6. Pilgrimage and Holy Places
World Scripture
Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place which he will choose: at the feast of unleavened bread, at the feast of weeks, and at the feast of booths.51 They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed; every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you.
Deuteronomy 16.16-17
In those days and in that time, says the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come; and they shall seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, “Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant which will never be forgotten.”52
Jeremiah 50.4-5
And when We settled for Abraham the place of the House, “You shall not associate with Me anything. And do purify My house for those that shall go about it and those that stand, for those that bow and prostrate themselves; “And proclaim among men the Pilgrimage, and they shall come unto you on foot and upon every lean beast, they shall come from every deep ravine, that they may witness things profitable to them and mention God’s name on days well-known over such beasts of the flocks as He has provided them, ‘So eat thereof, and feed the wretched poor.’ Let them then finish with their self-neglect and let them fulfill their vows, and go about the Ancient House.”53
Qur’an 22.26-29
Pilgrimage falls during known months. Anyone who undertakes the Pilgrimage during them should commit no sexual intercourse, immorality or quarreling during the Pilgrimage. God knows any good you do. Make provision; yet the best provision is heedfulness.
Qur’an 2.197
Though the poorest of mankind come here once for worship, I will surely grant their heart’s desire.
Oracle of Itsukushima in Aki (Shinto)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Suppose you die amidst tears and suffering… while devoting your life for God. Then even if your grave is at the top of the Himalayas, people from all over the world will visit your tomb and weep in memory of you. The locals might want to discourage them from coming, but no one can stop them. Isn’t it true? When Jesus was being led to his death on Golgotha, he prayed as the Son of God. Who knows what actually took place? Yet that awesome event [has inspired millions to visit Jerusalem.]
(97:104, March 1, 1978)
My hometown is Jeongju in North Korea. Would you like to visit there? Why would you like to go there? When we go there, there are many stories that I would like to tell you. I have many anecdotes about my childhood. Therefore, you should visit there at least once in your lifetime. If you do not, it will be your shame in the spirit world. In the future, Unificationists will regard it as Mecca for Muslims or as Jerusalem for Christians.
(Way of Unification 8.3.4.3)