By Father Jacob Dankasa
Special to The Texas Catholic
People travel for many reasons — some for pleasure, some for business, others for spiritual purposes, and many for other individual reasons. Travel educates us, because by traveling we learn about people, cultures, and places — and sometimes great or weird things as well. I have travelled to many parts of the world, and in each of my travels, I learn something new, sometimes something unique. Traveling widens my horizons and broadens my perspective on life and my worldview.
Other than my travels for pleasure and business, I have made several pilgrimages as a spiritual exercise. For me, pilgrimages are not just activities of sightseeing or tourism. Pilgrimages, especially to holy sites, are for me a journey into faith. They’re moments of learning that deepen my understanding of the spiritual and widen my perspective on things that inform my faith and religion. Whether it is a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Israel, or to the Marian Shrines in Fatima and Lourdes, or to the Holy See in Rome, these sites enhance my faith and open me to grasp, in a more concrete and real way, the elements that make up my faith. A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey and a time of enlightenment — a chance to know more about God, our faith, and our Church. Pilgrimages help us to understand more about our beliefs and practices in a practical way. I always feel more knowledgeable and renewed when I take pilgrimages.
This year in October, along with forty-five other pilgrims, I had the privilege of taking a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrines in Portugal, France, and Spain, visiting places like Fatima in Portugal and Lourdes in France, very special places where the Blessed Mother appeared. We also went to other places including Avila in Spain — the home of St. Teresa of Avila, and we visited Santiago De Compostela, where St. James the Apostle is believed to have been buried. I have been to these places before, but I can never get enough of them because of the beautiful images of faith-in-practice that have stuck in my heart since the first time I visited. So, I decided to go again.
One of the beautiful highlights that keeps me going back is the events that take place in Lourdes. To date, Lourdes has been for me the most significant site of all the pilgrimages I have taken. What makes Lourdes special to me is twofold. First, there is the opportunity it provides for people to individually carry out their pieties with ease. Pilgrims can join in candlelight processions, eucharistic processions, and Stations of the Cross, and there are many other private opportunities for personal prayer and reflection, mainly because the prayer ground where activities happen is within walking distance of the hotel accommodations of the pilgrims.
But even more than the proximity and accessibility of the venue of events, the most delightful highlight that pierces my heart in a most positive way is the number of volunteers that come from all over the world for the sole purpose of helping people who are sick or people with disabilities to participate in the activities of Lourdes. Many pilgrims, especially the sick and people with disabilities, go to Lourdes because of their deep faith and in the hope that they will receive God’s healing. Every day, thousands of people with disabilities queue up in wheelchairs in Lourdes for the eucharistic procession or candlelight procession.
All the places we visited in this pilgrimage gave us an opportunity to reflect and pray. But I’m still overwhelmed by the number of volunteers who were there at Lourdes to help others. It is heartwarming to see total strangers taking care of other strangers who need help. Seeing these volunteers helping to carry these people or push their wheelchairs stood out for me. This is the heart of a Christian, where human kindness and love are exemplified. I was delighted and moved by seeing these uncountable numbers of people in wheelchairs being pushed by total stranger volunteers, and by witnessing the joy that radiated from the faces of these people in wheelchairs. You could see clearly that many of them were suffering from their illnesses, and yet they had such smiles on their faces. I stood beside the procession as it passed by, and I saw these people in wheelchairs waving at everyone and smiling widely as if they were saying, “I’m glad I’m here.” The incredible joy shown by these suffering people is reinforced by the presence of the volunteers who are helping them, helping them to stay positive amid their suffering. This is for me a journey of faith.
We must continue this journey of love and care for one another here, in our daily lives, especially for the people around us who need our help. A pilgrim journey starts right in our own homes, our neighborhoods, our places of worship and — most importantly — in our hearts. We must not restrict our love and care only to those related to us. Our Christian faith is well-lived when hearts touch hearts and bring Christ’s presence into the world. Lourdes is a perfect example of Christianity in practice.
Father Jacob Dankasa is the pastor of Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving.
Cutline for featured image: Pilgrims pray in front of the Grotto of the Apparitions in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, France, on Aug. 14, 2024. (OSV News photo/courtesy Lourdes Sanctuary)
