Pilgrimage isn’t just a spiritual exercise but is a great metaphor for the spiritual life and our life journey to God. This idea was captured by John Bunyan in 1678 in his classic story, “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” The story describes a pilgrimage that the protagonist of the story undertakes. The pilgrimage is not easy and the hero, Christian, encounters many obstacles, distractions and hardships on his pilgrimage. This is not your ordinary pilgrimage. It is clear by the end of the story that the author is speaking of all of life as a pilgrimage from where we are here on Earth to our home in Heaven.
The image of pilgrimage is one that I have found helpful over the years. The idea of pilgrimage underscores that life is a journey. There is always change ahead. Life is not about staying in one place, no matter how comfortable it may be. Life is about moving ahead to our ultimate goal.
Pilgrimage emphasizes the sacred character of life. We are not just wandering around a barren and meaningless landscape but are on a sacred journey moving toward a holy goal, the Kingdom of God. The road on which we travel is holy, as is the destination which we seek to reach. Indeed, the transformative work of the pilgrimage is accomplished while we travel the sacred road of life.
When I went on pilgrimage as a young man much of the time was spent waiting for planes or buses or killing time until some scheduled event. It wasn’t one constant spiritual high. Much of the pilgrimage was quite ordinary, even boring at times. This is consistent with the idea of pilgrimage as a metaphor for the spiritual life. Growing spiritually isn’t about reaching spiritual highs or constantly experiencing ecstasy. It is about recognizing Christ’s presence in our lives. It is about experiencing the sacred in the ordinary and coming to realize that the ordinary is as sacred and filled with grace as is any moment of spiritual ecstasy.
If you make pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela you are going to experience very sore feet, tired muscles, thirst, sun burn and a variety of other aches and pains. After all, you are going to be hiking some 15 to 20 miles a day for over a month. In a similar manner, the pilgrimage of life has its challenges and difficulties. This is the warp and woof of the spiritual journey. Dealing with these challenges and difficulties is the engine for our spiritual growth.
Not too long ago I wrote about the importance of self-assessment as a spiritual exercise and a tool to aid us in our spiritual growth. One of the ways to structure a self-assessment is to do a spiritual autobiography. A metaphor that can help this exercise is that of a spiritual journey or a pilgrimage. Where did your spiritual journey begin and when? What are important milestones so far on that journey? Who has accompanied you on the journey and what impact has that relationship had on you? What have you learned so far on this journey? Where have you encountered Christ on this journey? Where is your destination? How far along are you on the journey?