Taking a tour on pilgrimage is akin to wearing a swimsuit to church
A tour of the holy sites of Galilee — Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee — that left me feeling more like a tourist than a pilgrim. Here is why rushing sacred places in a group is akin to wearing a swimsuit to church, and how the next day everything changed. (4 min read)
Yesterday I took a tour to various holy places in the north of Palestine, including Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. I generally don’t “tour”, but this seemed like a convenient and cost-effective way to visit some of the places from the Bible. While I can now say that I have been “there”, I didn’t feel very much. It is an interesting experience to, ordinarily, feel a great deal and yet to feel nothing in some of the most famous places in the Christian world.
Logically, I think it comes down to a block in my sensitivity (and there are several explanations of this) or the absence of spirit in these famous sites. I want it to be the former because many of these sites have been places of pilgrimage for centuries, although most of the current shrines were built in the 20th century.
Mea culpa. I find it hard to connect when I’m being rushed and/or there is a lot of noise and bad behaviour. And yesterday was like this.
Hurry up and wait! Lots of messing around! The bus left an hour late and spent another 30 minutes driving around picking up people from various hotels. And then there was 30 minutes wasted in the “approved” gift-shop in Nazareth.
And all the messing around was at the expense of time in the shrines.
The guide was quite knowledgeable but not sensitive to energy or reverent about the places (he was not irreverent, he just didn’t have a personal experience or connection that I could discern). The visits were short and cursory and focused on the architecture and history. And not a relic to be seen or touched!
I kept my growing dissatisfaction to myself… and then I had the realisation that, as far as this business is concerned, I’m a tourist, not a pilgrim. They are creating the kind of experience that the secular box-ticker is looking for. The bragging rights… the selfie moment… the souvenirs!
Even though I know the western world is dominated by extroverts, it always surprises me when people don’t want to sit in silence for hours (or at least 15 minutes).
I went to bed last night a bit unsettled about what I had foregone in Nazareth by succumbing to the pack. I hoped there had still been a useful energetic interchange. But I even wondered if my days of pilgrimage were over.
Today, things are back to normal. I’m listening to God. And everything has unfolded perfectly. Without talking to anyone! I have had 3 churches to myself so far, even the Latin Patriarch Church (with 2 relics!). And some dots are being connected in the most divinely orchestrated way. More on that later. Maybe after a second doughnut.
Namaste.
© Paul McCarthy & Iluminar.au
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