Last summer, my husband, sister, and I spent twenty-three amazing days in Italy. It was a trip I had always dreamed of but never thought I would have the opportunity to do it. I will never forget one of my very favorite days. I had carefully mapped out how we would get from our Airbnb in Naples to a remote church known as the Parish of St. Joseph the Old and Immaculate of Lourdes so we could visit the tomb of Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo, spiritual director of Padre Pio and the author of the beautiful Surrender Novena. And, I had also scouted out an amazing local family-owned restaurant called Sottocoperta Taverna di Mare, known for its fresh lobster, homemade pasta, and amazing wine.
What I had not counted on was that any American traveling in Europe who was on a major network, such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, would all experience an internet outage that lasted about 48 hours. The outage began that day, and suddenly I could not use my phone to lead us to the church or the restaurant. The places we were walking were not in the heart of tourist districts, so no one was speaking English. How would we ever find the way?
The Way
Before the early Christians came to be called Christians, they were known simply as “The Way.” Out of all the possible titles, this was how they came to be known – so simple, yet so revealing.
I wonder if the apostles, thinking back about this moment, suggested the title recounted in today’s gospel. Jesus had just washed their feet, and they were sitting at the table of the Last Supper. He encouraged them, saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He assured them that He has prepared a place for them and that they know the way to where He is going.
Then, Thomas posed the question: “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
How confusing that answer must have been for them! Jesus had not explained everything in full. He was asking them to trust in Him. By giving their hearts to Christ, they could trust that they would never be lost.
Trustful Surrender
What I remember most about the experience in Italy was the overwhelming peace that flooded me when I realized that we had no idea how we would get to where we wanted to go, yet I had this remarkable assurance that we would arrive at our desired destinations. I never hesitated or considered canceling this excursion; I simply took the first step and asked my husband and sister to come along on the adventure. Thankfully, they, too, by grace, were willing to go along with me.
Without a GPS or paper map, and without knowing Italian, we simply began walking along the cobblestone roads and doing our best to ask for directions. Amazingly, block by block, we made our way, and we were able to get to the wonderful places we sought. I cannot explain the freedom, gratitude, beautiful prayer time, and delicious food we enjoyed that day – simply following the way with a heart of trust and anticipation.
