The Deeper Meaning Behind One Beautifully Profound Symbol in the Rome Temple

(by James and Judith McConkie ldsliving.com 3-9-19)

Making a pilgrimage is to undertake a journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion.  Anciently, pagan pilgrims sought to consult the oracles and offer sacrifices at places now familiar to us as impressive ruins. Millions of Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus annually seek enlightenment through the very act of making a journey to sacred sites around the world—not as tourists but rather as pilgrims. The four Gospels tell us that Herod’s temple in Jerusalem was the destination for pilgrims who attended three annual pilgrimage festivals. The journeys were required for all adult Jewish men until the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. The Gospels record that Jesus, His family, and His disciples made their way to Jerusalem in obedience to tradition and to express their religious devotion. The most familiar pilgrimage was, of course, the Passover Feast, a celebration meant to commemorate the release from bondage of the Children of Israel in Egypt. For two millennia Christians have made similar pilgrimages as affirmative acts of faith in a Christ-centered life. Whether made on foot, on the back of a donkey or, in our case, stuffed into the seats of a modern jetliner, pilgrimages have always been an important part of the world’s faith traditions.

http://www.ldsliving.com/The-Deeper-Meaning-Behind-One-Symbol-in-the-Rome-Temple-That-Is-Beautifully-Profound/s/90388?utm_source=ldsliving&utm_medium=email