Christian Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage [a prayerful journey] symbolically expresses the experience of the human being as homo viator, who, having just emerged from the mother’s womb, sets out through time and space upon the path of his existence. It reflects the fundamental experience of Israel on the way to the Promised Land of full freedom; the experience of Christ, who ascends to heaven from the land of Jerusalem and thus opens the way to the Father; the historical experience of the Church journeying toward the heavenly Jerusalem; and the experience of all humanity advancing toward hope and fulfillment.
Every pilgrim should confess: “By the grace of God I am a man and a Christian, by my actions a great sinner, and by my condition a homeless pilgrim of the humblest kind, wandering from place to place. My belongings consist of a knapsack on my shoulders, a few dried crusts of bread, and the Holy Bible which I carry beneath my shirt. Beyond that, I have nothing” (Anonymous Russian Pilgrim, The Way of a Pilgrim, I).
The Word of God and the Eucharist accompany us on this journey of pilgrimage toward the heavenly Jerusalem, which is vividly and visibly marked by sanctuaries. When we reach it, the gates of the Kingdom will open, we shall cast off our traveling clothes, lay down our staff, enter our final home, and “be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess 4:17). There He will be among us “as one who serves” (Lk 22:27); He will eat with us, and we with Him (cf. Rev 3:20).
Origins
The first accounts of Lithuanian pilgrims and pilgrimage in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) date back to the 15th century. In those times, travel from Lithuania to world-renowned pilgrimage sites was largely restricted to the clergy and the nobility, and even then, such journeys were rare. The most frequent destination was Rome, often with a stop in Loreto along the way. Perhaps the first pilgrim to the Holy Land from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the GDL treasurer, Aleksandras Soltanas, who visited Jerusalem in 1468.
The pilgrimage of Mikalojus Kristupas Radvila “the Orphan” to the Holy Land (1582–1584) was made famous by his concisely yet accurately and vividly written book, Journey to Jerusalem, which was immensely popular among readers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. During the era of the GDL, the majority of Lithuanian Catholics settled for pilgrimages to famous local shrines, as the land was relatively sparsely populated and the roads were exceedingly poor. Unlike in Western Europe, pilgrims in the GDL tended to visit sites famous not for the relics of martyrs or saints, but for miraculous images—most often paintings of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. This was likely due to the influence of the cult of icons originating from the Eastern Church and an ever-strengthening devotion to Mary, particularly during the time of the Reformation.
Source: https://www.piligrimukelias.lt/en
St. James
James, the son of Zebedee (Latin: Jacobus, Spanish: Santiago, English: James, French: Jacques), and his brother John were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee when one day, while they were at their nets, Jesus met them and called both to become fishers of men. The New Testament recounts that James was the fourth disciple called by Jesus (Mt 4:21). James is mentioned only a few times in Holy Scripture. Both brothers were of a fervent temperament and were given the nickname Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 10:37).
Before the Crucifixion, Jesus divided the world among the Apostles, encouraging them to spread the truth as widely as possible throughout the world. James was assigned the Iberian Peninsula. In 44 AD, by order of Herod Agrippa, James was executed, becoming the first Apostle to suffer martyrdom (Acts 12:2). This is the only martyrdom of an Apostle mentioned in the Gospels. For about 750 years, the remains of James lay in the earth, and the place of his burial was forgotten.
Around 813 AD, a hermit named Pelayo heard music and saw lights over a small cave in a forest on Mount Libredon, located about 17 km from the port of Iria Flavia, the seat of Bishop Teodomiro. He began to dig the earth at that spot and found remains and a parchment. Pelayo summoned the Bishop to the site, who confirmed that the bones belonged to the Apostle James and two of his disciples—Athanasius and Theodore. Soon after, pilgrims began to flock to the site.In the 9th century, the majority of the Iberian Peninsula was ruled by Muslims. Around 834 AD, at the Battle of Clavijo, where the army led by King Ramiro of León clashed with the forces of Abd al-Rahman near the present-day city of Logroño, James appeared on a white horse and led the Christians into battle against the Muslims. The Apostle of Spain, Santiago Peregrino (St. James the Pilgrim), became Santiago Matamoros (St. James the Moor-slayer) and a symbol of the struggle against the Muslims and the Christian struggle in general. For centuries, the cry “Santiago!” was the battle cry of Spanish soldiers and conquistadors.