PILGRIMAGE SHOULD NOT BE JUST A TRIP
Pope Francis will open the Holy Gate of the Basilica of St. Petra on December 24, 2024, marking the start of the jubilee celebration. This event will also open the gates of the Basilica’s of St. John in Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, and St. Paul Outside the Walls, offering believers worldwide the chance to participate. Slovaks will be among them, with a national pilgrimage to Rome already planned for April 3-6, 2025.
“Wandering is a movement by which we do not only indicate a change of place, but a desire for an inner transformation of ourselves. A visit to Rome is certainly also a cultural enrichment, getting to know historically important places, but for the pilgrim, his inner focus is important,” says Ivan Ružička.
Therefore, if the pilgrimage is to fulfill the purpose of the precious time of grace, it should not be just an ordinary trip. “It should be a desire for reconciliation with God and with brothers and sisters. By transforming from seeing the world through oneself to perceiving God’s order of love for him. Therefore, it is not possible to fulfill the significance of the pilgrimage only with an external act, without forgiveness, acts of mercy, the desire for real closeness to God manifested among brothers and sisters not only in our church communities.”
HOW TO OBTAIN FORGIVENESS
Not all Slovak believers will be able to fulfill their desire to visit the graves of the holy apostles. Many will not allow it for financial, health or various other reasons. The conditions and methods of obtaining indulgences were therefore established by the Apostolic Penitentiary.
They can be obtained by any truly penitent believer who avoids any inclination to sin and who participates in activities during the Jubilee year, of which a pilgrimage to a sacred Jubilee site – such as St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican or the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem – is only one. of possibilities.
“Another is a devout visit to a holy place, such as a cathedral or a Marian shrine. Also, participation in popular missions, spiritual exercises or formation meetings. Likewise, performing acts of mercy, such as helping the poor or the sick, also refraining from futile distractions and unnecessary consumption, but also devoting time to volunteering or other forms of personal involvement,” says the secretary of the Conference of Bishops of Slovakia.
It is important to emphasize that all methods are equal and everyone can choose the one that suits him or is possible. “And those who cannot participate in the pilgrimage due to illness or other reasons are invited to participate in the spiritual journey, so they can sacrifice their suffering and their daily life.”
PREPARATION IN PRAYER
Until the beginning of the Jubilee Year 2025, there is still relatively enough time that can be used for the corresponding spiritual preparation. As part of it, Pope Francis declared the ongoing year 2024 as the Year of Prayer.
“Preparation for the jubilee year should be, according to the words of the Holy Father, a great symphony of prayer. If we accept the invitation to deepen our prayer, it will allow us to live a deeper dialogue with the Lord, which will manifest itself in our relationship with others and in every moment of our day.”
In this context, Ivan Ružička encourages that all forms and styles of prayer that suit us are important – the prayer of the parish community – especially the celebration of the Eucharist, prayer in the family, prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, prayer of the monastic community, personal prayer… “Prayer is a bridge between heaven and earth, a meeting place where the heart of man and the heart of God connect with each other.”
Activities in Slovakia
