A priest in the Killarney pastoral area, travelling on pilgrimage to Medjugorje this weekend, said he knows it will be a fantastic experience but he is dreading the travel and the food.
Glenflesk Parish Priest, Fr Jim Lenihan, said he is not looking forward to being away from his home comforts, especially normal food and set times.
“The food will consist of bags of crisps, chocolate, sucky sweets, catering sandwiches and a fatty fry,” he told parishioners in the weekly newsletter.
He said he will also find that the journey to the village in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be difficult.
“I’m dreading the travelling to get there, which will take, from door-to-door, about 12 hours, all going well.
“I hate travelling on planes and buses, especially in the 40-degree heat. I’ll be tired after an anxious sleep. So much waiting around airports,” Fr Lenihan said.
The Glenflesk PP said the whole experience reminds him of what St Teresa of Avila once said: ‘This life, at times, is like having a bad night in a bad hotel’.
“There are times in our lives where we feel totally disconnected from our world. The truth is, it’s not our true home. We’re sojourning to a better place,” he wrote.
“Scripture says ‘Our true home is in heaven’ and this life could be symbolised by my arduous trip to Medjugorie,” Fr Lenihan added.
He said life isn’t easy because of an infinite longing for some place greater and that is why Jesus gives people food for the journey.
“That food is the infinite food of the Holy Eucharist. This transitory life can suck the life out of us so Jesus wants to replenish us with His own life, body blood, soul and divinity in Holy Communion,” he wrote.
Pilgrimages to Medjugorje, close to the border with Croatia, have been taking place since the 1980s when six local children reported visions of Our Lady.
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