Explain the part pilgrimage plays in the religious part of a Christian's life

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

AO2

Explain the part pilgrimage plays in the religious life of Christians.

In this question I am going to explain why pilgrims go to pilgrimages, especially to Lourdes and Lough Derg. Religion plays a big part in a Christian’s life, they are on a journey, usually a spiritual journey, and they do this to feel closer to God. The aspects of a pilgrimage help them with this.

Pilgrimage is so important to Christians for many reasons. At Lourdes people go to ask for and receive God’s help. Many people that go there are ill and sick and they go to Lourdes to try and cure their illness. People also go to seek God’s forgiveness and as we know he is always willing to grant us forgiveness. At Lourdes people worship Mary, Mary said “pray for sinners” so this is what people do at Lourdes. Lough Derg is a very solemn place. During your stay at Lough Derg you receive the sacrament of reconciliation; the sacrament of reconciliation is the forgiveness of sins. There is also re-newel of baptismal vowels, symbolic action and four masses, which also seeks God’s forgiveness. In Lourdes, you pray to our lady (the Immaculate Conception) a lot of the time, as it was the place where she appeared, and in doing this you get closer to God.

Another reason is to increase your faith and communication in God. The main focus of Lough Derg is to do this. Getting to know about the Christian Church in other parts of the world is also good for your religion Pilgrimage can resolve any doubts that people have about God and Christianity

This is a preview of the whole essay

For many Christians pilgrimage plays a very important part of there religious life, pilgrimage for them is a very spiritual thing. For a lot of people pilgrimage is a yearly event that makes them feel closer to God. Others who visit might just be a one off thing that they might of done and it might not be as an important as it is to others. Or there might be the person who visits and very much enjoys and feels that pilgrimage plays an important part of there life but do not have the money or ability to go there.

For the Christians who feel that pilgrimage is very important to them they normally visit each year so they can be closer to God, be forgiven, thank god and do penance. Penance is a very focused issue in Lough Derg. When they visit people are often made very spiritually closer to god, they also make many new friends who feel the same way about pilgrimage and god as the way they do themselves.

For many people they find an inner Peace and have many problems solved or they are giving the strength they need. The thing that keeps people coming back to pilgrimages each year is that they often after the whole experience feeling refreshed and feeling closer to God. People often like to go so they can feel a connection with the holy person who the pilgrimage is associated with. For example people may wish to feel close to Mary who appeared at Lourdes, or some to feel close to St Patrick at Lough Derg. People like to show their dedication to God by going on pilgrimage. For example by saying the thousands of prayers you do at Lough Derg. I feel that the unity of people is an extremely important religious part of pilgrimage.

For the people who just visit a pilgrimage once and haven’t got an urge to return obviously don’t feel the same way about pilgrimage as other people do. Some might just go to see the famous sights as in places like Lourdes like the grotto or the baths, and feel no effects and are not moved by the spiritual side. They go for the experience but do not get that connection with God that others do.

So in conclusion I think that for the people who think pilgrimage is a meaning full thing this is why I think it plays an important event in the religious life of Christians by allowing the events that happen at a pilgrimage to become more real and make them closer to God, and for them to find part of the fellowship.

704 words

Callum Quigley 10B

Mr Fahey