We often get questions from people wanting to know more about making a pilgrimage. We believe that a pilgrimage can be very healing. The trip, however, is not always so much about the final destination as it is about the journey itself. It can be a metaphor for our relationship with God. Often times people travel to specific destinations believing that if only he or she could get to the site - a healing will occur - such as a cure from cancer. The problem, though, is that often times the miracle that the person was hoping for does not occur and faith is lost instead of gained. In many cases, the journey was what was important but the person missed it because he or she was fixated on the final destination. There is nothing wrong with believing that God will heal us but it is important to remember that it is God that determines what healing will occur - not us. When we ignore the journey, we ignore the call from God to really come to Him. If we get to a Holy site and expect a miracle without opening ourselves up completely to Him, we are often disappointed or fail to see the real miracles. God loves us completely and without reservation. We must be diligent in our quest for closeness to Him - even in the midst of our stress and sorrow. God uses our pilgrimages as an opportunity for us to grow closer to Him just as we are getting closer to a certain site. When we get to the site, we should honor God and allow Him to guide us rather than trying to tell God what He should do for us. It is vital that we seek spiritual healing for those are the miracles that stay with us through eternity. Physical healing lasts only as long as our earthly bodies. When visitors come to the St. Peregrine Chapel, we want them to be active participants - praying, seeking, and opening up their hearts. There really are miracles - and they happen every day.
Exciting News:
We had our first "pilgrims" to the shrine this week. On Thursday, we welcomed a group from Houston, Texas. Even though the chapel is not open yet, our cancer ministry was ready to help them on their cancer journey. It is our hope that they felt comforted and loved. It was an honor and a privilege to have met them and we look forward to seeing them again.
