Pilgrims

 

One of the most beloved traditions in the church is to make pilgrimages to holy places. The most notable is without a doubt Jerusalem where our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins and rose from the dead. There are other places of pilgrimage, for example St. James Compostela, a church in Spain that houses the bones of St. James the Apostle, and where many trek to as far as from France on Camino del Santaigo Compestela: Way of St. James Pilgrim Journey. There is the pilgrim path to Canterbury which is chronicled by Geoffrey Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales, and is the place where St. Thomas Beckett’s bones are buried. Beckett defied King Henry II plans to take total autocracy of England, even over the Church, delaying it tell Henry VIII broke away from Roman Church and created the Anglican Church with himself as the Supreme Head. For Eastern Christians a major place of pilgrimage is the Hagia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom) in Turkey. The Hagia Sophia once dazzled the world, and is now a Mosque. In Rome there is St. Peter’s Basilica and The Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls where both apostles are alleged to have been buried. 

Pilgrimage had been a staple of Christian life for millennia, but now in the wake of COVID, travel to these places is prohibited.  How then can pelegrins make pilgrimage? The answer lies in Scripture, this entire world is a pilgrimage, and we are pilgrims no matter where we are!, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul,” (1 Peter 2:11 KJV) and “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). While we cannot travel to shrines or holy places, we remain pilgrims, for our citizenship is not here on this planet but in heaven, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20). While we may not travel to holy places at this time we may do pitched battle in the spirit against our flesh.  In our isolation we may seek the face of Immanuel, and wage war against our weakness through His strength, “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). 

I want to be state that I believe shrines, and holy places do not transmute or transfer holiness to us. We are made holy by Christ alone and His sacrifice. I do believe that visiting places where our Lord, the Apostles, or other pious people once dwelt can strengthen our faith, and give us some spiritual vigor, but we already can enter the holiest place by Christ’s blood, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus”. (Hebrews 10:19). 

I say lets make spiritual pilgrimages through prayer and communing (connecting intimately) with our Lord Jesus Christ! Let us make God’s presence and our personal relationship the focus of our pilgrim zeal. Until the holy places open once more, deo volente (if Gid be willing), let us spend our time in prayer and the presence of the Holy Trinity. Amen.