Faith moved the hearts of hundreds and hundreds of pilgrims at San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco, Mexico on Feb. 2, the last day of pilgrimage that began on Jan. 11. The tiredness, the hunger, the cold, and the sleepiness, all this is left behind, children, young adults, senior citizens, blind and disabled people and the ones which probably suffered the most:
women. Because even though they walk for hours, in this pilgrimage it seems that not even the government, much less the community, care about how embarrassing it is when they need to use the restrooms. Even after all this they’re able to worship the “Virgen de San Juan de los Lagos”.
Faithful believers in this Virgin came from afar to see this religious figure. Even though many arrived in cars or buses, many more hundreds of people wanted to demonstrate their faith by walking this long road to San Juan all the way from their homes towns. Some began their trip up to one or two days before so that they could be there on that special day, and be able to ask for penance to the Virgin, or show gratitude for a miracle that the Virgin granted for them. Many followers of the Virgin believe full heartedly in her miracles, because many of them tell stories gratitude to her and the great faith they have in her miraculously curing the terminally ill which she helped them by getting them out of a difficult situation or how she took care of people that were very special to them.
Many of them pray to her to guide them and watch over them so that they can arrive safely and fulfill what ever it is they promised her. As part of their promise to her, many offer some sort of sacrifice, or some sort of gift as gratitude for what ever it is she did for them. In numerous occasions The Bishop and Monsignor Javier Navarro has given the welcome to millions of these pilgrims who are everywhere, in the halls, pews, steps, there was not one free spot. Even at the altars there was no room to walk. And like usual not even in this religious ceremony were the people safe from pickpockets, or pushes, but even after all this people wanted to get a glimpse of her up close. At the door there were priest and seminarists warning people about the thefts of purses and wallets. In the Homily the presence of Baby Jesus is presented in the temple, this way complying with the Jewish law.