“What did you go out to the desert to see?”
Jesus asks the people what they went out to go see in the desert. They went out on a journey to see St. John the Baptist. Although they go out in order to see and hear John the Baptist, he instead points them to Jesus. He says to the crowd, “He [Jesus] must increase; I must decrease.” [1] St. John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus. As the faithful of the Church, we are pilgrims sent to see Jesus. Pope Paul VI says, “He [Christ] is present in the Church as she moves along on her pilgrimage with a longing to reach the portals of eternal life, for He is the one who dwells in our hearts through faith, and who instills charity in them through the Holy Spirit whom He gives to us.” [2] We long to be united to Jesus, to see Him face to face for all eternity; on that pilgrimage it is Jesus who accompanies us. For we journey now with the One we will see later. Saint Paul says, “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” [3]
What is a pilgrimage? “A pilgrimage is a journey voluntarily undertaken to some holy, distant place, where relics or pictures of saints, or of the Blessed Virgin are kept, there to pray fervently through the intercession of the saints to receive help from God in some spiritual or corporal need.” [4]
How long have people been making pilgrimages? Pilgrimages have been going on long before Christianity. Even in the Old Testament, we hear of people making pilgrimages. “Pilgrimages were customary in the Old Law, and we find them practiced by all nations. Abraham made a three days’ journey in order to perform his sacrifice according to the command of God (Gen. 22:3), and the Jews at certain times made pilgrimages to Bethel, which place Jacob had sanctified (Gen. 28:18; 1 Kings 10:3). In like manner they made, in accordance with a command of Moses, a pilgrimage, three times a year, to the Ark of the Covenant, and afterwards to the temple at Jerusalem (Deut. 16:16). What were these but religious pilgrimages?” [5]
Even in the New Testament we hear of people going to Jerusalem to pay homage to God. “In the New Testament we read that the parents of Jesus with their Divine Child and with many other persons made yearly pilgrimages to Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-42); that the apostles and pious women visited the sepulcher of Christ (Mt. 28; Lk. 24), and that St. Paul though already a Christian, hastened to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost there (Acts 20:16). In the history of the Church we find that it was the custom in the earliest ages, as it has continued to be to this day, to make pilgrimages to holy places, as to the holy Sepulcher at Jerusalem and to the graves of martyrs." [6]
Who can go on pilgrimage? Anyone can go on a pilgrimage.
When is the best time to go on pilgrimage? Any time is a good time to go for a true pilgrim. However, the Church teaches, “The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, and pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).” [7]
How should a pilgrim act? Pilgrimages should be done as a form of piety. “The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church’s sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross…” [8] A pilgrim should not act like a tourist. A pilgrimage is not a vacation. A pilgrimage should be begun “in the spirit of true devotion and penance, with the sincere and holy intention of paying homage to God through His saints. Therefore we should not visit holy places for pleasure and recreation. On the way and when at the place, we should avoid all idle talk and sensual excesses; we should gladly endure all the hardships of the journey; the unfavorable weather, the temporary inconvenience of the lodgings, be moderate in eating and drinking, pray fervently and with recollection, confess all our sins contritely and sincerely, reverently receive the Blessed Sacrament, fervently thank God for all the graces which He has shown to us, make good resolutions, and preserve the good impressions which we have received from the pilgrimage, and manifest them afterwards by a pious life. Whoever makes it thus, is sure to derive real advantage therefrom.” [9]
In leading or making a pilgrimage a few things should be considered:
Liturgy and Prayer – The Divine Liturgy (Mass) and Liturgy of the Hours should be a part of every day, if possible. For this reason it is best to have a chaplain or spiritual director who can offer Mass, or if this is not possible, find a Mass that is offered each day. Liturgy of the Hours can be prayed in the morning as a good beginning to each day and at night as a good end to each day. Liturgy of the Hours can be prayed in common and at other hours, perhaps privately. Popular devotions such as the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, novenas, and the Angelus should also be included and can be prayed even at certain set times. The Angelus is normally prayed at 6am, Noon, 6pm each day. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is normally prayed at 3pm. It is a great practice to pray devotions at certain set times, since pilgrimage plans change. The Angelus could be prayed in a church or a subway station depending on where God leads the group. The important thing is to be a public witness and to not be afraid to pray in public.
