𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐤𝐞: 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲

“𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒖𝒏-𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒔𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆.”

𝑷𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒐 𝑪𝒐𝒆𝒍𝒉𝒐, 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒊𝒍𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆

One of the joys of living here at the Jersey Shore is heading out for a long cycling ride along the coastline.

Some days I’ll ride north to Sandy Hook and back (about 50 miles). Other days I’ll head south to Island Beach State Park (closer to 40 miles).

I’ve come to realize something profound with each ride – that it’s not really about the bike but an opportunity in “finding God in all things”, a core principle of Ignatian Spirituality.

During the ride, I look for his presence in the sacred and in the ordinary and process my thoughts on those things I need to let go of and to embrace what God may be calling me to do in this fourth quarter of my life.

An opportunity to go deeper into my relationships including with myself, with my family and friends, and with the Lord.

I don’t ride as fast as I used to, but feel His presence along each ride in the beautiful scenery, the sunlight shining down on the ocean itself, the wind and rain, and all the people I pass along the way many of whom give me a friendly nod.

While a good playlist can keep my legs churning when I am riding against the wind, the special graces are always present, especially the memories and emotions that come up for me as I pass by each church along the way.

Whether it’s Sacred Heart in Bay Head, St. Michael’s in Long Branch, or all those other churches I pass by when the ride turns inland, something stirs up inside me; the beautiful architecture and stained glass windows; the pews where we sit and kneel and practice our faith; the sacred altar; and the confessional which always heals me in a way that words can’t fully describe.

Each ride is a reminder of many signature moments I’ve lived in faith — all the Baptisms, my first Penance and Holy Communion; my Confirmation; the many weddings I attended, especially my own almost 45 years ago.

Each church I pass is that special place where I learned how to pray; where family gathered every Sunday; and yes, a reminder of the sadness I’ll always feel for the many loved ones I’ve lost but comforting to know that they are now in God’s eternal embrace.

Cycling has becomes a pilgrimage of sorts, just like the Camino de Santiago was for me back in 2021 and a spiritual reminder of who I am trying to become along the way.

Every ride filled with gratitude for the wonderful people God has gifted me with in this life and the blessings of faith.

So how about for you in your own journey—whether on bike, on foot, or in the everyday rhythms of life?

Where do you find those sacred and ordinary moments of God’s presence in your life?

Have you ever experienced the divine in any unexpected places?