Holy Land Pilgrimage - The Second Day

Overview: Mount Tabor, Church of the Annunciation, more cats

“LSU Won!”

Those were the first words I read as I awoke this morning. I smiled and knew it was going to be a good day. And it was. But the Tigers victory wasn’t the high point of my morning. The high point was walking out of my hotel room and crossing the lawn to sit on the shore of the Sea of Galilee for some quiet prayer. I looked around, seeing the various cities sprinkled along the coast, considering the fact that Jesus walked this area for much of His ministry. I was struck by the prayers from the Breviary that seemed so apropos to the moment: “The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all its peoples. It is he who set it on the seas; on the waters he made it firm.” To rest upon this holy land - the Fifth Gospel as it is often described - encircling this Sea of Galilee was indeed a time of great peace. Already I am being changed by this marvelous yet ordinary place. I also chuckled to myself this morning as I had a St. Paul moment. He spoke of the thorn in the flesh as being given ‘lest I become too elated’ and lest I become too romantic about my time at the Sea of Galilee, I was given a random man in a Speedo walking out of the water. Jesus loved in a normal world, not a fairy tale one. It’s easy to think of the Holy Land as a fairy tale world because it’s always been so far away from me. But it is very real - there are cats, highway noise, people from all nations, traffic,  and paved soccer courts.

And in that  very real world - this world! - He came. This was the emphasis today. We began the day at Mount Tabor, where the transfiguration took place. We offered Mass there in a beautiful little chapel full of mosaics and stained glass. The symbols told the story and the reason for the place, and the value it has in the story of salvation. The Glory of the Lord was seen at His birth, then at the Tranfiguration, and lastly in the Eucharist. Fr. Chris Decker, our homilist, reminded us that the stand upon which a monstrance sits for Eucharistic Adoration is called a Tabor. It’s the elevated stand upon which the Lord shows us His glory. (No wonder the monstrance always seems like a bust light!) After a nice visit and reflections, we found we were a bit late and would be late for lunch … unless we hiked down the mountain instead of waiting for mini-busses. So off we went! 3 or so miles downhill and we were off to lunch in Nazareth.

In Nazareth we had a delicious Italian style lunch and headed over to the Church of the Annunciation. This church is relatively newly built and the architecture is sadly not what the place deserves. Nonetheless, there was much to rejoice in there. The courtyard surrounding the church was full of representations of Our Lady from all over the world. The outpouring of love by the children of Mary across the earth was a great reminder - we are one body, one family in Christ. The present church is built on the ruins of an ancient church, which was built atop the house where the Annunciation took place. A little cellar where Mary would often have been found was there and a little altar with the inscription which can only be true in one place is found: ‘Verbum caro hic factum est - The Word became flesh here.’ A humble, ordinary place in a simple little town. There He took on flesh; our flesh, yours and mine. So incredible and yet so very ordinary. And He continues to be present to us in so many ordinary things of daily life.

Which brings me to my last point: cats. I like cats. They’re amazing little creatures. They have been everywhere we have been so far this pilgrimage. Door greeters, ushers in church, escorts around the grounds, beggars, companions on the sidewalk. I have been trying to enjoy the little things of this trip as signs of the Lord’s love. This has been shown many times in these furry friends along the way. Now - sleep! And another grace-filled day tomorrow.

Holy Land Pilgrimage - The First Day

Overview: Mount Carmel / Cana in Galilee / Migdal (Magdala) / Cats

Our little crew from Baton Rouge gathered at 5am yesterday morning for a quiet morning Mass before heading to the airport. After the obligatory ticketing chaos we got on our flight and made our way to Newark. I was given a blessing in the form of having an open seat next to me on the 10-hour flight to Tel Aviv!

Arriving in Tel Aviv, we were whisked off to our bus and made our way to Mount Carmel for Holy Mass. How incredible to be in the place where Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume the offering and show the truth of the Lord being the One True God! At the top we were able to see so many places mentioned in the Scriptures, and little light bulb moments were happening every few minutes. You never think of how close these places are until you can see it firsthand. We offered Holy Mass in the lower chapel there at Mount Carmel. Along the way to and from Mount Carmel we saw cats. One was feasting on dumpster leftovers and one was the doorman at the restaurant where we had lunch. The one at the restaurant was especially friendly.