Community and Charity – A pilgrimage gives individuals a chance to practice both community life and charity for an extended amount of time. Pilgrimages often entail close travel and sleeping quarters in which we might be annoyed or agitated. We begin to learn more about the people we thought we knew. There is the temptation to get frustrated, to gossip and to grumble. In the end, each pilgrim is on the same ship going the same course and each pilgrim has the daily chance to practice charity, often to a heroic degree. By nature, community life is social and fun. It is not necessary to build “fun” into the scheduling of a pilgrimage. By nature, people are fun and social; simply traveling together from one place to another is fun. We don’t have to force the fun. The community life is also united by the fact that each pilgrim has a common goal; there is usually a spiritual focus or destination each day.
Sacrifice and Suffering – A pilgrimage is not a vacation. Many times pilgrims get very little sleep and eat meals that they might not want to eat. Pilgrims have to learn to be obedient and trust their pilgrimage guides. Pilgrims usually walk more than they are used to and may encounter soreness in muscles that they do not use in their day-to-day routines. In all of this sacrifice and suffering, pilgrims are united and can bring about many graces if they offer the suffering up. Some of the most memorable pilgrimage experiences are not sites but “war wounds”, sharing the trials and how these trials were overcome by God’s merciful providence. Perhaps the greatest sacrifice for both pilgrims and pilgrimage guides is the giving up of one’s own plan. A pilgrimage is a surrendering to the Divine Providence of God. There is a schedule, but there is not a schedule, God can change everything and some of these changes in the schedule are the greatest moments of grace for the soul.
What are some special pilgrimage places for the Church? First and foremost is the Holy Land, which is considered to be anywhere that our Lord walked, primarily in and around Jerusalem. The most special journey is the one that allows us to walk in the footsteps of our Lord. To visit where he was born, to go up on the Mount of Olives, to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, to go to the Holy Sepulcher of Christ’s Passion, Burial, and Resurrection.
Other famous places to mention are:
Assisi, Italy (Shrine of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi)
Compostella de Santiago in Spain (famous walking pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James the Greater)
Cologne, Germany (pilgrimage shrine to the Three Kings who visited the infant Jesus)
Czestochowa, Poland (Our Lady of Czestochowa)
Mexico City, Mexico (Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Lourdes, France (Our Lady appearing to St. Bernadette)
Fatima, Portugal (Our Lady of Fatima)
Turin, Italy (shrine that holds the relic of the shroud of Turin)
And of course, Rome, Italy where St. Peter’s Basilica resides that rests above the bones of St. Peter. It also holds the Vatican City and the Papal State.
[For pilgrimage options in the United States Search: “American Saints” on this site for a PDF.]
There are many other holy places to visit in the world for Christians.
Why would people go on a pilgrimage? Some may question the very idea of going off to some distant land to encounter God. Some might say, “I can experience God right at home in my church!” While this is true, it is good for us to remove ourselves from our daily routines and comforts. When we go on a pilgrimage, we have the opportunity to offer up the trials and tribulations we encounter on the journey, and to have our sole focus be on God. We could ask the person who sees no use for pilgrimages, “If you could visit the Tomb of Christ or visit Golgotha, would you? Would it be spiritually profitable for you to see these places and honor God's saving deeds? Would you feel closer to God as a result?” If that person is a practicing Christian, they will most likely say yes. Why do we go on vacations? Why would we want to go to Hawaii when we can get the “same” experience at home or somewhere closer? For that matter why go to a professional sports game when we can watch our HD big screen at home? We go to visit places in the world to witness them ourselves with all of our senses. A pilgrimage is something much deeper and holier than a vacation. We experience the pilgrimage with our senses while our souls are also awake, and God willing, on fire for what He is showing us.
What is the deeper meaning to pilgrimages? When we go on a pilgrimage, we should remember that we are all pilgrims on this earth, and we are trekking to Jesus Christ as the disciples of St. John the Baptist did. “Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. For pilgrims seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of Christian prayer ‘in Church.’” [10] Finally, as St. Augustine teaches, “the Church progresses on her pilgrimage amidst this world’s persecutions and God’s consolations.” [11]
[1] John 3:30
[2] Pope Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei, 35
[3] 1 Corinthians 13:12
[4] Goffines, The Church’s Year, pg. 484
[5] Goffines, The Church’s Year, pg. 484
[6] Goffines, The Church’s Year, pg. 484
[7] CCC1438
[8] CCC 1674
[9] Goffines, The Church’s Year, pg. 484
[10] CCC2691
[11] St. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 18, 51: PL 41, 614; cf. LG 8.