Take nothing but a cell phone

Franciscan monks decided to Jesus' sending forth seriously this summer. They walked from Roanoke, Virginia to Washington, D.C. (300 miles) with nearly nothing.

So they made a few exceptions to the rule of not carrying anything with them--an extra pair of underwear, a blanket, and a cell phone just for emergencies--but it's a more extreme lifestyle than most of us are willing to take on, even just for six weeks.

Read about their compelling experiences at the Washington Post [1]. Their photo slideshow [2] of the monks is also great.  

Just as with the world’s old Bible [3], this story makes me realize that religious experience such as pilgrimages are just as powerful now as they were centuries ago.

Hat tip to Maria de Lourdes Ruiz Scaperlanda [4] who pointed to this story and the Bible story on a Catholic listserv.