18 May 2023 · 2023-05 newsletter
A Reflection by Branko Poljak, Jim Jankiewicz and Steve Buhagiar
It is just after 9pm on Sunday March 19th, and today is technically the feast of St Joseph, but given it is the 4th Sunday of Lent, it will be celebrated tomorrow. I am home, cleaned up and ready to get some much needed rest. But as I look into the golden amber of the whisky I just poured myself, my thoughts go back to the camaraderie shared over the last couple of nights, with a whisky in hand and deep discussions around our faith.
Jim asked that we each share a reflection on the St Joseph Motorcycle pilgrimage we just finished. To be honest, I feel quite empty of words these days, but the question keeps returning, why do people go on pilgrimages? Some thoughts that come to mind are the grand and holy reasons, full of charity, humility, piety, fasting, and religious observance. I guess though, God is asking me, why did I go, not everyone else, but me? You see, I have come to understand that God is not interested in everyone, rather he is deeply passionate and sent His only Son, because of every single "me" in the world. All the unique and stand alone "me’s" are FAR, FAR more important than ‘everyone’.
Honestly, with everything that is going on in my life right now, the last few months of getting things ready for the ride, have been a burden. My joy was sapped out of these activities, which I completed with great excitement in prior years. I am grateful for people like Jim, his desire for punctuality and precision (I guess that’s the German in him), is counterbalanced perfectly with his ability to completely let go and rely on "divine providence", as he often instructs me in a completely non-judgemental manner. His beautifully simple response to the question of why this pilgrimage, was "Being on a Bike and on Pilgrimage is always a special experience for me. I feel totally immersed in God’s creation with the wind all around me and feeling the temperature drop when going down into Megalong Valley. I feel His presence in that besides, being with other men of like mind searching for wholeness and meaning and having meaningful conversation during Fellowship, completes my experience."
Steve Buhagiar reflected with great encouragement, "/ must say that it further reinforces in my mind that this is in fact a ‘pilgrimage1 and not just an excuse to get out on the bike for a few days with a group of like-minded men. It is real, and it takes planning and perseverance, and generosity."
Despite the wisdom of my brothers in Christ and fellow biking enthusiasts, the question still remains for me, why a pilgrimage on this 3rd occasion? Speaking frankly, I did not know, until we came to the last station of our journey, which was St Josephs at Enfield where Fr Mirko Integlia celebrated Mass. Mass was beautiful, the readings seemed to be specifically for me, the homily thought provoking, his singing, inspiring, and then he prayed a "spontaneous" prayer of the faithful, "Let us pray for the St Joseph Riders, that they may share their faith as they follow their passion for speed." I think this summed it up in one simple sentence.
In the end we are called to be disciples and to evangelise, that is, to "share our faith". I wonder what others thought as a group of men gather around a table in a pub, strip off their helmets and jackets and pray before a meal, hands together and heads bowed down, or what passers-by thought of the open air Mass that Fr Suresh celebrated at Lake Canobolas (now Lake Galilee as Fr Suresh referred to it). It was a beautiful end to a great (albeit tiring) day. We had a cake stand that became an altar, a new white tablecloth to ensure it was spotless, and Fr Suresh’s brand new, unused till date Mass Kit, this was its "maiden voyage". A very intimate Mass, a priest and 4 men.
Also, what rider does not enjoy opening up the throttle to feel the rush of adrenaline as the motor winds up turning the rumbling of a V-Twin cruising at 3000rpm, to a high pitched metallic drone at 7-8000rpm, dropping your bike into a corner and relying on a small patch of rubber, a stretch of clean road and your weigh distribution to keep you fixed to the road. There is a myriad of things that could go wrong all ending up with you sliding out or worse, high siding.
So, riding you need faith in your machine and your skill. A pilgrimage is also about growing in faith.
What did I learn about myself? Well, more reinforce rather than learn. I need more patience, and this was clear when I wanted everyone to keep up, even after telling everyone, you ride at a speed you are comfortable at. For me when I sit on a bike, whilst I enjoy the journey, this sometimes comes secondary to reaching the destination. I need to slow down and "smell the roses" as they say. Soak in the glorious Australian countryside, marvel at the deep blue of the sky on a warm afternoon, when wispy clouds peer over land features and built forms almost like angels following us and keeping us safe.
So I guess for me, a pilgrimage is about, taking time to enjoy the journey, embrace the discomfort, then deeply appreciating the rest at the end of each day. It is about deepening my faith, then sharing it. It is about growing in love, in this case between brothers in Christ. In the end, this is exactly what we did, we grew and shared our faith whilst following our passion for "speed". So how to improve next year’s ride? That will be up to you!
Jim, a member of our Schoenstatt Men’s Branch, has consciously taken our Mother Thrice Admirable on the St. Josephs’ Bike Pilgrimage for all three pilgrimages.
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