PILGRIMAGE FOR UNITY
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Day 5 for Sun Jan 22, 2023
Sylvia Mutia-Member, Pilgrimage Steering Team Member
​and pastor at St. Mark’s Episcopal, NM
Readings
Ps 137:1-4      For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked us for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
Lk 23:27-31   Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children

Reflection
The lament of the psalmist originates in the exile of Judah in Babylon, however, the pain of exile is one that reverberates across time and culture.  Perhaps the psalmist shouted this refrain towards the heavens.  Perhaps each verse was given voice between deep sobs of grief.  Perhaps this poem emerged with a shrug of indifference that can only come from living within injustice and feeling powerless to effect any meaningful change.  However the words were brought forth, the heartache of this passage finds resonance in the hearts of those who are treated as strangers in other lands or in their own lands.

The demand in the psalm comes from the oppressor to smile and make merry, to sing the songs of a “happy” past.  That demand has come to marginalized people throughout history.  Whether it was in minstrel shows, or Geisha dances, or Wild West cowboy and Indian shows, oppressors have often demanded that oppressed people perform happily to ensure their own survival.  Their message is as simple as it is cruel; your songs, your ceremonies, your cultural identity, that which makes you sacredly unique, is only allowable so long as it serves us.

​In this psalm generations of the oppressed are given their voice.  How could we sing the Lord’s song when we are strangers in our own land?  We sing not for our captors but to praise God.  We sing because we are not alone for God has never abandoned us.  We sing because we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.  The ancestors and saints inspire us.  They encourage us to sing songs of hope, songs of freedom, songs of liberation, songs of a homeland where a people is restored.

Christian Unity
Luke’s Gospel records that people, many of them women, follow Jesus even as he carries his cross to Calvary.  This following is faithful discipleship.  Furthermore, Jesus recognises their struggles and the suffering that they will have to endure in faithfully carrying their own crosses.

Challenge
How do we raise up the stories of ancestors and saints who lived among us and have sung songs of faith, hope, and liberation from captivity?

Prayer
God of the oppressed,
Open our eyes to the harm that continues to be inflicted On our sisters and brothers in Christ.
May your Spirit give us the courage to sing in unison,
And raise our voices with those whose suffering is unheard. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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The Pilgrimage for Unity and the 3-day New Mexico Pilgrimage for Unity are committed to healing and building up the Body of Christ by providing opportunities for profound, shared spiritual experience and dialogue.  
Support the Pilgrimages for Unity!  Your donation helps heal and build up the Body of Christ by removing financial barriers to participation in the pilgrimage for pilgrims of limited economic means!

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Contact:  info@nmpilgrimage.org

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  • Home
    • Contact
    • FAQs
    • Donate
    • Founder
    • Community
    • Calendar
  • 2023 WPPCU
    • 2023 WPPCU Merton
    • 2023 WPPCU Picture Upload
    • 2023 WPPCU Resources >
      • 2023 WPPCU Day 1
      • 2023 WPPCU Day 2
      • 2023 WPPCU Day 3
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    • 2023 WPPCU Fr Fihas
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  • Past Pilgrimages
    • 2022 Offering Of Gratitude >
      • 2022 OOG Resources
      • 2022 OOG Pic Upload
    • 2022 Pentecost Pilgrimage >
      • 2022 PPIP Letter
      • 2022 PPIP Resources
      • 2022 PPIP Pictures
    • 2022 WPPCU >
      • 2022 WPPCU Pictures
      • 2022 WPPCU Devotions and Resources >
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions Keynote
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D1
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D2
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D3
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D4
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D5
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D6
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D7
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D8
    • 2021 11 Offering of Gratitude >
      • 2021 11 Offering of Gratitude Pictures
    • 2021 06 26 Golden Way >
      • Golden Way pictures
    • 2021 Pentecost Pilgrimage >
      • 2021 PPIP Daily Devotions
      • 2021 PPIP Blessings
      • 2021 PPIP Pictures
    • 2021 WPPCU >
      • 2021 WPPCU Intro Video
      • 2021 WPPCU SongsCards
      • 2021 WPPCU Daily Devotions
      • 2021 WPPCU Photos
    • 2020 Pentecost Pilgrimage
    • 2019 Pilgrimage >
      • 2019 Dedicated To Mike
      • Archbishop's Radio Interview
      • 2019 Participants
      • 2019 Route - Pictures
      • 2019 Schedule
      • 2019 Steering Committee
    • 2018 Pilgrimage >
      • 2018 Participants
      • 2018 Route - Pictures
      • 2018 Schedule
      • 2018 Staff and Volunteers
    • 2017 Pilgrimage >
      • 2017 Participants
      • 2017 Route - Pictures
      • 2017 Schedule
      • 2017 Staff & Volunteers
      • 2017 Sylvia's Resources
  • Resources
    • Practical Resources
    • Spiritual
    • Resources For Reflection
    • Leadership Desk
    • Blog