This morning (11^th January) I bought a ticket to Fly to Nimes/Arles in the south of France on 26^th March and then to walk from there, 1000 miles to Santiago de Compostella in the NW of Spain, to the tomb of St. James. The Camino of St. James is waymarked all along its length. Pilgrims have been walking this road for over a thousand years, in the footsteps of those before them, those who went up to Jerusalem, including Jesus himself. The Magi had also travelled their journey to meet their infant King and Lord. The Chosen people led by Moses had left Egypt and gone into the desert to find their God and to find themselves. The Church, God’s pilgrim people is forever starting out afresh on this journey of following Jesus. We too hear an invitation, a call, and we travel onwards. How our journey will work out we do not know. Each season of Lent is an invitation to listen to our hearts which yearn like Jesus to hear the voice of our Father in heaven saying: “I love you. I forgive you. I am here now, merciful and full of compassion.”