION OF WHY THIS PRACTICE HAS APPEAL FOR PEOPLE TODAY. Religious Education Coursework Day, 25/1/2013 Dr Fáinche Ryan, Lecturer in Systematic Theology.
Contemplation • Latin contemplatio(n-), from the verb contemplari • the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time • deep reflective thought
Hermitage • A hermit = a person who lives in seclusion from society • Desert Fathers • Change of Heart • Prayer focused life • Anthony of Egypt
Hermitage • “Come away to a quiet place and rest a while” Mark 6:31
Appeal today • Peace • Space • Time • "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) • Holy Hill, Sligo • Ferns, Wexford
Retreat • Spiritual Retreats are an integral part of many Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Sufi (Islamic) communities. • In Hinduism and Buddhism, Meditative Retreats are seen by some as integral for reconnection to one's self. • Silence, or conversation
Christian • Spending a specific time away with God is a more modern phenomenon, dating from the 1520s and St. Ignatius of Loyola's composition of the Spiritual Exercises
Pilgrimage • A pilgrimage is a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance. • Pilgrimage is not so much an act as an experience. • People journey to touch and see physical manifestations of their faith
The journey itself an act of worship Gregory of Nyssa: Our carriage was, in fact, as good as a church or monastery to us, for all of us were singing psalms and fasting during the whole journey.
Origins • Holy Land, the pilgrimage par excellence • The survival of many accounts indicates an extensive traffic in pilgrims. • Etheria
Pilgrimage Sites • Holy Land • Rome • Fatima • Lourdes • Mount Brandon • Reek Sunday • Mecca • Jagannatha • Western Wall • Mount Athos • Bodh Gaya
Why? • A way of coming closer to God, of journeying toward heaven. • An expression of faith over which people have a great deal of their own control. • One’s own spirituality would grow through encounters with holy people and monks, and by sharing in their liturgies.
Today? • San
Santiago de Compostela • The Way • Friends of St James • James Gate • "Compostela" = "Field of Stars” • Reputed burial place of St James
Codex Calixtinus • 12th Century account of pilgrim routes through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela • Formerly attributed to Pope CallixtusII; now attributed to the French scholar AymericPicaud. • An anthology of background detail and advice for pilgrims following the Way of St. James
Codex Calixtinus • Also known as the Liber Sancti Jacobi, or the Book of Saint James. • Includes sermons, reports of miracles and liturgical texts associated with Saint James, a set of polyphonic musical pieces. • Descriptions of the route, works of art to be seen along the way, and the customs of the local people.
Why? • The Way of St. James, a leading Catholic pilgrimage route originated in the 9th century. In 1985 the Santiago’s Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
El Camino When we started, we did not know - exactly - why we were doing it We had lives which were - more or less - satisfactory We had friends known much of our lives We had things: things like machines things like music things like money and pensions and security We did not have one thing - and maybe that was why we started
When we started, we put one foot in front of the other We still did not know - precisely - why we were doing it The miles passed - many of them pleasantly Our feet blistered and were slow to heal …
El Camino When the first few of many long days had passed We found - without words - that we no longer walked together That alone we were open - open with interest and curiosity. Often we met - with gladness - at the end of the day To know our paths went on together was enough
El Camino When we got to the cathedral we sat down We saw - through the eyes of those long before us The blinding faith, the crucial thirst for salvation And we counted our blessings - several hundred of them And ending with the friendship and love We had left behind where we began.
Resources http://www.santiago-compostela.net/ http://www.spiritualtravels.info/articles-2/europe-2/introduction/history-of-the-pilgrimage-to-santiago-de-compostela/ https://sites.google.com/site/caminodesantiagoproject/ Text of Codex Calixtinus