Have you ever felt restless or out of place? Do you ever have questions that the world doesn’t have the answers for? Desires the world can’t fulfill?
The reason for this, according to an early Church epistle, the Letter to Diognetus, is that Christians “pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven.”
“We shouldn’t feel at home here!” says Joan Watson, speaker, author, and pilgrimage leader. In a May 6 blog post that Joan wrote for the National Eucharistic Revival, she added, “It is not that we do not love this place, but we do not love it more than our real home (see Matthew 6:19-21). It is not that we are never happy here, but that we are detached from what is passing.”
In her blog post, Watson also reflected on the words of St. Augustine — “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee” (Confessions, 1, 1.5) — and his use of the word pilgrim, which comes from the Latin peregrinus.
“Peregrini were those who lived among citizens of Rome but were not citizens themselves… In classical writing, the word eventually came to have the connotation of wanderer, where we then derive our idea of pilgrim,” Watson explained.
These thoughts are among many profitable reflections for anyone — whether you have a pilgrimage trip planned or not — from Watson's recent book, Making a Pilgrimage: A Companion for Catholics, published by Emmaus Road in late 2025.
She shared with Aleteia that this angle “is what I’ve been trying to show people — it’s not just for those who are physically embarking on a pilgrimage, because all of us are on pilgrimages.” Emphasizing the “all” she said that in a recent retreat (she gives several retreat talks on this theme) in South Carolina, she acknowledged how “living as pilgrims and seeing life that way affects us and the way we live the Christian life. We see everything differently!”
The book introduces the question, “Why pilgrimage?” Watson answers that it is not about an intellectual endeavor, but rather a personal and physical encounter. An encounter that can engage the senses like any vacation but ultimately, “pilgrimage is not only about going to these places; it is about what we take away.”
The pilgrim is not just any traveler; “a pilgrim is seeking God,” she writes.
Watson situates the modern experience of pilgrimage in the historical context of the Jewish agricultural feasts recognizing God’s provision and presence among the people. Sojourning to the Promised Land was not only the object of the Exodus but of every human heart, descendants of Adam and Eve.
Jesus is presented as both a participant in the Jewish tradition and practice of pilgrimage, but also its fulfillment. Numerous biblical references, particularly in the Gospel of John, point to the person of Jesus Christ as the new ark of the covenant, God who came to “pitch his tent” among his people through the Incarnation. Just as pilgrimage mirrors a person’s journey towards eternal life, Jesus’ pilgrimage was always directed toward Calvary.
“He does not come in order to remain,” the author asserts. “Rather, by his coming he shows us where we are to remain: in him … God comes into the world to lead us home.”
Pilgrim Jesus
The pilgrim Jesus transforms the identity of the People of God to “the Church of God sojourning,” as Watson quotes from early Church Fathers. “This leads to a strange paradox,” she adds: "We are called to be content but not entirely satisfied. It is okay to be happy here, but we must remain detached … Our state of exile does not mean we simply endure this life … this life and what we do with it is the means by which we strive toward the end;” and “even though it’s not our home, we still work for the good of this world while we are here.”
Addressing the concrete aspects of actually making a pilgrimage, Watson's book reflects on early criticism of journeys to holy sites — as St. Gregory of Nyssa pointed out, “Jesus is not more present in Jerusalem than he is anywhere else on this earth” — but affirms the importance of place. “There is a difference between Jerusalem and Johannesburg, Nazareth and New York.”
Watson offers fruitful insights on pilgrimage as a “classroom,” and quotes St. Pope John Paul II that pilgrimage itself can represent “an important form of catechesis.”
Getting closer
She addresses practical elements of “how to go” on pilgrimage by offering this distinction: “A tourist seeks to consume … but a pilgrim seeks to receive … The difference between a vacation and a pilgrimage is not external, but internal.”
The book includes one chapter each on pilgrimages to the especially sought out sites of the Holy Land and Rome. Another chapter covers other shrines and sites. Inserts within the book also cover pilgrimage tattoos, guidebooks, and souvenirs. There are two helpful appendices: pilgrim prayers and a list of recommended international and American pilgrimage sites by region.
“The Pilgrimage of Daily Living” is Joan’s final chapter. As the conclusion of the pocket-size, portable book, it addresses the experience of returning home from pilgrimage, comparing it to the liturgical seasons of “Ordinary Time.” It is not ordinary “in the sense of it being commonplace or lacking special features.”
She admits it has a rhythm and sense of routine, of the commonplace, but states, “That is precisely where God is calling us to holiness. It can be easy to be holy on pilgrimage … it is in returning home that holiness becomes difficult.” That is precisely where “we must cooperate with God’s will for us.”
Watson told Aleteia that the book has been well-received. She has gotten positive feedback from both those traveling on pilgrimage — several expressing regret they hadn’t read the book beforehand — and others who are of the “daily pilgrim” persuasion.
She shared one experience from a high school teacher, Joshua Godson. He has been on pilgrimage with Watson and is planning a pilgrimage for his students. “I just received your book and could not put it down! Congrats on producing such a valuable piece of work for Catholic pilgrims. I appreciate the balance that the scholarly references you give with great, insightful readability. I certainly will use it as a reference in getting our pilgrims ready.”
Watson writes in her book’s final pages, “Life is a pilgrimage. And seeing life this way helps us deal with what we face daily … Every day we can make choices that help us get closer to our destination."
“This life can be extremely difficult. But heaven is worth it. Living with the pilgrim mentality keeps us focused on the purpose of our earthly pilgrimage; it means knowing that one day, our life will not end but change.”
“Making a Pilgrimage” is available for purchase from the St. Paul Center and Emmaus Road Publishing.
