Pilgrimage

Men have done it since the beginning of history. Walking together, with their family, side by side with friends and relatives, towards a privileged place by the presence of the Lord. The People of Israel went on pilgrimage through the desert in search of the Promised Land.

The Holy Family went on pilgrimage from Nazareth to Jerusalem following patriarchal traditions. Our ancestors went on pilgrimage in faith to holy places like Rome and Santiago de Compostela to venerate the tomb of an Apostle and honor his memory.

We Colombians have been pilgrims for almost four centuries climbing the hill of Monserrate to find the Lord in his Venerable Shrine.

Step by step: get ready for The Pilgrimage*
Since the sanctuary is a place of prayer, in the same way pilgrimage is a way of prayer. At each stage, prayer should encourage pilgrimage and the Word of God should be light and guidance, food and support.

The happy result of a pilgrimage, as a cultural manifestation, and the same spiritual outcome that are expected of it, are ensured by having an organized provision of the celebrations and adequately highlighting the various stages.

The departure of the pilgrimage must be characterized by a moment of prayer, performed in the parochial church or in another that is more appropriate, and consists of the celebration of the Eucharist or some part of the Liturgy of the Hours, or a special blessing for pilgrims.

The last stage of the journey must be characterized by a more intense prayer; it is advisable that when the sanctuary is already visible, the tour should be done on foot, processionally, praying, singing and stopping at the stations that may be on that journey.

The reception of pilgrims may give place to a kind of “entrance liturgy”, which places the encounter between pilgrims and those in charge of the sanctuary at the level of faith; where possible, the latter will go out to meet the pilgrims, to accompany them on the final journey of the trail.

The permanence in the sanctuary must obviously be the most intense moment of the pilgrimage and must be characterized by the commitment of conversion, properly ratified in the Sacrament of Reconciliation; by particular expressions of prayer, such as gratitude, supplication, the request for intercessions, according to the characteristics of the shrine and the objectives of the pilgrimage; for the celebration of the Eucharist, culmination of the pilgrimage.

The conclusion of the pilgrimage will be characterized by a moment of prayer, in the same shrine or in the church from which they have departed; the faithful will thank God for the gift of the pilgrimage and ask the Lord for the help they need to live with a more generous commitment to the Christian vocation, once they have returned home.

Since ancient times, the pilgrim has wanted to take some “remembrance” from the sanctuary visited. It is necessary to ensure that objects, images, books, convey the true spirit of the holy place. Places of sale should not be in the sacred area of the sanctuary, nor should they look like a market.

The Stations of the Cross

Between the upper station of the funicular and the atrium of the Monserrate Shrine there is at least 200 meters away, in this space, corrugated and uneven that has a slight slope and that enjoys an excellent view of both sides of the hill, because of the initiative of Chaplain Ocampo were built the fourteen , Stations of the Cross, whose bronze sculptures , were manufactured and brought from Italy.

The Stations of the Cross were restructured in 1996, under the administration of Father Oscar Darío Vargas Jaramillo, who commanded to build a ramp shaped trail from station II to the XIV, so that it could be used by all people, including those who have physical limitations. The fourteen stations distributed along the way are signposted with the meaning of each, and invite prayer and devotion for those who do so.

Guidance on the Stations of the Cross

Among the exercises of piety with which the faithful revere the Passion of the Lord, there are few who are as esteemed as the Stations of the Cross. Through this exercise of piety the faithful continue, participating with their affection, the last stretch of the journey traveled by Jesus during his earthly life: from the Mount of Olives, where in the “garden called Getsemani” (Mk 14:32) the Lord was “prey to anguish” (Lk 22:44), to Mount Calvary, where he was crucified among two evildoers (cfr. Lk 23:33), to the garden where he was buried in a new tomb, dug into the rock (cf. Jn 19.40-42).

A love testimony of the Christian people for this exercise of piety are the countless Stations of the Cross rected in churches, in shrines, in the cloisters and even outdoors, in the countryside, or on the climb to a hill, to which the various seasons confer a suggestive physiognomy.

The s Stations of the Cross are the synthesis of several devotions arising from the high Middle Ages: the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, during which the faithful visit the places of the Lord’s Passion devoutly; devotion to the “falls of Christ” under the weight of the Cross; devotion to the “painful ways of Christ”, which consists of going in procession from one church to another in remembrance of Christ’s journeys during his Passion; devotion to the “stations of Christ”, that is, to the moments when Jesus stops on his way to Calvary, or because he is forced by his executioners or because he is exhausted by fatigue, or because, moved by love, he tries to engage in a dialogue with the men and women who attend his Passion.

In its current form, which is already attested in the first half of the seventeenth century, the Steps of the Cross, spread mainly by San Leonardo de Porto Mauritius (+1751), has been approved by the Apostolic See, endowed with indulgences and consists of fourteen stations.

The Stations of the Cross is a path outlined by the Holy Spirit, a divine fire that burned in the chest of Christ (cf. Lk 12:49-50) and propelled him to Calvary; It is a path loved by the Church, which has preserved the living memory of the words and events of the last days of her Bridegroom and Lord.

In the exercise of piety of the Stations of the Cross, various expressions characteristic of Christian spirituality also come together: the understanding of life as a way or pilgrimage; as a step, through the mystery of the Cross, from the earthly exile to the heavenly homeland; the desire to settle deeply with the Passion of Christ; the demands of the Christi, according to which the disciple must walk behind the Master, carrying his own cross every day (cf. Lk 9.23)

For all this the Stations of the Cross is an exercise of piety especially suited to the time of Lent.

The following indications may be useful for the Stations of the Cross:

– the traditional way, with its fourteen stations, should be considered as the typical form of this exercise of piety; however, sometimes the substitution of one or the other “station” should not be excluded by others that reflect evangelical episodes of Christ’s painful path, and which are not considered in the traditional way;

– in any case, there are alternative ways of the Stations of the Cross approved by the Apostolic See or used publicly by the Roman Pontiff: these should be considered authentic forms of it, which can be used as appropriate;

– the Satations of the Cross is an exercise of piety that refers to the Passion of Christ; however, it is appropriate for the faithful to conclude in a way that the faithful may be open to the expectation, full of faith and hope, of the Resurrection; by modeling the station of the Anastasis at the end of the Stations of the Cross of Jerusalem, one can conclude the exercise of piety with the memory of the Lord’s Resurrection.

The texts for the Stations of the Cross are countless. They have been composed of pastors moved by sincere appreciation for this exercise of piety and convinced of their spiritual effectiveness; other times they have as authors the lay faithful, eminent for the holiness of life, doctrine or literary talent.

The selection of the text, bearing in mind the possible indications of the Bishop, should be made taking into account above all the characteristics of those involved in the exercise of piety and the pastoral principle of wisely combining continuity and innovation. In any case, the texts in which the words of the Bible are correctly resounded, correctly applied, and written in a worthy and simple style.

An intelligent development of Stations of the Cross, in which they alternate in a balanced way: word, silence, singing, processional movement and meditative stopping, contributes to the obtaining of the spiritual fruits of this exercise of piety.