Holy Land Pilgrimage - The Seventh Day

Overview: The Temple, Basilica of St. Anne

The seventh day of our trip is, appropriately, a more restful day. We left the hotel at 8:30 to head to the Temple. We got to see the southern steps up which Our Lady and St. Joseph would have brought Our Lord for the Presentation. Though destroyed and rebuilt several times over the millenia, it still contains some of the original stones seen in the days of the Lord, including the steps. We then moved from the southern steps to the western wall, which is the area closest to where the Holy of Holies would have been where the glory of the Lord dwelt in ancient times. Drawing near to the wall to pray and place intentions, it is not the wall itself that is important but rather the promise of the Lord that this place would be His dwelling forever. May those seeking the Presence of God find it in the person of Jesus!

After a bite of lunch we began the last leg of our trip at the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne’s home, the birthplace of Our Lady. A beautiful little chapel honoring Our Lady’s nativity was in the basement level of a beautiful church with acoustics that were absolutely amazing. We offered Mass in a chapel next door in the cloister area and then headed off for a quick shopping trip in the market. I helped myself to a coke, espresso, and double scoop of gelato. Now we head for our group’s last supper and then to the airport. And tomorrow: Home! Deo gratias!

Holy Land Pilgrimage - The Sixth Day

Overview: Via Dolorosa, Holy Sepulchre, the Cenacle, St. Peter Gallicantu

In the relative quiet, before the city of Jerusalem awoke and began the busy-ness of the day, we loaded the bus and made our way to begin the Via Dolorosa - the Way of the Suffering, the Way of the Cross. The simple walk from station to station saw children rushing off to school, people opening their shop, the garbage being collected, and many people going here and there going about their daily life. Much like the days of Our Lord, normal life was all around as something profound was taking place. The Via Dolorosa continued in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Ascending the steps, it would seem as if we were merely ascending to an upstairs chapel but it was Mount Calvary. After a short wait, we were able to knee at the place of the crucifixion and place our hands on the stone of the mountain. I placed your petitions by the image of Our Lady next to the Cross and descended the steps to venerate the stone where the body of Jesus was laid to prepare it for burial. We then made our way over to the tomb, the site of the Resurrection. A long wait of around 90 minutes saw us entering in small groups the tomb. It’s a tiny space, as one might suspect. Praying for each of you there for a brief moment, the priest overseeing things slapped the wall, the sign to get moving for the next group to enter. A bit more touring around the church brought us to the church of the Last Supper. While the site is disputed whether it is the place of the Last Supper and/or Pentecost, it is nonetheless a beautiful place to pray on those mysteries. I skipped ahead of the group in accident and found a cat sitting on the stairway up to a lookout. We became fast friends and she tried to climb into my lap, but finding it not suitable, she laid down on my cassock and settled in for a nap. It was cut short a few minutes later, but nonetheless it was a pleasant little visit.

Lunch was had and we continued on our way to the church of St. Peter Gallicantu (St. Peter at Cockcrow). Here there is a dungeon where tradition holds that Our Lord spent the night before being crucified. The church also marked the site of Peter’s repentance as he heard the cockcrow and the Lord looked at him. We offered Holy Mass in the chapel above the dungeon before loading up on the bus and making our way to the hotel for dinner and much needed rest.

Tomorrow - the Western Wall, Mary’s birthplace, and a long flight home!

Holy Land Pilgrimage - The Fifth Day

Overview: Mount of Olives, Dominus Flevit, Garden at Gethsemane, Dormition Abbey, Church of the Nativity, Field of the Shepherds

The day started with an early breakfast and a resounding victory over the other bus groups to get on the road first! A short drive to the Mount of Olives brought us to a beautiful panoramic view of the city. We prayed a decade honoring the Ascension of the Lord, which took place on this holy mountain, and got an explanation of where the Temple would have been and the history of the city over the years. In the middle of a wonderful explanation, a cat walked through the group, walked over to our tour guide Adrian’s bag and marked it. Charming!

Continuing, we took to walking in the footsteps of Jesus on Palm Sunday. At the chapel Dominus Flevit (the Lord wept) we prayed for a moment, reflecting how the Lord wept for Jerusalem’s hardness of heart toward God and prayed in reparation for own hard hearts. Continuing down the hill, we came to the Garden at Gethsemane. Here the olive trees have roots that date back to the time of Jesus and a large stone is preserved in the chapel sanctuary where it is said that Jesus sweat blood and prayed. Amidst the chaos of camera phones and selfie sticks, tour guides and chatty people, the Lord was there. Holy Mass was being offered as I entered the church and how profound a gift it was to pray with Our Lord there in the garden. I recalled the words so often spoken by the Cure d’Ars (Jean Vianney) as he pointed to the tabernacle: “He is here! He is here, the God who loves us so much!”

A few more steps brought us to Dormition Abbey, where Our Lady’s tomb and the site where the Assumption is held to have taken place. Mary’s tomb, you might say? The Church has never said definitely whether Mary died or not before her assumption into heaven, but many saints and theologians have argued that she did die but was assumed immediately afterward. A beautiful little room housing the place where she would have rested, I got yelled at by the local priest as I placed your petitions in the case. Nonetheless they’re there along with many others’ intentions. May Our Lady, the Queen Mother, bring your prayers quickly to her Son, the Christ the King! As we exited and ascended the steps once again we entered a side chapel housing the tombs of Sts. Joachim & Anne, the parents of Mary and maternal grandparents of Jesus.

