Maybe if I call myself a traveler, it would be more acceptable. But I am not a traveler. I travel because of pilgrimage. On a pilgrimage, we call ourselves pilgrims.
As a pilgrim, I go because someone asked me because I am curious because I hear a calling.
It’s a calling from the heart.
Mexico was the first country I visited as a pilgrim to learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe through Juan Diego, a pure, humble Indian.
Without Juan, the world would not know about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Today is her feast day.
This is a beautiful story of Juan gathering roses in the middle of winter using his tilma to present to the bishop of Mexico as a sign that he met Our Lady requesting a church be built in honor of her.
When Juan opened the tilma to the bishop, an imprint of a beautiful image of Our Lady appeared on the cloth.
The first sign of miracle happened when a participant was shot in the throat by an arrow during a celebration. After being placed in front of the tilma with the miraculous image of Mary, the man was healed.
Juan Diego’s imprinted cloak remained perfectly preserved at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
I think calling yourself a pilgrim is more interesting than a traveler!
Pilgrim it is then. Thank you, Kate.