In Lourdes there are lots of non Christians that go each year with no intention of becoming Christians but as the holiness of the place touches them they can find new faith and new hope. When I was watching the video of a Lourdes pilgrimage I saw that a lot of disabled children go on pilgrimage, looking at the suffering of the children I began to appreciate my life so much more then I did before. I think that this is an other reason that people will go on pilgrimage, to thank god for the life they where given and they have been blessed with.
Different places of pilgrimage are visited for different reasons, people go to the holy land on pilgrimage because it is the place the Jesus was born and raised and also where he died. People like to go to the holly land to get closer to god as it says in the churches teaching we should always try to get closer to god to strengthen our bonds with him. This is also true for Lourdes as people go as it is where Marry was seen and where miracles have taken place.
All people need a place to sit and pray, a sort of escape from the stress of modern life. Christians use pilgrimage as a space to pray and bring them closer to god. As Christians it is our duty to help those who are less fortunate then us and we can do this in pilgrimage. In Lourdes there are charities that are set up to help those who are physical or mentally disabled, and also the elderly. These charities are open to people who want to help, they will let you come closer to the people who have been given a bad run of life and it is the best way to help them is to be there friend.
On pilgrimage many Christians develop a better understanding of the faith because there is so much to take in like in the holy land where you can walk the road that Jesus walked with his cross. There is a also time on every pilgrimage to just stop and think more deeply about your faith.
A pilgrimage is a important part of every Christians life as it brings us closer to god in many ways and it helps us to find or renew our faith in many ways.
