Summer Reading: Pilgrimage by Lucy Pick

It’s summer, time to find a great beach or pool read. I know everyone wants to read about the Middle Ages. No? That’s just me? Okay, we’ll compromise and talk about fiction—fiction set in the Middle Ages.

For the next three weeks, I’ll highlight historical fiction that’s caught my eye. I’m not going to offer an in-depth review. I want to tell you what I think each book has to offer, primarily from a spiritual viewpoint.

We’ll begin this week with the most recent book of the three—Pilgrimage by Lucy Pick (Cuidono Press, 2014).

Pilgrimage-Lucy PickThis book is about—you guessed it—a pilgrimage! It takes place in the 12th century and concerns the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, one of the most popular pilgrimage routes in the Middle Ages. The Camino is featured on the Hereford Map, which I write about in my recent book, so I was especially excited to see this route come alive. And it does, through a group of characters who walk the Camino, two of whom are writing the 12th-century pilgrim’s guidebook now known as the Codex Calixtinus.

The book’s most intriguing character is Gebirga of Gistel, who tells the story. She’s a Flemish crusader’s daughter who is quiet, resilient, reflective–and blind. Gebirga’s blindness is a nice touch; it adds a new dimension to the idea of pilgrim narratives.

But what interests me the most about Gebirga is that she is what we might call an “unintentional pilgrim.” She doesn’t set off on a sacred journey. She isn’t driven by a single-minded goal. She finds herself on the Camino as part of her job to escort a young noblewoman to her betrothed, in Spain; on the way, Gebirga becomes caught in a web of political intrigue and experiences all kinds of danger. Only at the end does her journey take on elements of what we think of as a true pilgrimage.

I appreciate this because it strips away some of the romanticism attached to the Camino and to pilgrimage in general. Today, pilgrimage seems noble and rugged, a great adventure. This is especially true of the Camino since travelers can still walk a good portion of this ancient route. Photos like the one below feature lone pilgrims in the wilderness of Spain, and you just know that they’re out there “finding themselves” on the journey.

Pilgrim on the road
A pilgrim on the road in Spain. Copyright mohnd / 123RF Stock Photo

I myself am probably guilty of idealizing pilgrimage. In my book and articles, I write about the sacredness of medieval pilgrimage and assume that pilgrims had the most devout of intentions. I imagine them setting out with hearts full of faith. In reality, pilgrims set out for all kinds of reasons, some of them pious and others, not so much. Don’t you love it when fiction reminds you of what is true historically?

I still think pilgrimage is a rich image of the Christian faith, and I’ll probably continue to write about it as such. But Pick’s book reminds me that in some ways, we’re all unintentional pilgrims. We don’t always set out with the best motives. We don’t know where we’re going. We may not even know or believe that healing is possible. And then, somewhere along the way, grace catches up with us. It reveals our destination and walks with us along the road.

Grace finds Gebirga, too. I won’t tell you how–read Pick’s book to the end to find out. As you do, remember that you, too, are on a sacred journey, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. God’s grace will catch up to you.

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