Bethlehem may be nearby

Br. MichaelDavide Semeraro

Among the five precepts that the Muslims include to fully live their faith, there is also the pilgrimage to Mecca, the place where Mohammed was born. Why is there no such precept for Christians, or at least why a pilgrimage to the places where Jesus was born, lived, and completed his mission is not strongly recommended? From my own experience, I can say that after the trip to the Holy Land a few years ago, I read the Gospel with completely different eyes.

R.V.

Yes, pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of the Islamic tradition, and Mecca is the city where not only Muhammad was born (on 22 April 571 AD), but where he began his journey of faith and preaching, transforming the place where the various idols of the tribes were kept into the most important place for those who serve God in Islam. For Christians there is no precept of pilgrimage, however, there have always been pilgrimages and not only to the area where the Lord was born, died, and rose, but also to other sanctuaries and significant places of tradition. However, as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) said, what is useful to one for one’s journey of faith and commitment to witness is not necessarily good for another. The pilgrimage to the Holy Land certainly helps to better understand the Scriptures, but there are people who have never been in Israel and have commented and lived the message of the Gospel magnificently. It can therefore be said that if, as Christian, we share the practice of pilgrimage with the brothers and sisters of Islam—think for example of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (Spain)—we don’t make it an obligation to respect the different sensitivities and personal paths of faith, devotion, and charity.