On Being a Pilgrim

On Being a pilgrim.

St. Peter's, Rome

In a few days I’ll be embarking on a pilgrimage. By definition a pilgrimage is a journey made for a religious reason usually to a place deemed holy. One could think of the Magi as the first Christian pilgrims. The people of Islam make their pilgrimage to Mecca. For hundreds of years there have been three places seen as the most important pilgrimage objectives in Christendom–Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela. If you do some further research you will find that Walsingham, England, was another important pilgrimage destination, especially for those from the north who could not journey to the “big three.” It was known as England’s Nazareth.

Santiago de Compostela

This pilgrim has been to Walsingham and Rome several times. I’ve also been to Santiago de Compostela once. The gap in my pilgrimage experience has been Jerusalem. That gap will be closed as I leave on January 31, to begin the journey to  Jerusalem to participate in a course at St. George’s College [http://sgcjerusalem.org] called the Palestine of Jesus.

I’m looking forward to seeing this city for the first time. I realize that the city Jesus knew is buried far below the current one. I know there will be archeological sites to visit, and there will be a multitude of holy places–churches, shrines, mountains, etc. 

The Holy House at Walsingham

I can honestly say that I have not traveled without learning something each time, and many times more than something. There is some magic in visiting a place about which one has read or seen in movies or travelogues or simply heard of by reputation. I usually try to journal as I travel so I can make sense for myself of what I’ve seen and heard. This will be a new experience for me to share with my friends as I journey and learn.