Reflections on the Emmaus Walk

I’ve just returned from spending a long weekend with the Emmaus community serving as one of three spiritual directors. Twenty eight “pilgrims” spent 72 hours experiencing nothing but the Grace of God. In all, over 50 volunteers invested their time, energy, and talents to make sure that these men would feel God’s grace touch their lives.

I was one of those pilgrims last year. I have to say this was one of the high points of my journey with Christ; so much so, that I felt compelled to be a part of sharing this event with others. I guess this is what grace is all about. True sacrifice is rooted more in returning blessings than in anything else.

One of the notable moments of this weekend was the hours spent in prayer for every aspect of the weekend. When the team arrived on Thursday afternoon, they immediately walked all over the retreat center and prayed for every spot and every function the pilgrims would experience. I was struck by the priority this had in the preparation for the weekend.

The weekend was a phenomenal success as evidenced by the testimonies of every man that walked. As I listened to testimony after testimony, I was reminded of the hours spent in prayer for the weekend, and I knew God was simply answering our prayers for these men.

As I drove home last night, I knew this was something I would bring back to Ivy. In a few minutes, I will be meeting with the staff for our weekly staff meeting, and I plan to bring this up with them. Focused, serious prayer needs to be a part of everything we do. I know people regularly pray for the ministries of the Church; however, there is more we can do. Prayer needs to be given a higher priority in everything we do and are about.

I suspect you will be hearing more on this in the coming days. I was reminded the only way any difficulty can be weathered and any blessing can be understood is with the confidence that prayer has lead the way.

PJ