Where’s Your Motivation?

Turkey is an incredible country. It is an understatement to say that it is full of history and geographical wonders. There have been plenty of new things to experience, such as the food, the land, and the many historical sites. The food has been great in variety, including kebabs, whole fish, lots of rice, fresh fruit and vegetables galore, plenty of bread, and things I’ve never seen before that I find tasteful. The terrain of Turkey is wild; within a few hours, one can go from rocky valleys to lush flat farmland to snow-covered mountains. This variety allows for incredible views and peaceful places to pray, such as the view from the mountaintop of Assos today. The historical sites we’ve visited are older than anything I have ever seen. Locations that are only a short mention in the New Testament begin feeling like truly significant places. For example, the seven churches/communities mentioned in Revelation 2-3, such as Pergamon, which we visited today, mean much more having stood in the remains of that community.

All of these things are good; but on their own, they aren’t enough. Today at Mass, Fr. Kasule preached on what motivated the Apostles to go to distant lands and even die for Our Lord. The answer was simple, but can be easy to forget at times: that the Lord loves them, and they continually experienced Christ’s love. This hits pretty hard to a pilgrim who kneels at the spot where St. Philip the Apostle was martyred. For me, it has been the short, yet necessary, quiet moments of solitude that have been the most essential. Though, on some days, it can be difficult to come by them, it is through these intimate moments with Christ that everything finds greater meaning and that I find my motivation. 

For me, most significant place that we visited today was Pergamon. It was a small, yet wealthy, city in ancient times. The most significant structures of ancient Pegamon include a towering library, an extensive medical complex, a theatre, and a foundation that apparently has had water flow from it for thousands of years. As John wrote to the Church of Pergamon, the desires associated with these great structures — to learn, to heal, to be amazed, and to have life-giving water — find their fulfillment in Christ. Ironically, these same desires have come up at times during pilgrimage for me. And of course, all these things have been answered by Christ, who never abandons those in need. I can only hope I don’t take these graces for granted this pilgrimage, for nothing moves us more to Christ than the motivation that comes from him.  

For anyone reading this, please pray for me and the other pilgrims. Know that I will be praying for you. 

-Jacob McGuire, Diocese of Wichita