Pilgrims and Pilgrimage
“Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither;
One here will constant be,
Come wind, come weather
There’s no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.”
So wrote John Bunyan from his prison cell, way back in 1684……but, what is a Pilgrim?
Pilgrim is a good example of a word whose meaning has evolved through time. It derives from the Latin word for foreign or foreigner, peregrinus. The Spanish word for pilgrim, peregino(a), is close to the original Latin. Amongst the early usage of the word pilgrim was to describe a foreigner or a stranger. It was later used to describe a person who travels from place to place, a wanderer, an itinerant. In Hebrews it implies this definition when it says:
“……they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.”
It was also used to describe a person who made a long distant journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion. Today, one accepted version of a pilgrim or pilgrimage was offered by Pope Benedict XVI
“To go on pilgrimage is not simply to visit a place to admire its treasures of nature, art, or history. To go on pilgrimage really means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God where he has revealed himself, where his grace has shone with particular splendour and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe.”
Pilgrimage is not confined to the Christian faith. Most, if not all the worlds major religions encourage some form of pilgrimage to a place of religious significance. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and therefore considered a mandatory religious duty to take a pilgrimage to Mecca.
In this modern age there are those who will take a ‘pilgrimage’ to places and sites of national or cultural importance, whilst others will take a pilgrimage into the unknown in search of personal answers. Pilgrimage is increasing in popularity as people search for a deeper understanding of the purpose of life.
This, therefore, begs the question,
‘Should pilgrimage be challenging and sacrificing?’
I believe so, and on many levels. I won’t go into details about each of the challenges and sacrifices but leave you to ponder these brief headings:
1. Time
2. Comfort
3. Certainty
4. Financial
5. Physical
6. Mental
7. Reflection
This year upwards of 500,000 people from all over the world will complete a pilgrimage across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Every individual will have their own reason for undertaking such a physical journey. For some it will be the lure of adventure. For others it will be for spiritual and religious reasons. I often say that the adventurer will expose themselves to some spiritual experience, whilst those who set off on a spiritual/religious journey will also have an adventure. One thing is certain, the end of a pilgrimage is only the start of a pilgrimage. When you have walked for long periods, day after day, and you reach your destination, the one question you are faced with is “What do I do tomorrow?” That is when you realise your pilgrimage is just about to start.