A student who visited his wise professor in a faraway town was surprised to see his small house containing few belongings. The student queried, “Sir, how come you own so little?” Smiling, the professor asked him: “And, why have you come here with so little?” He replied, “I’m just passing through.” Said the professor, “I’m passing through, too.”
November commemorations like All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2) and scriptural statements like “we journey towards a heavenly home” remind Christians that they’re just “passing through”: pilgrims journeying towards God’s fullness. Though the idea of pilgrimage is vibrant in Christian imagination, it does not carry as much weight as it does in Hinduism, Islam, Jainism or Judaism.
The Exodus is the prime pilgrim motif in the Pentateuch — the first five books of the Bible — that marks the passage from bondage to freedom. The psalmist echoes the joy of converging on the Holy City: “I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s House’.” Although pilgrimages are not mandated as a religious duty in Christianity, believers have been visiting places associated with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ since the 2nd century. Embarking on pilgrimage to faraway holy lands can be an expensive affair for poor believers. Hence, its best to see life itself as a daily pilgrimage wherein one encounters the Divine.
In ancient times, Christian monks retreated into the desert and spent lifetimes in caves to escape the so-called “evil world”. Current spirituality does not view the world as evil. However, one must strive to be “in” the world but not “of” the world. Being “in” the world requires a sense of discernment — felicitously termed nir-kshir-viveka — that makes one pilgrim to the “cave of the heart” so as to encounter the Divine within.
Encountering the Divine within oneself is no mean task since the enticements of the world are so ensnaring that we often become “of” the world and forget the deeper meaning of life. In this case, we might even believe that we can buy God’s favour by undertaking some pilgrimage. Such pilgrimages that do not result in personal transformation cannot be called pilgrimages at all. This fortnight, I’ve passed through south, northeast and north India experiencing the deep religiosity of believers nationwide. Tirtha in religions means “to cross over”. Crossing over is possible when we shed our ego and travel light — unencumbered by excessive acquisitions. Then, like that wise professor we can always say: “I’m just passing through.”
Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology.
He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com
