JY loves to travel. It is a sign of being a pilgrim people. (BJRE091)

JY loves to travel. It is a sign of being a pilgrim people.

(By Dr. Edward Edezhath. Published in Kairos Magazine in 2025)

I was in my second year of college when my new responsibility came: traveling, connecting with young people, and building a network. My professors and colleagues knew my itinerant style well and were quite sympathetic. This pattern has continued ever since.

I had an active community, and my travels felt like being sent out from it. Their encouragement and prayer support always backed me up. Of course, this life on the move helped me develop many new skills. Later, when I began my teaching career and wanted to pursue a PhD, people who knew me well said I’d never be able to complete such serious work with all my constant travels. I remember reading a lot on trains. In the end, some of those critics never completed their work, but surprisingly, I was able to, within a reasonable time.

Interestingly, from the start of this movement, most JY leaders, though they are excellent community builders, have also been people on the move. They become leaders and evangelists by joyfully traveling, connecting with people, and refusing to be confined by their own cultures or comfort zones. Readiness to go out, eagerness to engage with new and unfamiliar realities, and the enthusiasm to seize unexpected opportunities are essential qualities of a good Jesus Youth.

A Christian is a pilgrim.

Today, people frequently discuss the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and advocate ‘being on the move’ to promote physical health. However, this concept also extends to our inner lives. If you cease to explore new ideas, refuse to learn from the Bible in new ways, lose interest in making new friends, and stop encountering diverse cultures, something within you begins to wither. You cannot dwell on the past; you must embrace the present and look forward to the future.

The Bible is filled with stories of travel. Abraham left his homeland; Israel wandered in the desert. Moses led a people on the move, while Peter and Paul traveled across various lands. Even Jesus journeyed constantly, never remaining in one place. Time and again, God’s command is simple: “Go.” The Church, too, calls herself a pilgrim people.

Pilgrimage is an ancient expression of this truth. In Scripture and across cultures, journeys to holy places or encounters with holy people are essential to the spiritual life. In Jesus’ own life, we read of regular pilgrimages—not only to the Temple but also to people: families, the poor, and those in need. His mission was mobile.

In my prayer community, pilgrimages together have been the most memorable. At one point, we realized that a community hesitant to venture out is not truly Christian. We began pilgrimages of different sorts: some of us started weekly visits to slums, others got involved in various outreach initiatives. This rhythm of going and returning made our community life incredibly vibrant.

But what if I can’t travel? 

You can still connect. We learn from Little Thérèse, who, though she never traveled far, became the patron saint of missionary travelers. Some go to distant lands, some engage with people of unfamiliar languages and cultures, and others journey through prayerful intercession—but all disciples are called to go!

Jesus Youths have a rich culture of venturing out.

The Second Vatican Council envisioned various ways of bringing Christ to the wider world. Addressing laypeople, it stated: “A vast field for the apostolate has opened up on the national and international levels, where the laity especially assist with their Christian wisdom.”

It urged us to evangelize the world by continuing whatever we do, but with a difference. “Travelers, whether their interest is international affairs, business, or leisure, should remember that they are itinerant heralds of Christ wherever they go and should act accordingly” (Vatican II, The Apostolate of the Laity, 14).

Last year, I was in Chhattisgarh for leaders’ training. On my way there, I visited a city and met various leaders and groups. After the training, they organized several visits to communities, homes, priests, and others. It became such an enriching time! These were occasional trips for me, but for most Jesus Youth leaders, this is their regular lifestyle.

This illustrates how the Kingdom of God spreads and how leaders and communities are formed. Some leaders travel great distances to meet with groups or train new leaders. However, for Jesus Youth, mission trips are not always program-focused. I was once sent from my college to teach a semester at a European university. Most of my weekends and free time were spent on cross-country travels to meet groups and leaders. Many active Jesus Youth coordinate business trips with local missionary efforts in their destination cities.

Migration has been a key channel through which the movement spread. How else could JY grow from a small location in India to most continents and all major countries?   Then there is educational travel. “Those active in our Teens’ Ministry have now gone to study in an Eastern European country. They have already built up Jesus Youth communities there,” a leader from the Middle East recently told me.

How do we go about it?

Kingdom-building rarely begins with meticulous plans. More often, it starts with a heart ready to respond to the opportunities that come our way. These days, travel and connection are everyday experiences—but the challenge is to transform these into pilgrimages, marked not just by movement, but by mission. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us, we are called to be “itinerant heralds of Christ wherever we go.”

To truly live as pilgrims, we need a distinct style and approach. 

1. Embrace a pilgrim mindset: Let go of comfort and attachments. Avoid stagnation and be ready to move.  

2. Seize the opportunity: The call may come with a professional assignment, an invitation, or even a mishap or crisis.

3. Set out with eagerness: Expect little, go in teams, and remain open to the Spirit's promptings.

4. Travel light: Simplicity and poverty of spirit are essential for joyful, unburdened journeying.

5. Act along the way: Don’t just travel; stay in a place, love, and build community. 

6. Keep moving: When it is time, hand over the work and move on. 

7. Stay connected: A successful and lasting mission initiative is grounded in the relational network and broader plans of the Church and one’s community.

Jesus says, “Go!”

So, let us build a lifestyle of pilgrimage that takes us into our neighborhoods, unfamiliar cultures, and distant places. Should we not always be on the move, listening, discerning, and responding to God’s call?