Step 4: At the Holy Site
“I.
I rejoiced when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, built as a city,
walled round about.
Here the tribes have come,
the tribes of the Lord,
As it was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
Here are the thrones of justice,
the thrones of the house of David
II.
For the peace of Jerusalem pray:
‘May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your ramparts,
prosperity within your towers.’
For family and friends I say,
‘May peace be yours.’
For the house of the Lord, our God, I pray,
‘May blessings be yours.’”
Lift up your prayers and intentions to God and to the saints for their intercession. Take joy in having reached a holy place through your dedicated efforts and through the sufferings incurred on the road. If you have practical concerns — a water bottle to refill, a restroom to use, blisters to bandage, sore legs to stretch — you may want to take some time to address those needs after initially encountering the holy site, so you can come back and be more fully present in your prayer.
For individuals, prayer probably continues in silence, though a quiet yelp of joy could be appropriate, barring any solemn services occurring at the time. For groups, you should still take time for private prayer, but you may also want to gather as a group to pray together, either with a predetermined prayer (such as the Pilgrim’s Psalm above) or for each other’s intentions.
To that end: in the excitement of arriving at your destination, do not forget to lift up the particular intentions for which you made your pilgrimage. God, and all the community of saints, know of your intentions even if you should leave something out, but allow yourself time and space in prayer to make the petition or thanksgiving for which you have journeyed. Give all you have been carrying spiritually to God and your intended saints. Know full well that you are heard in heaven.
