One of the most ancient religious practices is that of pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is a journey to some site that has a reputation for being a “holy” place. It is a location where it seems that the barrier between this earthly plane and the supernatural is particularly thin. We can feel the presence of the sacred and it is uplifting. Such a holy place can be as simple as a grove in the forest that is particularly beautiful or a waterfall that is inspiring.
Often a place of pilgrimage is associated with some historic event or personage. Contemporary examples include places like Fatima or Lourdes where appearances of the Blessed Mother were reported over a hundred years ago. Two of the great medieval places of pilgrimage were Canterbury and Santiago de Compostela. Canterbury was associated with the martyr, St. Thomas Becket, and Santiago de Compostela was the supposed burial place of the remains of St. John the apostle.
There is always a danger that pilgrimage can become a form of spiritual tourism, with the goal being to visit as many “holy places” as possible to earn bragging points, to experience a spiritual “high”, or simply to satisfy one’s curiosity. However, spiritual tourism is not the purpose of pilgrimage.
One goes on pilgrimage as a spiritual exercise. It is supposed to be a means to greater spiritual growth. The work of pilgrimage is found on the journey, rather that at the destination. On the journey one encounters hardship and challenge, as well as the companionship of fellow pilgrims. These people and experiences help the pilgrim to gain insight into himself and his relationship with God.
For example, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is a 500-mile hike across the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It takes just over a month to walk the traditional pilgrimage route. This is plenty of time for serious reflection on life and one’s relationship with God, as well as opportunity to interact with fellow pilgrims in the evening when you stop for rest and food.
When I was in my mid-twenties I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was a ten-day visit, meant as a pilgrimage and not as spiritual tourism. I visited Haifa, the contemporary city where Mount Carmel is located and not far from Nazareth. I spent a couple of days in Tel Aviv, which is also the site of the ancient city of Jaffa. The rest of the time was in Jerusalem, with visits to Bethlehem, the Jordan River and other sites from the Bible. I was with a group, several with whom I maintained a friendship over the years.
I had a mixed reaction to the various aspects of the pilgrimage. I was inspired as I stood on top of Mount Carmel and looked out over Haifa Bay. This was the location at which Elijah the prophet challenged the priests of Baal. The view was breathtaking, and the events described in the Bible came alive for me as I stood there. Elijah was no longer a character from an Old Testament story but a real person. He stood where I was standing almost three thousand years earlier and saw essentially the same view that I enjoyed at that moment. I had a similar experience in Bethlehem when I was standing in the cave below the church of the nativity that is traditionally thought to be the site of Christ’s birth.
About the only place that I had a strong negative reaction was at the church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is supposed to be the site of Mount Calvary and the tomb in which Christ was buried. I was reacting to the tension among the various Christian groups that maintained the site, which seemed a betrayal of Christ’s call for unity among his followers, as well as the crass commercialism that seemed to pervade the neighborhood around the church. It seemed to profane the sacred character of the site.