Rebecca Beal
St. Luke’s, Scranton
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we
will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever
our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
1 John 3:18-20
When Canon Anne Kitch called to ask if I would write a pilgrimage blog, I was sitting on a table in a physical therapy facility. Did she really want someone who could walk only with difficulty writing about pilgrimage? She did, and here I am, some months later, with a faulty knee working much better because I’ve strengthened its supporting muscles.
I have worked hard on this process, but I can do my work only because many, many people have helped: two primary care physicians, one specialist in knee and hip joints, nurses, physician’s assistants, a physical therapist and his wonderful staff of associates, assistants, trainees, and interns, clerical staff and maintenance crews in every office, pharmacists and insurance claims folk. By the time I spoke to Canon Anne about writing this blog, more than twenty people, many of whom did not know me directly, and many of whom did not know one another, had joined me on my journey to improved knee health.
Our reading from 1 John 3 defines love in truth and action, and as far as my knee is concerned, all of those people loved me (although on my more grumpy days, they probably found me hard to like).
People have asked me about the goal of our pilgrimage. Aren’t we, like all those people who helped me, aiming “in deed and truth” to love God and one another? I haven’t yet told my medical helpers how much I appreciate their work, but I can tell you that I am so grateful to all of you–for your preaching, your music, your prayers, your service at the altar, your wise advice, your weeding our church’s garden, your committee work, your attention to the paperwork associated with our churches; your maintaining our church facilities, your generosity, your faithfulness. Thank you for your help on our common pilgrimage toward spiritual health.
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