We begin with goodbye. Goodbye may seem a strange place to begin as for the last 450 years people have taken leave from one another with the expression. It is, however, actually a contraction of old English “God-be-with-ye”; a blessing.
The English aren’t the first nor only language to do this. The French may part with the word “adieu” which is similarly a contraction of the blessing “I commit you to God” or the sentiment we shall meet again “at” (a) “God” (dieu). In Spanish likewise, the parting “adiós” is the same contraction, or in Catalán, “adéu”. Another Spanish parting, “vaya con dios” is the blessing “go with God”. In Iceland they part with the word, “bless” which means the same in their tongue as in our own. The Swedish use “adjö”, the Norwegian “adjo“, and I am sure a host of other tongues have some version likewise.
It seems a kind and fitting way to part, but if we entered every encounter or initiated every action with the intent to bless… How would our world be different? Many years ago at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary a friend and mentor, Fr Samuel Weber, OSB began every class with the Actiones Nostras, an ancient prayer:
“Direct, we beseech thee, O Lord, all our actions and carry them on by thy gracious assistance, so that every work and prayer may begin always from thee, and likewise by thee be happily ended, through Christ our Lord. AMEN.”
In a week or so we begin our Camino de Santiago (the “path of St. James”) living as literal pilgrims to remind ourselves that we are always figurative pilgrims traveling the path laid out for us, the “via dei” (Latin, “road of God”) and trusting we vaya con Dios. It is our intent to bless and likewise be blessed along the path. We leave behind many comforts but we begin with the hope of goodbye.