BRAZIL, Cláudio Medeiros, Jaraguá Family Federation •
We often try to make the 18th of each month a special day to remember and renew our covenant of love. I think everyone has their own way of expressing this, so together with Marcio Gonçalvez from the Family League of Jaraguá, I found a somewhat unusual way to do this: In mid-December, while we were still thinking about how to get the spousal release that is so important and indispensable for this kind of event, we decided to set out from Jaraguá on bicycles for a kind of pilgrimage to the shrine of Atibaia. —
Poets would perhaps say that it is a journey from the heart of Sion to the Tabor of the Father’s constant presence, beautiful but not very painful; in our case, it was simply a way of going beyond our limits, and as the date approached, we had the pleasant surprise of André Micha and Almir Cordeiro, members of the Boys’ Youth of all times and specifically of ours, joining us.
Up to this point, there were many imponderables, sometimes it was the weather that would not let us tell this story later, sometimes it was the question of whether our legs would manage the journey, and the biggest fear of all was always the spousal release, which could be revoked at any moment.
The distance was an important factor, as it is about 86 kilometers from the Jaraguá district of São Paulo to the shrine of Atibaia, almost 190 kilometers round trip. This is where the journey starts to get interesting and I invite everyone to think about it.
Pilgrim bicycle ride to the shrine of Atibaia, first by train
With the eye of a pioneer
I think we can talk about something inherent in Schoenstatt’s pedagogy that I have learned and continue to learn since my time in the Boys’ Youth and today as a candidate in the Family Federation.
When we talked about the route for the first time, I was asked: Isn’t there an easier way? Because the Fernão Dias highway is very steep in places, which means it’s all uphill and not much downhill. Not to mention the danger of sharing the road with cars and trucks.
Looking around, with a pioneer’s eye, we found a more viable and lesser-known route to Atibaia. Coincidentally, the famous “Linha Rubi” light rail line that crosses São Paulo into the interior, passing through the town of Campo Limpo Paulista, which is miraculously only 34 km from Atibaia, is located near Jaraguá.
So, with fresh eyes, we found a new solution. All we needed now was the courage to accept the new proposal and stick to it. In practice, we had to take an unusual route in a different direction. Here is the invitation: When do we see our lives from a different perspective? When do we really listen to what the other person is saying, and when do we really try and move towards that idea? A good exercise to let go of our beliefs, accept the other person and go with them.
Between Jaragua and Atibaia
“When will this climb be over?”
Well, yes! Idea accepted, permission from my better half in hand, and we were at Jaraguá station at 5.30 in the morning, testing out the route. It was a pleasure for me to meet the three comrades there, and all the beautiful moments of the JUMAS, the Boys’ Youth of Brazil, came back to my mind, especially the exchange that took place there with the little we had for the trip, I’m talking about paçoca (peanut bars), fruit, cereal bars and even a photo drone.
I won’t comment on the train ride, it’s very easy and very interesting when you see how the landscape changes as you go inland.
With the little information we had about the route, we headed to the shrine with only one question, “When is this climb over?”
Believe me, the answer never came, but what we did find were packs of the dreaded tawny promenade mix, every good cyclist’s fear. And at this point, our bike ride stopped being an easy ride and became an adventure, at least for me, who made it my mission to throw everything in the path at the dogs, only to flee from them.
On the road on new paths
When we have a clear goal
Here’s another thought: when we have a clear goal, in our case the shrine, the path to get there begins to unfold before us, and as this happens, we accept the challenges that come our way, and we have a duty to look to the side and enjoy the landscape that this path offers us, we must perceive the sun that rises and illuminates everything, and when it begins to burn, we thank it for all the shadows we find.
Looking back, we can see how we train on small stretches, where every pedal stroke, every Hail Mary, strengthens us so that when the invitation to something greater comes, we can accept it with an open heart.
The pedagogy of our movement can help us, it enables us to start again and again, it helps us to see a goal that guides us on our way and gives us brothers and sisters to lead us on.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the road we took to the shrine was very pleasant and is a real invitation to walk it more often and in greater company.
From Jaraguá, by bike, to the shrine of Atibaia, in honor of Covenant Day
“Today is the 18th, a very important day for us”
I cannot describe what I felt when we arrived at the shrine, but after standing there for some time to rest and share what we had brought, a sister approached us, easily recognizable as such because she always wears a blue habit, and said to us:
– Do you know what day it is today? Today is the 18th, a very important day for us.
(Silence) – Yes, sister, we know. Very important.
Cycling from Jaraguá to the shrine in Atibaia on Covenant Day
Original: Portuguese. Translation: Maria Fischer @schoenstatt.org
