Tourists turned Pilgrim and the Opportunity of Lent

“What are you doing for Lent?” It’s a conversation heard around this time of year, even amongst nonCatholics. As the Church calls us to practice almsgiving, fasting, and increased times of prayer, the liturgical season is aimed at transforming us into Christ. For many, the season of Lent serves as a reset and a time to reassess our spiritual life and practices. Even for nonCatholics, this period of time often answers that human desire to set goals and serves as a yearly opportunity to shed bad habits.

And while Lent is so much more than a self-improvement period, we can use this human approach to Lent as an opportunity to draw people into the mysteries that await them in the celebrations of Tritium and Easter. The attraction to the period of Lent can be an open door that helps us welcome people into a relationship with Christ. Lent can serve as the first step, the wakeup call, or the reminder for people that Christ is calling them to a deeper relationship with him.

What started out as a diet might end up as a fast.

In a sense, this is similar to the opportunity awaiting shrines as they welcome visitors. Perhaps many people are simply travelers passing through. The shrine might be a place they’re attracted to for its peace, or just an intriguing site that they come to visit for its history. Maybe they’re only stopping by for Sunday Mass or following a sign to see where it leads. Regardless of how they got there or why their vacation has taken this turn, they’re here now. And there’s an opportunity to invite them into a deeper relationship with Christ. What started out as a vacation might end up as a pilgrimage.

Here are three ways we can use the opportunity at hand to help tourists turn into pilgrims.

Meet people where they are. We don't necessarily know where people have come from, but we know where they are now - in front of us. They may have a lot of knowledge of the Catholic Church or they might have zero. We should be prepared to answer questions and introduce people to Christ. In the Church, we often use words or phrases that nonCatholics might not be familiar with (even the acronym OCIA!) or assume a knowledge that is not there. Do we have resources or staff ready to preach the kerygma? Are we ready to not just tell visitors the story of our shrine but also introduce them to Jesus Christ?

Provide occasions of silence. In this busy, noisy world, most people have very few opportunities for silence. How will we hear the Lord speak if we never make room? However, many people do not know what to do with the silence - it becomes almost unsettling because we are so unfamiliar. Both Lent and our shrines can provide these much-needed spaces of silence. Invite people into a time of silence by providing both the occasion (such as times of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament) but also guidance and resources to help people discover how to pray and how to listen to God.

Introduce people to the idea of pilgrimage. All major religions have an understanding of this interior need to physically move toward a sacred location. But pilgrimage is not only a physical movement–it actually is a microcosm of our entire lives. We are all pilgrims in this world. Introducing people to the concept of pilgrimage can help them understand why this world doesn’t answer their deepest desires. It can put their crosses and struggles into perspective.

My book, Making a Pilgrimage: A Companion for Catholics does exactly this. People will come return to Church during Lent, sensing that need for a reset. People will come

across your shrines while on vacation, both intentionally and on accident. How can we be

instruments in these opportunities for grace?

Joan Watson is the author of Making a Pilgrimage: A Companion for Catholics from Emmaus Road Publishing. This book is a “pilgrim’s guide to everywhere,” and is aimed at introducing the practice of pilgrimage as well as help everyone see life through the lens of pilgrimage. Joan is the pilgrim formation manager for Verso Ministries, as well as a mission and retreat speaker. Her work can be found at joanwatson.faith.