Introduction
In a few weeks, I will make my Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, during the Holy Mass at 12:15 pm Central Time, praying the Official Prayer of our Nine-Month Novena.
Pilgrimage is among the most ancient spiritual practices, going back to the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself went on pilgrimage with His Mother Mary and His guardian, St. Joseph.
Every time we pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, we recall how He was left behind in Jerusalem at the conclusion of a pilgrimage from His hometown of Nazareth, and how Mary and Joseph found Him teaching the doctors of the law in the Temple.
Pilgrimage, in fact, is a deeply spiritual expression of the meaning of life itself, which is a journey from the moment of conception to the moment of death. On pilgrimage, we remember that here on earth, we have no lasting city and that our days on earth, be they many or few, are a journey to the lasting home which Our Lord has prepared for us in Heaven (Cf. Jn 14:1-7; and Heb 13:14).When we go on pilgrimage, we leave the familiar surroundings of our everyday life to journey to a holy place.
What do we mean by a holy place? We mean a place in which Our Lord or His Blessed Mother or one of the saints has lived or appeared, or a place that has been set aside to the honor of Our Lord, His Blessed Mother or one of the saints. At the holy place, a shrine or sanctuary is established, to which the faithful journey on pilgrimage.
Certain hardships are inherent to going on pilgrimage. In other words, a pilgrimage is not a tour or vacation but a spiritual time to be renewed in faith, hope and charity. Often, reaching the location of the shrine or sanctuary requires special effort. Since most pilgrimages are made in company with other pilgrims, there is also the challenge to practice Christlike charity with our fellow pilgrims. We do not go on pilgrimage as angels but as frail human beings with all of our faults and failings which can try the patience of our fellow pilgrims.
Through daily Mass and the confession of sins in the Sacrament of Penance, pilgrims receive the special graces for their pilgrimage. At the Holy Mass, the pilgrim is reminded of the reason for his pilgrimage and receives the Body of Christ to sustain him on the pilgrimage. Through the Sacrament of Penance, the pilgrim seeks the forgiveness of his sins, of which he becomes conscious and for which he experiences deepest sorrow, as a particular grace of the pilgrimage.
I hope you can join me in making an Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe. You can make your Act of Consecration in your parish church, before the Blessed Sacrament reposed in the tabernacle. The Holy Mass of the Consecration will be live-streamed on the Official Novena website and on the Shrine’s website, and it will also be broadcast to EWTN.
Until then, please watch the video reflection for this month and join me in praying the Official Novena Prayer. If you do not have an Official Novena Prayer Card, one can be ordered or downloaded at the links below.
