Outside reading

This article featured in US Catholic Magazine discusses the importance that a pilgrimage can offer our spiritual life. I found out that pilgrimages to important Catholic sites, usually where Jesus or saints traveled are Important today as they were thousands of years ago. Before modern transportation, pilgrims took a prolonged Journey that lasted anywhere from several weeks to a year. This extended travel really demonstrated a pilgrim's dedication to their faith. Usually the reasons for this trip were to ask for divine aid, to fulfill a religious obligation, or to venerate an important place or object.Just arriving to a sacred place is only part of their Journey. Pilgrims, by embarking on an exterior, physical Journey, take an interior Journey as well. Even though the journey has changed over the centuries, Pilgrimages continue to function as an important tool for spiritual growth. By actually embarking on a pilgrimage, we can encounter firsthand the global nature of our faith and ou r Catholic heritage. Seeing Catholics flock from all the corners of the Earth for one specific purpose leaves an unforgettable sense of community within.Overall, the repose for any pilgrimage, near or far, Is to have a physical experience to help us better understand what we cannot come to know through our senses. Reading about pilgrimages Is far different from actually taking one. Reading about the powerful emotions and feelings taken from this experience makes me wonder what triggers these reactions. The author of this article said that on one of her journeys, she, â€Å"l felt that I connected with the life of SST. Francis?and therefore with Christ, whom he sought to imitate. The trip changed my life. † She also goes on to describe that the runner itself is as important as the destination.When people think of taking a pilgrimage, they usually decide on where they are going, not how they will arrive there. Looking at the Journey rather than the destination itself puzzles me because I would have not thought to think of that particular part. The motivation for taking this journey also posed questions for me. I read that, â€Å"Pilgrimages work because they address a fundamental human principle: to use our experiences of the perceivable created world to connect with the creator, whom we cannot see,† which means that NY pilgrimage helps us connect with God on a spiritual level as well.Not only has this article described what a pilgrimage is, but has challenged me to think about taking a pilgrimage for myself. The author says that her trips have changed her life. I wonder if it is possible for this to happen to anyone, including myself. I read that pilgrims don't Just help you escape, but call you to let go of current situation and seek interior conversion. The time spent following the footsteps of other Christians push us to directly encounter God. A pilgrimage is part of the foundation of our faith since it is essentially how it began.Since you ca n make a pilgrimage without spending much money or traveling a great distance, I know it is possible for anyone to take one. The key Is to recognize that you are in a sacred space where God's nearness becomes much clearer to you, which does not require you to travel great distances since god Is everywhere. Pilgrimages prove that In order to move your soul, you usually need to move your feet as well. The main purpose of this article Is to persuade people of the significance of a pilgrimage.It calls us to recognize that it is not just a trip for our evidence of God's presence in our world today. It challenges us to be moved by the faith from those experiencing God's healing love at these sacred sites. Becoming a pilgrim means is to realize that everyone is equal before God and challenges to take the wisdom acquired from the Journey and apply them to situations back home. This article calls to our attention that living a good faith-filled life isn't easy and that we should be making di fficult climbs to get to God who always waits for us.