The Oxford definition of pilgrim is “a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons.”

I believe we’re all pilgrims and that each day we journey through our every day sacred places of home and family and work and community. Every mass reminds us of this as the priest and servers walk up to the altar. The hope for our daily pilgrimage is that it makes us a little more holy, loving and virtuous.

This year, we happen to be Pilgrims with Passports; journeying to sacred places far from home. These places are sacred because of their beauty, their significance to our family and world histories, and the Christian church. They are sacred because they’ve shaped us and will continue to shape us. We will also be shaped by the journey to them. As all sanctification is sometimes difficult and unpleasant, we assume this adventure will be sometimes as well. But we move forward with excitement, anticipation and hope.

My friend Kaarin sent me this quote from T.S. Elliot: “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” I assume will see where we started for the first time because we will have new eyes with new understanding.