In October, my husband Mike and I spent a week in Spain hiking part of the Camino de Santiago.  The Camino is an ancient pilgrimage that follows the path of the apostle St. James the Greater to his burial place in Santiago de Compostela. There are many reasons why people venture on the Camino, but among those we met we found that most were searching for something: answers to life’s questions, self-knowledge, forgiveness, peace of heart and mind, greater freedom, and simplicity.  The Camino lends itself to deep inner searching through the sacramentality of actual, physical searching. At each turn, bend, curve, or split in the trail, we searched for the Camino sign, a bright yellow scallop shell set against a rich blue background.  This sign continually reassured us that we were on the right path to reach our destination.

        In today’s readings, Isaiah prophesies that the Lord himself will give a sign: “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”  In Matthew’s gospel, the angel of the Lord reminds Joseph of Isaiah’s prophetic sign, and tells him to name Mary’s son, Jesus.  Emmanuel means “God with us,” and Jesus means, “God saves.”  The sign the Lord gives is Jesus himself, God with us and God saves.  As I pondered these readings, I thought about the signs along the Camino and realized that Jesus continues to be the sign that points us in the right direction. The Most Holy Eucharist is the visible sign of the invisible reality of God with us and the God who saves.  Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity - fully present in the Eucharist - points us to our heavenly destination, reassuring us that we are on the right path.  

        Today, I invite you to take time to think about the path you are on.  Do you continually look to Jesus as the sign that points you in the right direction?   Will you always search for him to show you the way?

Sarah Fellona holds an MA in Theology and is a Certified Spiritual Director. She and her husband Mike have been married for over 20 years, have lived all over the world, and are blessed to be raising 4 teenage daughters!