Over the centuries pilgrimages have enjoyed immense popularity among Catholics. The allure of pilgrimages continues to this day. Many of us know people who have made their way to Jerusalem, Rome, Fatima, Lourdes, Velankanni, and so on. Of course, Catholics are not alone in fostering pilgrimages. Jews flock to the Holy Land. Moslems travel to Mecca. Hindus journey to the Ganges, Kasi, Rameshwaram, and other places.
Pilgrimage is not simply a recurrent phenomenon in popular piety. It is, rather, a metaphor for the whole Christian life. Its biblical roots run deep. The authors of Exodus and Deuteronomy depict a pilgrim people whom Yahweh loves and forms as He leads them toward the promised land. Many of the psalms are pilgrim songs, ringing out God's praises as His people “go up to the house of the Lord,” (Psalms 42,5; 43,4; 122,1). Luke's Gospel, beginning with 9,51, focuses on following Christ to Jerusalem, and Luke's second book, the Acts, describes Christianity as “the Way,” (Acts 9,2; 18,25; 24,22).
Since as early as the second century, Christians have engaged in pilgrimages both literally and metaphorically. Literally, many set off courageously for unknown lands, facing perils and physical hardships, hoping that an exodus from the ordinary circumstances of daily life would sharpen their consciousness of what is central to being a Christian.
By the middle ages, there were hundreds of pilgrimage sites. As travelers visited shrines they hoped to grow in sensitivity to the mysteries celebrated there. Of course, a danger, then as now, is that such pilgrimages degenerate into tourism. Unfortunately, many a group that has passed through Rome or Jerusalem and other pilgrim places has pondered the scriptures little and has remained largely untouched by the Death and Resurrection of the Lord.
So, as we begin the Lenten season, let me suggest to you three reflections about pilgrimage in its metaphorical sense.But whether we remain at home or travel abroad, all of us profess to be a pilgrim people.”
Putting the paschal mystery at the center of our lives means feeling compassion towards the wounds of the crucified Christ present in the many innocent victims of wars and violence, in attacks on life, in environmental disasters, and in poverty.” (Pope Francis)
Fr. Ronald J, SdC
Provincial Superior