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 Pilgrimages of Faith by Allan Weinert, C.Ss.R
Since the moment that our ancestors first appeared on the earth, people have walked in search of new goals and explored far horizons. They have navigated rivers and seas and climbed great mountains. They have walked through time and space and marked it with certain dates and places. sacred journeys and sacred sites have been at the center of our spiritual life from the beginning. These places where heaven and earth have touched have changed lives and transformed landscapes. Some of them are famous, such as the great cathedrals. Others are so personal that they are knows only to a few. They can be places hallowed by centuries of prayer, or they can be places scarred by suffering, such as the garden of Gethsemane. Above all, they are locations marked by holiness, prayer, and life-changing experiences for people from al over the world, past and present. Christians have always celebrated their faith by walking in areas that recall an event in the life of our Lord or in places that represent an important moment in the history of the Church. They come to shrines honoring the Mother of God and to sires that keep alive the memory of the saints. The word pilgrimage evokes the image of people on a journey, determined to discover a more profound truth about the events and circumstances in which our Lord made himself known. A pilgrimage serves as an outward expression of our inner response to the Lord's invitation to follows him. It is a process of conversion, a search of intimacy with God, and a trusting plea for material needs. For the people of God, pilgrimages in all their multiple aspects have always been a gift of grace. |
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 Pilgrimages are as old as our biblical forefathers. From earliest times these journeys were a unique expression of the Israelites' worship of God. The annual religious feasts of the Hebrews were often celebrated in the context of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The journeys continue from the time of Moses down to the time of the family of Jesus. When Mary set out in faith on a lonely journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth with the news that she was to be the Mother of God, she became Christianity's first pilgrim. In his gospel Luke tells us that Jesus, Mary and Joseph obediently and religiously participated in the yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Passover. "Every year (Jesus') parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve they went up as usual for the festival" (Lk 2:41-42). In much the same way, Christians in the first few centuries after Jesus' death and resurrection journeyed form Europe and other parts of the globe to the sacred sited of the Holy Land, eager to grow in their understanding of Jesus and to identify with his life. By the Middles Ages, the pilgrimages were a central part of popular religion. Today pilgrimages are one of the most important elements in our Christian life; they exert an appeal that is as powerful as our eternal search for the living God. Searching for enlightenment, inspiration, or pardon men and women of every era and every locality have set out to visit those places where God has pitched his tent among us. Setting out on a pilgrimage has become a metaphor for life itself. From birth to death, the condition of each individual is that of a pilgrim. Indeed, the history of the Church is the living account of a pilgrimage in process.
The purpose of a pilgrimage is not to see a new country or locality but primarily to connect us to he history of our faith. When we go on a pilgrimage, we enter into the times and places of our Christian story and remember the events surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Standing where our Lord was baptized, crucified, or buried connects us more intimately to our Christian faith. Visiting the shrine or homeland of a special saint reminds us of the qualities we most admire in that saint and encourages us to act with the same faith and courage. A pilgrimage always points us back to the miracle of Christ, whether the pilgrimage is to the Holy Land, to a Marian shrine, or to the shrine of a saint. We make pilgrimages to remember and to learn better how to imitate our Lord. |
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Two thousand years after Joseph and Mary journeyed to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, Pope John Paul II chose the same place, among others, as his Jubilee Year pilgrimage of faith and reconciliation. "The Church cannot forget her roots," John Paul II said as he outlined his hopes to visit key places associated with the history of Israel , the life of Jesus, and the beginning of the Church. "To go in a spirit of prayer from one place to another, from one city to another, in an area marked especially by God's intervention, helps us not only to live our life as a journey but also gives us a vivid sense of God who has gone before us, who himself set out on man's path , who does not look down on us from on high, but who has become our traveling companion." It may seem puzzling to speak of precise places in connection with God. God is equally present in every corner of the earth, so that the whole world may be considered the "temple" of his presence. But there are sacred spaces where the encounter with the divine may be experienced more intensely than in other areas of the world. These places have left a collective imprint that assures us that this place is like no other.
Our culture is more mobile than ever before. Every year more and more people travel. A pilgrim's journey is unlike an ordinary tourist's experience. As pilgrim's, we go to see beautiful places, but we are also searching for an encounter with the love of God. Our journeys are more meaningful when our heart and soul are open to experiencing the sacred. What motivates people to leave what is familiar and set out for a remote place? Quite simply, moments of grace. People come back changed. A pilgrimage can take you not only around the globe but inside yourself. |
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| The real journey is not across the ocean; the real journey is within.
In the whirlwind of contemporary society, people experience fatigue and spiritual hunger. They look for places that nourish their soul. Pilgrimages re-create the ancient art of sacred travel that offers an oasis of rest and an opportunity for quiet communication between oneself and God. reprinted with permission from Liguorian, One Liguori Drive, Liguori, MO 63057" |
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| Planning a pilgrimage?
We in JeriCo Christian Journeys will assist you in creating a tour to any Christian site you would like to visit. Whether you plan the tour with your parish community, your prayer group, youth or student group or maybe just your family we will make sure it fits your budget. If you are a priest, coordinator or a group leader with your own group, travel for free! We would like to help you plan and carry out your pilgrimage itinerary. You will have our assistance and support from the initial idea to the final product. |
| Your Custom-made Catholic Pilgrimage. |
| You as a leader can have our internet and marketing support with your page on our "Specials".
We can help with brochure distribution as well as with spreading the word of your pilgrimage in your parish and community. |
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JeriCo Journeys brings to you the greatest Pilgrimage destinations!
Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Poland, Germany, Russia, Portugal, Croatia... |
