A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith

This book had me at "Timothy Egan."I could not put down his "The Worst Hard Time," and a habit since college days has been to highlight passages that work on me. My copy of "The Worst Hard Time" has more yellow than unhighlighted text, so I knew to count on something similar from Egan and marched myself down to the corner drugstore for two fresh highlighters.It's a good thing I did. Egan's writing is absorbing in that I-wish-he-headlined-a-writers'-workshop-way. His family is interesting in that I-wish-they-were-my-next-door-neighbors way. And the subject is fascinating. I mean, who doesn't grapple with the questions of faith and existence and purpose and meaning?The point that has affected me the most -- and there are a lot of these prompted by this book -- is the notion that although humans can share similarities with other mammals (penguins mating for life, for example), humans are the only species capable of devotion. The fact that we are the only species who can, yet many don't, is an intriguing and vexing consideration that has led me to ask myself, "Whatcha going to do about that?" (There's only one thing I can do, and that's demonstrate said devotion -- in other words, pray. (Penguins can't pray. At least as far as I am aware).Another reviewer gave this fewer stars, pointing out that this work presents a lot. Well, it does, but really, how better could Egan approach this? If positioned as a travelogue, those on a faith journey might pass it over. Positioned as an account of a spiritual journey, a more secular audience would risk missing out. So no, I can't agree with the reviewer, although point taken.I love this book and plan to read it on an annual basis - possibly, during every Lenten season.

Ever since I read "A Time of Gifts" by Patrick Leigh Fermor, the spark to embark on a pilgrimage of my own was ignited. While my dream of making my way along the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage from Canterbury, UK, to Rome, continues to this day, I was compelled to satiate my wanderlust through the brilliant accounts of such a journey as told in Timothy Egan's "A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of Faith." I loved it!!Not only does Egan embark on this 1,000-year-old pilgrimage and reflect on his encounters along the way, he enlightens his readers with the histories and religious beliefs of each of the places he travels through; all the while adding to those experiences his unique wry sense of humor. I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud. In his search for his own truth and pursuit of reconciling faith with reason, Egan continues to have doubts in his own religious faith until an extraordinary moment in Montefiascone, Italy. I will say no more.Overall, it was a remarkable experience for me to discover these places through his eyes, laugh at his humor and travel vicariously while gaining a wealth of knowledge of all that awaits pilgrims who make their way along this storied pilgrimage. I am ready to embark on my own Via Francigena.

Overall I liked the book. It was well written and well researched and would serve as a good read if you are considering doing this pilgrimage. The author held no punches in a very critical look at church history with all its warts and failings, especially in the middle ages, but with the hope that through all this messiness he would somehow still find some validation for hanging on to a faith that seems to be dying in our Western culture today. He brings up a lot of big questions and struggles to answer them, pretty much like most of us,, but he comes across as genuinely honest in his personal search as he takes us along in this journey.

I have read a number of Timothy Egan’s books (The Worst Hard Time, The Big Burn, The Immortal Irishman, and A Fever in the Heartland) and they are all good books, but my personal favorite is A Pilgrimage to Eternity.A Pilgrimage to Eternity is a combination of a travel adventure, European history, Christian theology, and autobiography. As Egan travels from Canterbury, England, across France and Switzerland, to his destination, Rome, Italy, he encounters geography, history, and religion in a very personal way. He asks questions for which there are no answers, seeks to understand the non-understandable, and yet comes away with a better understanding of himself and his relationship with the Catholic Church. We, the readers, get to go along.Egan’s stories of the early (and later) saints of the Catholic Church are, by themselves, well worth the price of the book. Even though I had some basic knowledge of Francis of Assisi, Egan makes the picture of his life a living, breathing thing. The same with many other saints of whom I had no knowledge prior to reading this book.Egan’s account of John Calvin and his rule over the Republic of Geneva also revealed the dark side of the Reformation and how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Religious police controlled every aspect of personal life, from food eaten to clothes worn to entertainment allowed. A stark reminder of what can happen when the church and state become one.Egan successfully ends his journey in Rome at the Vatican City, where he gets to see Pope Francis. He has questions for the Holy Father but not the opportunity to ask them. Perhaps it is just as well, as no mortal has the answers to questions of the immortal.

Thank you, immaculate condition 🙂

Fabulous adventure. Thought provoking. Combines a high across Europe with historical and spiritual questions and integrates with life experiences. Humouring direct and honest

It is a wonderful read - easy inspiring travelogue! We are using it as a study for the Lenten Season. Searching for Mystery!

I was looking forward to reading this book based on its title "A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith". While it was interesting as a travel book, it turned out not to be a pilgrimage but just another one-sided diatribe against the Catholic Church. Unsurprisingly, none of the laudatory reviews by a largely secular or atheistic news media took issue with this. Unrestrained polemics against Christianity and particularly the Catholic Church have been two a penny over the last few decades and have been enthusiastically welcomed by critics in news media. Contrary to assertions in some of the reviews herein, it was not at all well researched but full of assertions and distortions.The flow of biased publications against Christianity has been for too long left unchallenged, but recent years have seen publication of well researched and documented rebuttals. Unfortunately they get little attention in the popular press. Just a small sample of these may be useful to anyone with an interest in Christianity and its largely beneficial effect on the development of western civilisation over the past two thousand years:Dominion - The Making of the Western Mind by Tom HollandOutgrowing Dawkins by Robert ShorttBearing False Witness - Debunking centuries of anti-catholic history by Rodney StarkThe Story of Christianity by David Bentley HartWhat if I am Wrong: The Atheist's NightmareHow the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. WoodsWhat's so Great About Christianity by Dinesh D'SouzaWhile no one can deny that dreadful things have been done in the name of Christianity, the above books provide a necessary balance in counteracting the excessive criticisms of the past few decades and by documenting the overall enduring and powerfully beneficial impact of Christianity.