For many Western Muslims in the work place, the seemingly necessary two weeks of vacation time is not available. Having made the trip to the Holy Land recently, I recommend it wholeheartedly! A pilgrimage is a sacred journey, undertaken for a spiritual purpose. Christian pilgrimages were started in places that … REASON 7: You simply want to go on an adventure. A pilgrimage is a long journey made to some sacred place for the purpose of seeking God. It is still the year of faith. Many people of all faiths make pilgrimages, often to a shrine or place of significance, to experience spiritual enlightenment and deeper understanding of their beliefs. “To go on pilgrimage is not simply to visit a place to admire its treasures of nature, art or history. This quote shows that all Muslims should, and will if they are to be loved In Medieval Europe, to go on a pilgrimage was to engage in a timeless ritual, or to ask for divine intercession or healing for oneself or another, reasons still evoked at some modern Catholic sanctuaries (Nolan and Nolan 1989; Ousterhout 1990). There are many reasons why I go on pilgrimage—to learn, to give thanks, to petition, to remember, to honor. God commanded these annual get-aways for a reason. The Old Testament commanded 3 major pilgrimage festivals annually, each requiring a hike to Jerusalem. Christians go on pilgrimages to visit places that are important to their faith and beliefs. Pilgrimages have been a part of the world’s major religions since ancient times. There are other kinds of tourists who just go to escape from their work or family. While you might not necessarily identify with one of the reasons listed above, there’s one final sign it’s time to go on pilgrimage: You feel the call. -Post By: Sarkis B.F. A Pilgrimage is a journey of Moral Spiritual significance. “Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.” ~ Abraham Joshua Heschel There are many reasons given why people chose to go on pilgrimage, from the secular to the sacred. People that are interested in culture, history, and nature or people looking for a personal challenge or self-discovery go on pilgrimages too. For Christians, it represents a journey of the Christian life from earth to heaven.. A lot of people believe in pilgrimages because it gives them the opportunity to go to different Countries around the world and visit Churches and … People have different reasons for desiring to go to Israel. Though not all of them were. Many discover friendships that last well beyond the days of pilgrimage. As well as being the price of crime, the pilgrimage could also be a way of escaping the consequences of one’s crime. However, pilgrimage is far from exclusively for the religious. Therefore, the pilgrimage is not, and never should be, just “a journey to a place of religious interest.” Alone or with others, it is a physical component of the path of one’s heart toward God. How to go on a pilgrimage Long before you take that first step along the road, you will have been thinking and planning your journey. Christians believe pilgrimage can help them develop spiritually and bring them closer to God. It is a way of getting yourself out of the way. There are several reasons why many people go on pilgrimage tours of the holy sites and temples of India.One, of course, is to dovetail our interest in traveling and seeing foreign lands into a way of acquiring spiritual merit. A journey to a holy place is called a pilgrimage. Our medieval ancestors had the We need to make difficult climbs, hide away in caves for moments of quiet prayer, and run with abandon to the God who always waits for us. And, by the way, it's just a … Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and … Visiting this pre-eminent spiritual destination is truly an experience of a lifetime and something not to be missed. Published August 15, 2013 • Written by Cristóbal Almanza Filed Under: Blog. In the middle ages many people were devoutly religious. Reasons to Go on a Pilgrimage and Suggested Destinations. But at its best, a pilgrimage is a walk with God to a special place. We had a lot of talk and excitement with one year preparation, and now we’re almost a year into it. It is a journey to the very source of Christianity, to the very place where "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us". Those who cannot afford to go to Hajj might believe that they are the only ones with a reason to postpone the Hajj, but interestingly even those who have the financial means to travel don't have the time. If you are looking to go on a pilgrimage and spend alone time, that might be hard depending when and where you go. The word "pilgrimage" itself does imply religious context. The main reason for a Holy Land pilgrimage is obvious: Pilgrims wanted to know more about Jesus as a way of increasing their devotion to the redeemer of humanity. To date, I have not had any ecstatic moments of prayerful contemplation on a pilgrimage. But I do believe that the pilgrimage changes the pilgrim, even if those changes are not visible at first. Deborah Castellano Lubov writes from … Sometimes, the reasons to go on a Catholic pilgrimage doesn’t fully explain itself. The reasons that someone went on a pilgrimage were as varied as the people themselves. And despite my sincere belief, I haven’t witnessed any special physical healings take place. In addition to these official reasons for pilgrimage there existed several unofficial ones. The quote "Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of his creatures". Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, has revealed the reason Christians failed to go on pilgrimage in 2019. Pilgrims are different from tourists: they travel for spiritual reasons, not just to relax or for fun. This simply is not so. People go on pilgrimage for a variety of reasons: to mark a significant birthday or milestone, to enjoy exercise in nature, in the Middle Ages pilgrims even walked as penance for their sins. [Qur'an 3: 97]. A person who makes such a journey is a pilgrim. However, why people travel thousands of kilometres to visit the tomb of a saint is not so apparent. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more common non-religious reasons for going on a pilgrimage. Click through the tabs to see all of the questions.… People that go in groups find that over miles walked they connected with those they came with and have added new friends to their group. There are tourists who just go to relax. These places could be the grave of a saint, somewhere Jesus visited or that was written about in the Bible. This article appeared in the April 2014 issue of … Chima Azubuike. If you do not budge, it is a way of wearing yourself out. Here are a few questions that you might ask yourself to help with that process. But the reasons may change across time and place. 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. But a pilgrim is not going for any of these purposes. Overcrowding can be a negative of pilgrimages for many different reasons. Many people can't even verbalize why it draws them, they just know that it is so. Pilgrimage can be a physical journey but it can also represent an individual’s journey of faith. The excitement has tapered, and it’s easy to overlook. There are many reasons to go to pilgrimage but there are even more benefits from going. A pilgrimage is not a vacation or sightseeing tour but a quest to encounter God. Talk to somebody, sit with a stranger, go to an unfamiliar religious institution, see what they've got and ultimately, go on a pilgrimage, go on a journey. A hajj (formal pilgrimage) to Mecca is one of the five Pillars of Islam.According to the Bible, immediately after he was given the Ten Commandments, the Hebrew prophet Moses received instructions on Mount Sinai that required the Jewish … Pilgrimage is very important in some religious traditions. In mediaeval times, those reasons were three – relics, healings and indulgences. Other possible pilgrimage sites include places where miracles are said to … Pilgrimage is seen as an important aspect in most religion. The Christian New Testament does not specifically enjoin believers to go on pilgrimage, but sacred texts in other religious faiths do. He said it was due to indebtedness of the state. Top 10 Reasons to Go On Pilgrimage January 26, 2016 Lori Erickson. The Mystery is indeed difficult to explain, isn't it? For Catholics, pilgrimage to Rome can be very important as this is the centre of their faith. There are many non-religious reasons to go on a pilgrimage. As wearer of the pilgrim’s cross the traveller’s safety was assured under the protection of St Peter and the Pope. A pilgrimage is not a conquest, it is a surrender. Here are some reasons why you should go: 1) To be strengthened in your faith. People make pilgrimages today for all kinds of reasons. If you’ve never been on a pilgrimage before, then maybe you should consider making one. To me, the physical pilgrimage is the ultimate expression of the asking of questions. Unfortunately, many who consider themselves Christians see a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as a way of growing closer to God, rather than by following His instructions to repent, be baptized, and live holy lives (Matthew 4:17; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 1:15). Early Christians made valiant treks to the Holy Land to visit the places of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Pilgrimage is a search for meaning, purpose, values or truth (and in this sense, like life). To go on pilgrimage is not simply to visit a place to admire its treasures of nature, art or history. The summer months on the Camino de Santiago are packed and you rarely have alone time on the trail. There is a tendency to think that we, modern people, are more worldly than our medieval counterparts. Pilgrimage journeys are physical enactments of this quest. 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