By Yvonne DeBruin, Director of Mission Formation
My experience of being a Pilgrim of Hope on behalf of creation started before the official start date of the Season of Creation, in mid-August, on my annual retreat on the Jersey shore.
As in past years, I am so grateful for the opportunity to contemplatively walk the beach and communing with the ocean, for the horizon that lifts my gaze from my little problems into the infinite vastness of God’s love, for the sand under my feet and the breeze through my hair.
Experiencing the sunrise, the moonrise and the sunset is invigorating, consoling, and gifting me with peace. How could I ever pay back creation and the God of Creation for what I am gifted with during this week?
As I walk the beach, I am also aware of all kinds of trash that is strewn over the beach and in the dunes, despite plenty of sizable garbage cans deposited at strategic locations and at frequent intervals.
It bothers me and I feel for creation being littered in such a careless way, providing not only an eyesore for those who notice it, but also real danger for the wildlife that make the beach and the ocean their habitat and home.
Every year, I am thinking that the least I can do is to pick up some of the trash that I see and deposit it in the trash bin.
While we are called as Christians to do good in an ‘unseen’ way - in this case - I hope that many people see me. I hope they notice my picking up trash, stop to think and perhaps are more mindful in preventing littering or join me in their own way to pick up what does not belong on a beach or in the ocean. In this case and in a hidden way, I hope to be an ‘educator in all I am and do’ (YAS 23).
To my surprise, this year, I was rewarded in multiple ways. On one day I found a seasonal beach tag that someone lost, a value of about $30. Not that I needed it, but I could leave it with the Sisters where I stayed for other retreatants to use.
Another day, while carefully trying to retrieve some beverage cans from the dunes, I also found a $10 bill that someone lost the night before. I applied that one toward a good cause.
More important, however, on two different days, I saw two people doing what I did. One was during early morning prayer.
Overlooking the beach from the lifeguards’ highchair before they arrived, I saw an approximately 9-year-old girl who was walking with her mom, picking up some trash she came upon, and placed it in the trash bin. On a separate day, a woman in her mid-30’s likewise picked up some trash and placed it in the garbage can. I was graced with Hope on these two occasions…
I saw hope for creation in these two Pilgrims of Hope.
I was filled with hope that there are other people seeing and listening to the cry of creation and not walking by carelessly but stop to bend over the abused, victimized beach, and care for it, like the Samaritan in Luke’s gospel tended to a beaten-up victim on the roadside.
I gave and give thanks for the Pilgrims of Hope walking among us. It kindles my own hope and inspires my actions and prayer.
