Dear pilgrims of hope,
are we avoiding to go on pilgrimage?
Most people would rather spend their money to go on holiday. Because a holiday is supposed to give us relaxation, rest and fun. Surely we deserve that, since we work like horses the rest of the year. Maybe we do not feel appreciated and sometimes we do not get along with our colleagues at work. A holiday is supposed to give us a break from all of that. No dishes, no cleaning of the house.
But a pilgrimage in contrast sounds like work. Because anything related to religion sounds like work. Going to Holy Mass instead of sport events? Sounds like work. Prayer? That is hard work. Now I am expected to take my meagre days off and use them to travel for religious purposes when instead I could be relaxing at the beach or the pool with a glass of something delicious with an umbrella in it? Come on!
The three wise men made a pilgrimage to Jesus’ birthplace. Travelling by camel could not have been a lot of fun, I suppose. They went to Jerusalem because they assumed that is where the new King would be. Instead they were lead to a stable. Because a pilgrimage will always lead us to a place we did not expect to go. This might just be an internal place, but sometimes getting lost is an important part of the journey and we learn more from that. Especially about ourselves.
All pilgrimages to some extent will consist of insecurity. Maybe that is why we tend to avoid them.
In short: I should go on pilgrimage. Because if I don’t grow my spiritual life, it will die. Prayer is like air, we cannot go without it. We all need a different perspective on life and travel does afford that. But a pilgrimage is a special way of travelling. It can include time for relaxation and rest, of course. Its main purpose is though to spend time with God. Away from the distractions at home. And when we return we will be changed. Everything else will go easier. Because we are told in scripture, that if we put the Kingdom of God first, everything else will be added to us.
We will give you some tips for making a pilgrimage over the next few days, so don’t forget to like our page to get the updates.
