Closing Message: God sees the heart not the checklist
Beloved Pilgrims, Sisters and Brothers,
I can hardly believe we’ve reached the end of this sacred journey. What once felt like a long stretch ahead has now passed, and in that time, so much has stirred, opened, and deepened within us.
This pilgrimage began from a deeply personal place. Since the start of the year, I was bedridden, unable to do much of anything for over three months. Despite a healthy lifestyle and a fairly disciplined spiritual practice, my body gave out, and I knew I needed to look beyond the physical. This became a call to re-examine my relationship with God, to face where I had drifted out of alignment, and to listen more honestly to my soul’s deeper needs.
I usually walk these kinds of journeys alone. I’ve never fasted for Lent in community. But this year, a phrase kept echoing within me: “You never heal alone, but in community.” For the first time, I didn’t want to do it by myself. So I threw out an invitation, like a message in a bottle, and waited.
I wasn’t sure if anyone would feel the same call. But you did. And far more of you than I ever expected.
I’m deeply moved and honored that so many of you joined this pilgrimage. That something in you responded to the invitation to return to the heart, to reconnect with God, and to journey together.
Together, we moved through a progression that mirrors the natural development of any meaningful relationship:
1. Recognizing our images of God and healing the relationship (Reflections 1–6)
We began by looking at the ways our inherited beliefs, wounds, and unconscious projections shape how we see and relate to the Divine. We explored the “God wound” and how healing begins with awareness. By naming and gently examining these inner images, space opened for a more loving, spacious connection with the Sacred.
2. Meeting and getting acquainted with God (Reflections 7–8)
We rethought the concept of sin and shifted from fear-based religion to authentic relationship. We asked intimate questions: Where and how does God delight in meeting me? Where and how do I feel most alive in God’s presence? This stage was about encountering the Divine not through doctrine, but through direct, personal experience.
3. Deepening our friendship and trust (Reflections 9–10)
Here, we leaned into spiritual intimacy. We explored the five love languages as pathways of connection between the soul and the Divine. This was an invitation to nourish our friendship with God through everyday gestures of love, presence, and reverence.
4. Passing through the Dark Night of the Soul (Reflections 15–16)
We named the seasons when God feels distant, prayer feels dry, and the inner life feels stripped bare. Rather than resisting these times, we honored them as sacred terrain. This stage showed us that the dark night is not abandonment but a deep purification and preparation for union.
5. Holy Week and walking closely with the mystery of Christ’s Passion (Reflections 11–14, and 17)
In this final stage, we reflected on Holy Week as a mirror of our own path of letting go, dying to the false self, and being made new through love. It was a time of deep tenderness, surrender, and awe.
There was one rich topic we didn’t have time to explore: Male and Female Spirituality. To be honest, I was a little ambitious with how much I wanted to offer. I too fell off the rhythm at times because life asked things of me I didn’t expect. But that, too, is part of the path. It reminded me once again how much we all rely on grace, and how gentle and spacious God truly is.
Each of these themes is vast. We could spend years with just one. So please don’t worry if you remained anchored in a single reflection throughout the journey. That may have been exactly what your soul needed.
Please release the pressure to have done it all “right.”
For many of us, these past weeks (and months) have not been easy. We began this journey with a clear intention, to fast, to reflect, to make space for God, but life doesn’t always cooperate with our plans.
Illness, grief, unexpected responsibilities, long work hours, family demands, emotional exhaustion… all of it is real. Sometimes the things we hoped to give our full attention to had to sit quietly in the background while we tended to the urgent needs of daily life. And that can feel disappointing. It can feel like we missed something.
But please hear this clearly: you didn’t miss anything that wasn’t meant for you. Even when you felt far from the pilgrimage, the pilgrimage was still unfolding within you. Even if you received just one moment of insight, one nudge closer to God, one step toward healing, or one breath of peace you’ve had a meaningful pilgrimage. You said yes to your soul, and that yes matters deeply.
This journey was never meant to be a perfect spiritual performance. There is no gold star for finishing every fast or completing every reflection. God is not keeping score. God is accompanying you through every interruption, every detour, every unexpected turn.
We often imagine that the spiritual path should look peaceful and ordered, full of prayerful mornings and beautifully carved-out time. But the truth is, the real pilgrimage happens in the middle of the mess, in traffic jams, in tearful moments, in missed meals, in hospital waiting rooms, in late-night emails, in caring for others when you're running on empty.
And perhaps that’s one of the great gifts of this journey: It humbles us.
It shows us again and again how much we need grace.
Not because we are failing, but because life is full, unpredictable, and complex.
And still, here you are. You kept walking. Maybe quietly. Maybe off the map. Maybe crawling some days. But something in you kept turning toward the Divine.
So please release the pressure to have done it all “right.” Trust that your heart showed up in the way it was meant to. And know that every step, even the ones that didn’t look “spiritual,” were held in God’s hands.
God is a God of compassion
This is one of the most tender truths we can hold onto, especially at the end of a sacred journey like this.
God is not measuring how perfectly you fasted.
God is not grading how many reflections you completed.
God is not waiting for you to earn grace.
God sees your desire, your effort, your vulnerability, your longing.
God sees the quiet prayers you whispered when no one else was listening.
God sees the days you struggled to stay present but still tried.
God sees the moments you wanted to give up, but something in you kept going.
That is what matters.
So I truly hope you are extending that same compassion to yourself.
We are not meant to walk these paths flawlessly.
We are meant to walk them faithfully, openly, and honestly.
Spiritual growth is not linear. It’s tender. It’s messy. It’s sacred.
We fall and rise. We lose our way and find it again.
This, too, is the journey.
Let your heart rest in the knowing that you did enough. That you are enough. That showing up with sincerity, even in imperfection, is beautiful to God. Because at the end of the day, God sees the heart, not the checklist.
This pilgrimage was not about performance. It was about relationship. And in relationship, presence matters more than perfection.
Many of you have reached out to share how this journey opened something new in you. I’ve heard your desire to continue, and I’m deeply honored. I will share an offering in this group next month to support the continuation of your journey.
For now, take a moment to honor what you’ve done. Take in the love that carried you through these weeks. Let the seeds planted in your soul continue to grow, quietly and steadily.
This pilgrimage offered a map, not a set of instructions. You now hold that map in your hands. The road ahead is yours to walk in your own rhythm, in your own way, supported by the trust that God is walking with you.
You’re not behind.
You’re not late.
You are right on time.
Thank you for trusting this space.
Thank you for walking, even if your steps felt slow or uneven.
Your presence here has been a gift.
