A Daily Escape

The article entitled “Sacred Journeys” from PBS by Bruce Feiler characterizes six phases which he asserts that every pilgrim undergoes in the course of any sacred journey: the Call, the Separation, the Journey, the Contemplation, the Encounter, the Completion and Return. In his consolidation of what occurs in the “opening clarion” of the first stage, the Call, he raises several weighty statements.

First, he asserts that “finding meaning in an overscheduled world somehow requires leaving behind our daily obligations.”

The value of forsaking a fixed routine in a familiar place is undeniably beneficial. Jesus himself often withdrew from the disciples and crowds which flocked to him everywhere he went (Luke 5:16.)
However, his claim assumes a narrow mindset; Feiler concludes that in order to find the true solace of a spiritual encounter one must flee from one’s ties to the roles bound to us by societal expectations. I beg the question- can one make room for the sacred within these confines? In the early morning, or in a quiet interval between the chaos, if it is possible, what does it require of us? Could intentionality be the key? Perhaps there is an approach in which one could enact a sacred posture with emphasis on abandoning the obligations for a short respite, despite the pressure of time constraints.

“Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18)

In Paul’s writing prayer is not merely attainable, but commanded, under any and all circumstances. Therefore, would it not provide for “finding meaning” without abandonment of our station?

“Sameness is the enemy of spirituality,” Feiler later claims.


Repetition can help to build a regimen for good stewardship in daily living. If routine cannot incorporate, or at the very least allot opportunity to build in time to seek refuge with the sacred, then is one helpless when amidst the throes of obligations which cannot be neglected?
The implications of this assertion place a great expectation on the ritual. The focus is on the physical act of abandoning one’s familiarity, which indicates a lofty requirement to gain audience with God. I would have to disagree. Such a claim negates the providential exchange of my childhood bedside prayers. I believe the challenge is to create a space within the realm of one’s obligations to seek out meaning through sacred connection.

As Lane writes in Landscapes, "religion isn't always a matter of otherworldly transcendence. It continually sets up camp in the ordinary" (48).

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