Finding the Miracles Hidden in Travel

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Everyone is born with a hole in their heart. They desperately try to fill it with people, with love or possessions or drugs or power. But the hole is a void, bottomless as the cosmos. Nothing material can ever fill it.

Spirituality is a human need. C.S. Lewis once wrote that “the hole in your heart can never be filled with eartlhy things because you were made for a far better place. If we could truly find contentment here on earth, we would never yearn for heaven.”

He’s absolutely right.

We read scripture to grow closer to God, but sometimes the words on the page feel like just that—ink on paper. We don’t have the visceral experience of feeling the sands upon which Christ tread, or the winds that whipped at Moses’ hair as he stood atop the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments.

Most people don’t fully consider the fact that the Bible is connected to history and place, that we can actually go and visit many of the sites mentioned in those holy pages. Not only that, but there exists numerous places, ruins, and functioning churches that are of significance to more modern Christian history, all accessible to visitors.

Visiting those places of holy significance, whether they be from Biblical lore or connected to more modern events, helps connect us to the reality of our spirituality, and can bring us closer to God than ever before. That, in itself, is a miracle, a gift from God, should we take advantage of it. To that end, let us take a look at some of the most important Christian sites from across the world.

In them, you may just find the miraculous through travel.

Jerusalem, Israel

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Israel is the seat of historical Christianity, and should be at the top of the list for spiritually significant destinations. It is the holiest city in all Judaism, and is the spiritual homeland of the Jews. In medieval times, it was considered the world’s center, where God dwelt.

Unique in all the world for its Biblical heritage, Israel spiritually stands out, but it is its capital city, Jerusalem, that is considered the seat of the Christian Church. It is here, in the Old City of Jerusalem, that you can see the tomb of Christ and the place of His crucifixion in the Church of the Holy Sepulchure. The Gospels, here, are played out in full physicality, and to see and touch these real, Biblical places is to be all the more deeply spiritually connected to God.

In Jerusalem, scripture no long feels like ink on paper. It feels like stone and wood and heat—it feels real.

Bema of the Apostle Paul, Greece

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Greece is known as the Cradle of Western Civilization, and is steeped in history, archeological sites, and artifacts. Its beautiful lands, marble pillars, and fine food attract thousands of tourists, and its cultural story continues to fascinate the world. Its historical contributions to the world include democracy, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, the arts, and medicine—many of the ideas and fields we hold dear in today’s western world.

But Greece’s history isn’t confined to the material world—it has spiritual significance to the Christian Church, as well. In southern Greece lies the city of Corinth, built upon the site of the ancient city of Corinth, founded in the 10th century B.C. During excavations, archeologists have uncovered a marble structure in the ruins of the old city, eventually finding that it was the judgment seat, or bema, of Corinth. This bema would have been a platform from which an arbitrator could judge Corinth’s trials, and the site where Paul defended himself against accusations of “persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law” in Acts 18:12-16.

Travel to Greece, and see site where one of the most prominent figures of the New Testament once stood.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, France

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The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is an area surrounding the Catholic Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes, in the town of Lourdes, France. The Shrine commemorates the Marian apparitions experience by St. Bernadette Soubirious, a 14 year-old girl who saw visions of Mary, mother of Christ. This vision, which always appeared in one place, in a shallow cave where a wild rose bush grew, of Mary instructed Bernadette to “Go and tell the priests to build a chapel here,” and to “Have the people come here in procession.” She was also told to drink from the spring. Later the apparition made further appearances, and miracles occurred—those who made pilgrimages to the site were reportedly healed of sicknesses by the water. Those pilgrimages continue to this day.

The basilicas, churches, and chapels on the site are grand and numerous , and worth exploration in and of themselves. Visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, and experience the spiritual, holy, and architecturally beautiful side of France.

St. Peter & Paul Church, Germany

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In Eisleben Germany lies the church where the famed Martin Luther was baptized—St. Peter & Paul Church. The church is a gorgeous Gothic hall structure with two octagonal towers at one end, and a large, single tower at the other. Within, visitors can find the very 16th century-era pulpit from which Martin Luther preached and taught.

The surrounding town of Eisleben is the historic hometown of Luther, and where he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church, beginning the Protestant Reformation he is famous for today. Luther, one of the most influential figures in the history of the Christian church, called into question the basic tenants of Roman Catholicism, causing his followers to split from the Roman Catholic Church, becoming what we know today as Protestants. Later, after being condemned as a heretic, Luther translated the New Testament into the German language so that ordinary people might have the opportunity to read the Word of God.

With such history, who wouldn’t want to visit this beautiful town and church?

St. Paul Outside the Walls, Italy

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St. Paul Outside the Walls was founded by Roman Emperor Constantine I, and resides over the burial place of Paul the Apostle. Beginning with a small memorial erected in the Apostle’s honor, the site was built over and expanded through the centuries, including the placement of an altar over St. Paul’s tomb.

The sarcophagus of St. Paul is visible through a small opening beneath the altar, where visitors can actually see it. Paul was, as most know, one of the Twelve Apostles who taught the Gospel to the world in the 1st century, going on to found churches in Europe and Asia Minor.

In the Bible, Paul—then known as Saul—was dedicated to the eradication of the early disciples of Christ until God struck him blind, and later had his sight restored by Ananias of Damascus. After this, he began to preach that Christ was the Messiah and Son of God. His subsequent writings make up an important section of the New Testament we know today.

Gora Monastery, Poland

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The Jasna Gora Monastery is often thought of as the spiritual capital of Poland. A shrine to the Virgin Mary, Gora was founded in 1382 by Pauline Monks, and has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries. It contains a holy icon of the Virgin Mary known as the Black Madonna, a relic credited with several miracles. These miracles include saving the monastery from a 17th century Swedish invasion, an event which bolstered Polish resistance.

Since the Middle Ages, thousands of Poles go on pilgrimages to visit the Gora Monastery, and in 2012, an estimated 103,000 pilgrims made their way to the shrine, with many traveling as much as 217 miles.

The monastery is located in Częstochowa, a city in southern Poland which is rife with medieval ruins and gorgeous countryside. With so much spiritual and physical beauty, be sure to make Gora Monastery a spiritual destination when you travel.

Vatican City

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Ending this list is none other than the seat of the Catholic Church, Vatican City. The seat of the Pope, head of the worldwide Catholic Church, the city is surrounded by Rome, but is an independent state unto itself.

Within Vatican City lie various religious and cultural sites, including St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest Christian church in the world, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums, which feature some of the world’s most significant works of art. The Vatican Library contains over 25,000 hand-written books, and 80,000 manuscripts which have been collected since the library’s founding in 1450. And that’s only counting the ancient documents!

The sheer magnitude of the treasures located with Vatican City is staggering, and it is among the top Christian tourism sites in the world.

If you wish to see the Pope or practice your faith in what is the heart of the Catholic Church, or simply wish to see a major part of the spiritual heritage of the world, plan a visit to Vatican City.