The Tuscan town of Lucca, where our pilgrim journey to Rome begins, is surrounded by ancient walls that were built to defend it from hostile enemies. As we walked through a narrow entrance and emerged into the heart of the old city, we could see that the fortified walls which were built for military purposes have now become a beautiful park. As soon as we got settled in our small hotel, we took a leisurely stroll along the top of these wide walls and enjoyed the peace and calm that they provide to people of all ages. Grandparents pushed children in strollers and young lovers embraced in the shade of old trees. Remembering the prophet Isaiah’s dream of swords being hammered into ploughshares, I took this as a new image of the transformation that God can bring about in a hostile and violent world. Of course, threatening forces still prevail inside and outside of cities such as this. As we have discovered in our own country, the age-old weapons of economic injustice still make Italy and all of Europe a very vulnerable place to live. But this first image of fortified walls being turned into a lovely park makes me want to look for signs of hope all along the Via Francigena which now lies ahead.
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