Jake Onder

To begin ascending the hill, he had to strip himself of many things he carried. At the foothills in Florence, a sudden rain came upon him, washing away what he could not leave behind on his own. Only then could he become light enough to go up.

Looking back upon the many roads he had walked - and they were many - he saw that there was one to which they all led: the place from which the roads had come forth, and toward which they had always been returning.

Since then, the path ceased to be mere scenery.
He heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, begin to praise.

Flowers opened themselves in astonishing beauty toward the heavens, and birds sang love songs through the air. The wind became breath. The mountains became cathedrals. And the people he encountered became guides, each bringing him a message he needed to hear:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” And so the pilgrimage turned into communion.

The final destination in Assisi no longer seemed like the end of the road, but the beginning of carrying it within.

For He would be with him always, and so may he always remain with Him.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
- Numbers 6:24-26