We continued on and saw Caesarea and the Sea of Galilee, as well as some Roman aqueducts and other ancient ruins, along the way to Cana. We visited the church of the miracle and the married couples on our trip renewed their marriage vows at the chapel.

We then continued to Migdal (Magdala). The city is great to see simply because of St. Mary Magdalene, but in the last couple of decades ruins were found of the old synagogue where Jesus would likely have taught and visited in his travels in Galilee since it was such an important city of that day.

And now we are heading to the hotel to check in, have a bite to eat, and get so sleep!

If you want to see some different photos and updates, you can also follow along via Dr. Edward Sri’s Facebook page HERE.

The Conjunction(s)

A view from the levee.

The heavens declare the glory of God! So says Psalm 19. Even when as a youth I didn’t believe in God, I still had some sense of this fact. In the last years I have tried to spend a bit more time contemplating the heavens and it has been a wonderful gift from God. It was for this reason that I was particularly excited to see the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn as the ‘Christmas Star’ that was to take place last night. I had 6pm Mass at a neighboring parish, but was hopeful that I would still have enough time to get somewhere open enough to see the night skies and this wondrous event that take places every few centuries. I made my way to the river road by LSU and was riding down the road hoping to find a place to pull off so I could climb the levee and see from a good height. I saw a gated driveway that led up the levee and pulled in. Little did I know that the tall grass in the driveway part was hiding a huge mud hole. In I went and there was no getting back out. I tried. Finally admitting defeat, I left my car and ran up the levee in hopes I could see the conjunction for even a few seconds. I looked and looked, but there was nothing there. It had descended below the horizon. I missed it. I began to walk down the levee and prepare to make the phone calls for help when a car pulled up. It was a pleasant young couple who had been out looking at the conjunction themselves and were on their way home. They quickly jumped into action, calling a local tow truck company and the police. The couple, who were clearly trained in this, helped direct traffic and keep the area safe. We talked about the Christmas Star and made small talk while waiting for the police and tow truck. As we waited I beheld on the horizon a blue light - the police officers. They arrived and pulled in behind my vehicle to direct the traffic and ensure everyone’s safety. A few more minutes passed by when, barely visible through the bright blue lights of the police vehicle, another light caught my eye - the tow truck. The tow truck arrived and soon the operator instructed me on what I needed to do: get in the driver’s seat, put it in neutral, and hit the brakes when I was out. I hopped in the car and listened to the clink of the chains being brought out and attached to my car. I looked over my shoulder and couldn’t help but smile. A conjunction was happening. Blue lights and yellow lights right next to each other, flashing brightly in the night. A few seconds later my car was out of the hole and back on the road. I expressed my gratitude to the couple who stopped and helped me, to the tow truck operator who got me out of the mud, and to the police officers, who laughed when I asked if they were going to give me a ticket for being an idiot and driving directly into a huge mud hole (they didn’t, thankfully). A few moments later I was riding down the levee road and my heart was filled with a joy that would not have been there simply by seeing that Star. I had missed the Christmas Star conjunction, but the Lord provided another conjunction for me to see. Indeed, the heavens declare the glory of God. But His children can also show us something of His Love.

The conjunction!

Fire & Masses & Nuns! Oh my!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written an update on here, but I suppose I can post a bit for those inquiring minds out there.

On October 18 I flew out to what is becoming my home away from home: Santa Rosa, California. I went to assist at the convent of the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa while their chaplain was on pilgrimage in Rome and the Holy Land. The trip was full of surprises. While there I was able to add and check off an item to my bucket list: go to a rock concert with nuns! Well, I’m kinda fudging a bit on the details. The community was going to Chick-Fil-A to celebrate one of the Sister’s birthday and I invited me to join them. When we arrived there was a little parking lot concert happening next door. I had to laugh as they were playing ‘Living on a Prayer’ as we were walking up and the attention moved from the band to the line of 15 nuns walking by.

The other unexpected thing was the wildfire that started not far from us. I can handle hurricanes. But a wildfire? Nope. A long sleepless night of sirens, emergency warnings on the phone notifying of ever-growing evacuation areas, hurricane-force winds, and prepping for what seemed an imminent evacuation made for an experience that I’d be happy to never have again. Thankfully the cathedral and the convent didn’t have to evacuate, but many others did. The firefighters must have learned a bit from the fire two years ago or been better prepared because they did a great job of containing the fires and sparing many homes. It got smoky for a few days, but thankfully it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. God is good!

