Jim Carrey: Pundit of Pop Culture?

Jim Carrey @JimCarrey once tweeted, “I wish everyone could get rich and famous and have everything they ever dreamt of so they would know it’s not the answer.”

Now isn’t that just a pithy little slice of wisdom that packs a punch in a culture drowning in materialism? I happen to think so.

I just did a quick Google Search and stumbled upon the following headline: “$540 million Mega Millions jackpot ticket sold in Indiana.” Now I could rant on the insanity and obscenity of this phenomenon for the rest of the article; but I’m choosing not to. Why? It’s not worth my time or yours. As spiritual pilgrims on a different path, we have more important matters to concern us, as counter-culturalists in this modern era.

Way of the Pilgrim

In her book, Pilgrimage of A Soul – Contemplative Spirituality for the Active Life, Phileena Heurtz shares some deeply personal revelations on the spiritual path as she and her husband trek across the grueling 450 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. This is an ancient pilgrimage route stretching from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain – the Way of St. James the Apostle.

So sure, one has time over such a hike to exorcise many demons, wrestle with the ‘dark side’ and nurse one’s aching limbs and sores . . But from the depths of such trekking and soul searching, many beautiful insights emerge:

“As we let go of physical, mental and emotional attachments, we abandon ourselves to God and yield without restraint to God’s love and grace – for this is sufficient for life’s journey. Knowing and being known by God, relationship with God, is supreme – the source of our identity and purpose. Expressing our truest identity is possible when we are free of false attachments that try to make claim on who we are. These accessories can become quite burdensome and impede our pilgrimage. The spiritual journey has to be made with simplicity and a desire to be free.”                                                                  ~ Phileena Heuertz, Pilgrim of A Soul.

Everything you need is here.

Some years ago when I was completing my seminary formation for ordained ministry, my academic adviser once said to me, “Everything you need is here.” On the face of it, I believe his intended meaning was that all my academic, social, and humanitarian needs were sufficiently accommodated by the seminary. I did not need to go elsewhere for any of my basic needs.

And he was right. But his words became a spiritual mantra for me from that day forth. I chose (or was inspired) to interpret them at a deeper level. For me they resoundingly reminded me that I continuously live in loving communion with an all-knowing, all-providing, all-caring, and all-nourishing God. Wherever I (or any of us) go in life – and God knows I’ve been in some lean scrapes along the way – absolute trust in my Source of Being invariably leads me to who and what I need at any given moment on my pilgrim way.

I don’t need $540 mil in my checking account or a palatial mansion set in 100 acres of pristine property to be happy. Do you? Think about it and be sure to let me know what (essentially) makes you happy in this life.

Thanks for reading. And mega blessings on your pilgrim way!

Cover Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Image Insert: Wikimedia Commons