Memories of how John Paul II spent his holidays directs our reflections to another subject – the pilgrimage. Firstly, we can think about the Polish Pope, called the ‘Pilgrim Pope’ and the kind of pilgrim he was. Secondly, this is a good opportunity to try to answer the question of today which asks if the pilgrimage is more than tourism?
There are impressive dates describing the popes travels. The Pope visited 132 countries, some several times. From Italy, he travelled almost 150 times. Why did he decide not to reduce his works to the transmission of the message of the Gospel from the Vatican by radio, television and the Internet? Messages broadcast from the Vatican by the news media can reach a lot more people than those who can participate in the papal liturgy around the world. Does being head of the Church also include leaving the Vatican? Almost all the popes didn’t leave Rome unless political circumstances forced them to change their premises. The historical journey of Pope Paul VI (during the Second Vatican Council) to the Holy Land showed in a symbolic way the meaning of the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage is a search for sources of our faith and of our Christian culture. We go on pilgrimage to get stronger in our faith, to get to the roots of our Christian culture and to meet people and share with them our faith.
Karol Wojtyła as Kraków’s bishop also spent much time outside of Franciszkanska Street. He knew that he was not able to be a good shepherd, if he wasn’t as close as possible to the lives of his sheep. This experience John Paul II continued as the Bishop of Rome. If it hadn’t been possible to understand believers of the Archdiocese of Kraków staying only in the Archbishop’s Palace, it wasn’t possible to understand the experience of Catholics around the world by staying only in the Vatican. The pilgrimage can become the source of our Christian and human enrichment.
Speaking on the pilgrimage, there is an interesting point to stress – means of transport are relatively important but the most important is the purpose of pilgrimage. John Paul II used the modern means of transport to get to the place of his pilgrimage. His purpose was to meet people and spend more time with them. It is good to remember that the comfortable tours, air-conditioned buses or airlines are only means which help us to achieve the purpose of our trip.
Following John Paul II’s pilgrimages one can see that he was very well prepared to meet people – he knew the history, culture and problems of their lives. In our time there are so many possibilities to know more about the places we visit. There are so many guidebooks. In the Internet there is so much information. Our pilgrimage can benefit from these new possibilities so as to be better prepared for visiting the place of pilgrimage.
Personal care is needed so that the pilgrimage does not change into a simple tourist event. For this it is important to determine the program. Among others things it is good to have some time to pray and reflect on the faith. John Paul II knew how in a very busy day of pilgrimage to find the time to pray.
John Paul II had his “style” of being a pilgrim. Each of us should have our own “style” of being a pilgrim. It needs practice and time. It is good to remember that the pilgrimage serves above all to reinvigorate the soul.