In addition those surprises, I also had the joy of doing things that were not surprises at all. I was able to offer Mass for the Sisters at the convent, hear LOTS of confessions at the cathedral, offer a couple of Extraordinary Form Sung Masses, spend some time with some old friends & make some new ones, do some manual work projects at the convent, and spend some quality time with the Sisters, especially my spiritual daughter Sister Philomena Marie. As I departed last night before their evening prayers, the Sisters gathered in front of their chapel and sang a beautiful hymn prayer about priests and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It nearly brought me to tears. This morning I woke up to offer Mass and get to the airport before sunup. As I boarded the plane I was stopped in my tracks by the most beautiful sunrise. One final gift from Our Lord as I prepared for the next stop: Cincinnati.

This week I will finally get to spend some time with my family in Cinci without having to rush off within 24 hours. After this week I’ll hit the road again - Tuscaloosa first to see the Tigers play, then back to Cinci for a few days before heading to Brooklyn to visit another of my spiritual daughters, Sister Trône du Roi, at her monastery. And then I’ll hop in my car once more and head south to the beautiful village of Morganza.

The last couple of weeks have reminded me how much I enjoy parish ministry (not so much the admin, admittedly) and am ready to get back to it. Here’s to hoping the last few weeks of my sabbatical can continue to bear good fruit and that my parishioners will have the ‘Father Brent 2.0’ that I hoped would return with renewed fervor.

St. Philomena, pray for us.

St. Christopher, pray for us.

Our Lady of the Way, pray for us.

Blessed be God

I sat down last night to write a blog post and absolutely nothing would come to mind that didn’t just sound like a vague update. The reason is not because there hasn’t been anything happening. A great deal has been happening. I just haven’t been able to process it enough to put it into words. 

The days I had in Mugnano del Cardinale were absolutely incredible. Spending several hours a day in front of the relics of my patroness was like a dream. That dream led me to my next stop on the pilgrimage portion of my sabbatical: Ireland. 

The Sanctuary at Knock marking the place of the apparitions.

Arriving at the airport, I found my way to my rental car and mentally braced for what was to come: driving on the opposite side of the road, driving on the opposite side of the car, and driving a manual transmission for the first time in a few years...left handed. No pressure. I made it safely to my goal: Knock Shrine. I hadn’t heard a great deal about Knock until the last year or so. It’s a rather fascinating apparition. Most places, such as Fatima or Lourdes, have Our Lady appearing alone and giving some sort of message. At Knock, in 1879, there appeared outside the church an altar upon which stood a Cross and a young Lamb. Next to the altar stood the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and St. John the Apostle. They appeared there for two hours in silence. Not one word was said. While many focus immediately upon Our Lady, the central focus of the apparition it seems is in fact the Lamb. As one of the witnesses that night noted - the figures looked as if made by light, but the Lamb was the brightest. Many interpretations and reflections have been offered on this silent apparition full of signs and symbols, but the theme that has spoken to me most powerfully is that of a depending of love for the Mass and the Eucharist. Dom Mark Kirby, O.S.B. has written beautifully about this on his blog Vultus Christi. On account of my love for the Mass and a desire to grow in love for the Eucharistic Lord, I went to Knock. There were no spiritual fireworks. There was simply peace. But not a sort of generic peace or a peace only due to a lack of disturbances. It was a peace that was living, active. A peace with a name and a face. Jesus - my Lord, my God, my all. 

The cross constructed at Knock for the Papal Mass celebrated by Pope St. John Paul II.

That living peace is where I still find myself, but in a different location. I am currently at Silverstream Priory in Stamullen, Ireland - about half an hour north of Dublin. The day is consumed with liturgical prayer offered in a most beautiful and edifying manner. Mass today was an hour long... and that was just a regular Saturday Mass without a homily. For some people that would be torture. But for this little priest - a slice of heaven! That is why I decided to come here at the very end of this long pilgrimage. Here I knew I would be able to be consumed not with worries about parking or money or accommodations or schedules. Here, there is simply worship of the One True God. 

Long ago Psalm 116 was composed as a prayer of thanksgiving to God. In it the Psalmist cries out, “How can I repay the Lord for His goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise. I will call on the Lord’s Name.” I can think of no better way to conclude this pilgrimage than by saying and doing the same.

Blessed be God!