Journeying With Jesus – to Easter and Beyond

Tina Mayeux reflects on the experience of making a pilgrimage and how we can experience great graces without traveling long distances.  

It was the year 2000, and eager throngs of young people were flocking to Rome and the Vatican to experience the 15th World Youth Day. This gathering coincided with the Great Jubilee in the Church, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II, which commemorated 2000 years since the birth of Jesus Christ. Hidden among the crowd, I was blessed to have been able to make the pilgrimage to Rome to participate in the events surrounding World Youth Day and to be in the presence of the great pontiff and future saint.  

My journey to Rome was one of several amazing opportunities I have had to go on pilgrimages. A pilgrimage is a journey to a shrine or holy site, often in search of peace, healing, and spiritual growth. It is a time when we are away from home and may experience inconvenience and hardships, as we are deprived of the comforts and ease of being in our usual environment. We embrace the discipline of making these often-difficult journeys in order to grow in our faith and obtain the graces that come from the experience.  

Pilgrims of Hope 

Although we might not currently be in a season of life where it is possible to take our families on a pilgrimage to Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, or some other holy destination, there are other ways to receive special graces and blessings without leaving our own diocese. In this year of the Jubilee of Hope, as proclaimed by Pope Francis, the Church has designated many pilgrimage sites around the country where a plenary indulgence may be obtained by fulfilling the conditions required.

The Jubilee of Hope is a wonderful opportunity to renew and deepen our faith and to receive many graces without having to travel great distances. More information on making a pilgrimage locally or to Rome during this Jubilee year can be found at the USCCB website or through your diocesan website.  

The Pilgrimage of Lent 

The season of Lent, which is quickly coming to a close, can be likened to a pilgrimage of sorts. It is a time when we have journeyed into the desert to grow closer to Christ, giving up many of the comforts and pleasures we ordinarily enjoy through fasting and our Lenten penances. As we make these sacrifices, we become more open to the Holy Spirit and experience more deeply a hunger for God. Our Lenten journey to the desert unites us more closely to Jesus in His suffering and death on the Cross.  

Lent is an exercise in perseverance. It can be challenging, but when we are faithful to this arduous journey to Easter, we are rewarded with the hope and joy of the Resurrection at its conclusion. As we get closer to the celebration of Easter, we begin to anticipate the end of our Lenten pilgrimage and to prepare for the transition into a season of rejoicing with the Risen Christ.

While we continue our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, now is a good time to reflect on the fruits of these disciplines in our lives and to ready ourselves for Holy Week. Just as a successful pilgrimage takes planning and preparation, we can take time to prepare our hearts to enter into the Paschal Mystery with Jesus and to help our families to be ready for Holy Week as well.  

Trusting in Jesus 

This life itself is a pilgrimage to our heavenly homeland. Along the way, we must endure trials and bear our crosses with patience and love if we would safely reach our destination. We can do this only with the help of Jesus, Who bore His Cross before us and gives us the strength and fortitude to continue on. Saint John Paul II put it this way in his Message for World Youth Day 2000, which I attended so long ago:  

Although the journey is difficult, we can do everything in the One who is our Redeemer. Turn then to no one, except Jesus. Do not look elsewhere for that which only He can give you, because “of all the names in the world given to men this is the only one by which we can be saved” (Acts 4:12). (15th World Youth Day Message) 

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Copyright 2025 Tina Mayeux
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