We hopped on the bus to take us to lunch in Bethlehem, where we had a tasty lunch and cold beer. The Church of the Nativity was a great post-lunch visit because we had to stand up in line and keep vigilant, lest the group behind cut in front (which they kept trying to do). The Church of the Nativity is the oldest Church in the world - if I understood the tour correctly - and has a small entry door called ‘the humble door’ that you must bow down to get through. After the patient wait in line, we were able to descend the steps and venerate the place said to be the birthplace of Jesus, marked with a star by the shepherds who first venerated the Child Jesus. The Latin Rite Catholics, celebrating the feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Church we’re having a procession to the site of the Nativity, but we weren’t able to stay for it.

Our next stop was the Field of the Shepherds, where the angels announced to the shepherds the good news of great joy. We got to offer Holy Mass in the cave chapel, the low roof of which was blackened from the burning of candles over the centuries.

Finally - shopping, dinner, and an evening of rest with good wine shared among friends!

Holy Land Pilgrimage - The Fourth Day

[update - we had a bonfire & offered confession last night on the shore of the Sea of Galilee - photo below]

Overview: Tabgha, Jordan River, Ain Kerem

We began our last day in Galilee with a quick trip up to Tabgha. This is the site of the multiplication of loaves and the Church of the Primacy of Peter where the question ‘do you love me?’ was asked thrice of St. Peter. We also had the joy of overhearing some Romanian Catholics singing a hauntingly beautiful hymn honoring St. Peter. Our guide also gave a scriptural hint as to why the apostles caught 153 fish - 2 Chronicles 2:17 and the surrounding verses. Go read and think on it!

Continuing our trek, we made our way to the River Jordan at the site of Jesus’ Baptism. It certainly matched the description of a place in the wilderness! After a brief introduction, the scriptures we’re broken open tying together John the Baptist and Elijah the prophet. a reflection from Dr. Sri provided some rich parallels that only help to reinforce claims of Christ and the Church. After that spiritual encouragement, we renewed our baptismal promises and blessed the pilgrims with water from the Jordan. It was a beautiful time being in the place where the Lord made holy the water that made us holy children of God!

After a long bus ride and delicious lunch in Jericho, we arrived in Jerusalem and were greeted by the hustle and bustle of city life. Our afternoon travels brought us to Ain Kerem, where we offered Mass at the Church of the Visitation. A beautiful church honoring that great mystery of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, it houses what tradition holds is the stone that hid the infant John the Baptist during the murder of the holy innocents. The petitions I received were placed there at the stone. On the rush back to the bus (because we’re late for dinner) I briefly stopped at Mary’s spring. I’m not sure what it’s about, but I’ll find out at some point!

One the ‘enjoy the little things’ front: We saw a friendly little feral cat who greeted us in Ain Kerem! AND I got to enjoy some gelato after Mass.

And now - dinner and check-in at our hotel.

Holy Land Pilgrimage - The Third Day

Overview: Nukeib Overview, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, Sea of Galilee

We took a short ride south to begin the day at the Nukeib Overview. This is the place where the Gerasene demoniac dwelled and the swine ran down the hill into the sea. While the place is not named in the scriptures, this is the only place matching such a description of the place. The demoniac there was cleansed and freed and when he requested to follow Jesus he was told to go back to his family and tell them what happened. Our guide then recalled the two miracles of multiplications of loaves and tied the accounts together. In the Jewish area where 5000 were fed, 12 baskets of food were left over to highlight care for the 12 tribes. In the Gentile area, 4000 people were fed and 7 baskets were left over. Why 7? Because there were 7 groups of Gentiles in the area! This is because Gentiles were already coming to believe in Jesus. How? The demoniac had done his job - he went back to the gentile area and told people about this Jesus, so when he was around, they came to see.

From Nukeib Overlook we headed up to Capernaum. We got to see the ruins of the house where Peter lived, the rebuilt synagogue where the Bread of Life discourse was given, and have a good long sit down to learn about the ministry of Jesus in Galilee. It is fascinating to see how close the places are that are mentioned in the Gospels. It always seemed far off in my mind, but most of the ministry of Jesus is within a day walking from Capernaum. We also learned some fascinating information about how Jewish families built their homes and communities that really breaks open the meaning of Jesus’ words in the gospels. It will surely pop up in a homily at some point!

From Capernaum we enjoyed a nice lunch and then continue on the Mount of Beatitudes. After Mass offered on the windy hillside (it took all three priests’ hands to make sure things didn’t fly away) we got to enjoy a few more minutes before heading to the Yigal Allon Centre. There we saw a boat discovered in the 1990’s that dates to the time of Jesus. It was fascinating to learn about it just from the details observed nearly 2000 years later. After the quick tour of the museum we hopped on a newer larger boat to enjoy a peaceful ride across the Sea of Galilee to our hotel. Tonight we have a little bonfire to enjoy and our bags to pack and then we will be south, going up to Jerusalem as the Scriptures describe it.

Prayer intentions have been dropped in various spots along the way - the Church of the Annunciation, the wall of the synagogue in Capernaum, Mount Tabor, and more to come - and kept in my heart in the Masses offered.

And lastly, I saw not one cat today. 😿