"Pilgrimages are not about one place being more holy than another, for God is everywhere," writes Bodo, a Franciscan priest and author of Francis, the Journey and the Dream.
"Making pilgrimages involves a response to something inside us that longs to move toward
, that seeks the holy beyond.
" Pilgrimage is about change and renewal, hope and transformation, whether it involves a physical journey or not. In the opening chapters, Bodo highlights the historic characteristics of a medieval pilgrimage, which was marked by distinctive dress, a dangerous path and the likelihood that the pilgrim would never return. Although contemporary pilgrimages are typically shorter and less perilous, Bodo says they can be as fraught with significance as the medieval kind: "we sense intuitively that this holy journey is a rehearsal for death and resurrection." Bodo makes his musings concrete with reflections about his own pilgrimages—to his parents' graves once a year, to Assisi multiple times, to Rome and the tomb of John XXIII. The bulk of this short book consists of Bodo's meditations on his pilgrimages to Assisi, and the healing and comfort that such journeys have brought. His quiet, introspective guide encourages readers to undertake the spiritual journey of pilgrimage whether or not they leave their armchairs. (Mar.)
