This episode has become one of the primary models of the relationship between journeying and the life of conversion and faith. The prophet Micah says, “Many nations shall come, and say, / ‘Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, / to the house of the God of Jacob, / That he may instruct us in his ways, / that we may walk in his paths” (Mi 4:2).īut the pivotal pilgrimage in Scripture is the Exodus - the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt - through the desert, trials, temptations and sin, ever journeying toward the Promised Land. They are called the Psalms of Ascent, as the Jews would climb the steep grade up to Jerusalem, the city on the hill. The Bible tells of many physical journeys, especially to Jerusalem, or “Zion.” Fifteen of the Psalms were written specifically for pilgrimage to Jerusalem (see Ps 120-134). By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God” (11:8-10). Later, in the Letter to the Hebrews, more is said about Abraham’s pilgrimage: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance he went out, not knowing where he was to go. In Genesis, we observe how God specifically summons Abram to trust Him - to leave his country, to come into God’s land, where he will inherit God’s promises that will make his innumerable descendants into a great nation. The spiritual importance of pilgrimage is manifested often in physical journeys and trials - from Abraham’s journey of faith all the way to the missionary journeys of St. The idea of a pilgrimage has an incredibly strong foundation in both the Old and New Testaments. The council’s Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) says in its preface that the Church is a community of disciples “led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the kingdom of the Father.” Pilgrimage in Scripture Chapter VII of Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) speaks of the pilgrim Church that journeys onward toward the heavenly Jerusalem. This is true to such a degree that the image of the pilgrimage has become a metaphorical image of life itself. In Christianity, there are few acts of devotion as rich in history, traditions or spirituality. As profound as the reasons for pilgrimages may be, so are the destinations for them: Jerusalem (Jews and Christians), Mecca (Muslims), Sarnath (Buddhist), Banares (Hindu), Amritsar (Sikh), to name a few, plus innumerable lesser sites of historical-spiritual importance to these religions and others. So, pilgrimage is a common human experience in which one seeks to fulfill a ritual obligation, perform an act of devotion to atone their own sins, live an experience of spirituality, or implore a grace, a miracle, a cure, etc. Pilgrimage is a part of many of the great religions of the world, for in religion humanity seeks the answers to the questions above. The Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate (Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions) acknowledges this natural, basic curiosity of human beings to ask: “What is man? What is the meaning, the aim of our life? What is moral good, what is sin? Whence suffering and what purpose does it serve? Which is the road to true happiness? What are death, judgment and retribution after death?” (No. Humanity inherently has a curiosity and desire to dive into certain questions. While many would regard a basic definition of pilgrimage as a “journey made on foot or by other means to a site of particular religious significance,” this might be insufficient for two basic reasons that ignore the universal appeal of a pilgrimage or the pilgrim’s motivation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |