BLESSED RETURN HOME

We have safely arrived at Mundelein Seminary this evening. 

Thank you for your prayers and journeying with us during our pilgrimage to the Land of Christ. 

God Bless You!

LAST HOURS IN THE HOLY LAND

This is the final day of our Pilgrimage in the Holy Land. We are almost on our way back home. Truly, it has been a blessing to be able to walk the paths of our Lord Jesus Christ, to experience the people he lived among, to hear the language He spoke. We would like to thank all the people - God's instruments who have made this wonderful pilgrimage possible for us. We are grateful to all those who have been praying for us throughout our time in Israel. Please know that we have been interceding for you before God and will continue to do so. May Jesus Christ, and He crucified bestow on all of you His many blessings. 

JUST A FEW MORE DAYS

Visit the Home of Peace Orphanage in Jerusalem

Only a few days remain for us pilgrims here in the Holy Land. Fr. Fuller has emphasized to us not to check out of the pilgrimage and to remain a pilgrim because God still wants to give us grace in these final days.  Many of the men who have done the eight day silent retreat through IPF can testify to this reality. On Thursday we will have a day of recollection in order to thank God for this privileged opportunity.  

In our final days, the schedule affords us many open days for us to be able to visit any of the sites we have visited.  Some people returned to Yad Vashem in order to take in more of the exhibits. Others went to Ein Karem where John the Baptist was born and the Church of the Visitation. Another group went up to the Temple Mount. There are surely many places one can visit. 

A group of 11 seminarians climbed the Mount of Olives to visit the Home of Peace Orphanage and present a donation from Mundelein Seminary. Throughout the year at Mundelein, various social events serve as fundraisers for different charities. This year 3 North's Casino Night elected to donate money to the Polish Sisters of St. Joseph who run an orphanage in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The children enjoyed a break from their studies to interact with the seminarians.  This was indeed a rewarding experience for all involved.  

On a closing note, yesterday was also the observance of Purim here in Jerusalem. In our class on the Five Jewish Scrolls we learned about this feast found in the Book of Esther.  It is a day where people dress up in costumes and celebrate.  It is much like our celebration of Halloween. 

 VISIT TO JAFFA

Saint Peter's Church in Jaffa

            On our final Sunday in the Holy Land, we took our final bus trip to the ancient port city of Joppa (now called Jaffa) where we visited St. Peter’s Catholic Church.  This beautiful church stands on a bluff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.  To the north are the towers of modern-day Tel Aviv. The church commemorates the passage in Acts in which Peter has a dream where he sees a sheet being lowered by its four corners; on the sheet are all the animals of creation (Acts 10:9-16).  The message Peter receives from the dream is that the new covenant Christ has established between God and man has abolished the old dietary restrictions of Judaism.  

It was right after this that Peter baptized a man named Cornelius along with his whole family, the first Gentiles to be baptized (Acts 10:17-33), showing how the new covenant was open to all.  Peter’s visit to Joppa in a way represents the beginning of the spread of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem, an expansion to the ends of the earth which continues to this day.  And it is a very fitting place for us to visit as we near the end of our pilgrimage, a pilgrimage that began in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, continued to Galilee, where Jesus spent the hidden years of his life and conducted his public ministry, and then to Jerusalem, where he suffered, died, and rose from the dead.  In Joppa the Church established by Jesus began to spread to the Gentiles. We are not called to remain in Jerusalem but to return to the seminary and to our home dioceses where we will soon be ordained deacons. And each one of us has been given the same mission as the early Church, “Go, and make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:19).”  

THE MOUNT OF OLIVES AND RELIGIOUS ORDERS 

Bethpage Church: Jesus mounts the mule to descend into Jerusalem

Our destination this past Saturday was the Mount of Olives where we visited three churches:  Bethpage, Pater Noster, and Dominus Flevit.  Bethpage commemorates where Jesus mounted the mule to descend into Jerusalem (c.f. Luke 19:28-40). Along the same route of Jesus’ descent, Luke (19:41-44) records that Jesus wept over Jerusalem marked by the Church called Dominus Flevit. 

Dominus Flevit Church

The Church of Pater Noster commemorates the place where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray.  Tradition holds that Jesus regularly taught his disciples in caves.  On the Mount of Olives alone there are two such caves: one at the bottom near the Church of All Nations, and the other being Pater Noster. 

The Church of Pater Noster

The grounds of some sites we visited have adorned prayers specific to the site in multiple languages.  This was the case at the two churches in Ein Karem: The Visitation (Magnificat) and the Birth of John the Baptist (Benedictus).  The Church of the Pater Noster was no exception with over 160 plaques containing the words of the Our Father.  Many groups decide to chant the Our Father in their native tongue; our group elected to chant the Our Father in the language given to the name of the church--Latin. 

There are many religious orders present in the Holy Land, predominantly the Franciscans, in addition to the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), Legionaries of Christ, Benedictines, and the Carmelites. Throughout our pilgrimage we have encountered Carmelite Friars at two places: Muhraqa (where Elijah slayed the false prophets of Baal) and on Mount Carmel (where Elijah sought refuge). The Church of the Pater Noster is also home to a convent of cloistered Carmelite sisters.  In addition to Pater Noster, there were Carmelite Sisters in Bethlehem. 

Visit to the Carmelite Sisters in Bethlehem

Perhaps unknown to many, John Paul II declared the founder of the Carmelite Sisters in Bethlehem Blessed on November 13, 1983.  Blessed Mariam Baouardy, affectionately called the Little Arab, was a native of Palestine before joining the Carmelites in Pau, France.  She is regarded as a mystic of the Church, noted for her levitations, ecstasies, stigmata, apparitions, prophecies, and bilocations to name only a few of her gifts! As a parting gift, the sisters in Bethlehem gave all the seminarians their own small relic of Bl. Mariam (a piece of her habit).

Relics of Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified in Bethlehem 

During our time here in the Holy Land we have had the privileged opportunity to pray at many holy sites where many holy people have been before we arrived.  We give thanks to God for this privileged time of grace and look forward to the gifts God wishes to give us in our final week, as we pray in the way Jesus taught us, thy will be done!

THE CHALLENGE OF RECONCILIATION 

There's no doubt that any time Palestine and Israel are mentioned there are as many opinions as people out there. Having heard both sides, the Israeli and Palestinian perspectives, it's much harder to say that one side is absolutely in the wrong or in the right. What this land represents, in a way, is sinfulness and what the effects of sin can be on people who are dependent on others. Both are dependent on foreign powers, both in their history and in the current political climate. At the same time, both desire independence and autonomy How is sin connected to this? A common element of sin is the desire for power and control. It expresses itself through fear and anger. Sure, we can all look to big things like attacks, but sometimes it helps to see how small things contribute. Things such as animosity, ill-will, name calling, jeering, and mocking all have their place in furthering sin in the world. In this land the conflicts and prejudices of Europe meet the conflicts and prejudices of the Middle East—often times it is those who seek peace that are the most abused.

There is hope in this land. We've spoken to many level-headed people on both sides of the border who recognize that this land suffers from special interests, misunderstanding, and fear. They are working through education to remedy this among the youth of Palestine and Israel, attempting to set aside myth and prejudice in hopes of giving each other a true understanding of the religions and cultures present. In talking with these men and women I can say we all came away impressed.

This is my opinion, but I've been pleasantly surprised by Catholic efforts educating, serving, and working for the people of both Israel and Palestine. Reconciliation, I've seen, is possible through work and prayer. Large wounds heal slowly, but they only heal when they're attended to. This land gives us two lessons: that division can be caused and intensified by simple acts of ignorance or wickedness and healing comes about by simple acts of patience, openness, and charity. This means that it's all within our power here and elsewhere.

HEBREW SPEAKING CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

Today we had the great blessing to hear a talk by a priest of the Hebrew speaking community here in Israel who also has worked at the forefront of Jewish Christian relations. His information and experience helped piece together many things that have come up for us in our classes and from the variety of people we have met on pilgrimage. I think we have made strides in understanding more about the Jewish people and their faith. Especially in regards to our common heritage and the scripture we share. 

From what I gathered the Hebrew speaking Catholic is a rather new development, but it makes sense if you figure in the fact that many of the migrants to Israel are Catholics looking for work and seeking a prosperous place to raise a family. The new mission is now to provide catechesis for these children who are being raised in schools utilizing Hebrew. We celebrated Holy Mass with the community in Hebrew. The Mass was aided by a seminarian who played the guitar and sang beautiful songs throughout.  It was truly a privilege to pray with this community and chat with them afterwards.

AT THE CHURCH SAINT PETER IN GALLICANTU

The roof of St. Peter in Gallicantu Church

Yesterday, we traveled to the church of St Peter Gallicantu, which is located right outside of the walls of the old city of Jerusalem. Gallicantu is the location of two significant things to pray and reflect on. The first is that this is the location where Saint Peter, the chief apostle, denied knowing Christ three times.

St. Peter in Gallicantu Church

The other significant thing is the old cistern, which is, as tradition holds, the location where Jesus was kept overnight after being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Inside the cistern prison, we quietly prayed to ourselves Psalm 88. Praying upon these two moments in Christ’s life help us to reflect on our own life and our relationship with Christ.  How do we respond when we feel betrayed by those whom we love dearly, how do we react when we feel imprisoned spiritually, mentally or physically? I leave you with the words of Psalm 88.

The Sacred Pit where Jesus was kept overnight after being arrested

Psalm 88

O Lord, my God, I call for help by day;

    I cry out in the night before thee.

2 Let my prayer come before thee,

    incline thy ear to my cry!

  3 For my soul is full of troubles,

    and my life draws near to Sheol.

4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the Pit;

    I am a man who has no strength,

5 like one forsaken among the dead,

    like the slain that lie in the grave,

like those whom thou dost remember no more,

    for they are cut off from thy hand.

6 Thou hast put me in the depths of the Pit,

    in the regions dark and deep.

7 Thy wrath lies heavy upon me,

    and thou dost overwhelm me with all thy waves.Selah

8 Thou hast caused my companions to shun me;

    thou hast made me a thing of horror to them.

I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

9     my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call upon thee, O Lord;

    I spread out my hands to thee.

10 Dost thou work wonders for the dead?

    Do the shades rise up to praise thee? Selah

11 Is thy steadfast love declared in the grave,

    or thy faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Are thy wonders known in the darkness,

    or thy saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

  13 But I, O Lord, cry to thee;

    in the morning my prayer comes before thee.

14 O Lord, why dost thou cast me off?

    Why dost thou hide thy face from me?

15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,

    I suffer thy terrors; I am helpless.

16 Thy wrath has swept over me;

    thy dread assaults destroy me.

17 They surround me like a flood all day long;

    they close in upon me together.

18 Thou hast caused lover and friend to shun me;

    my companions are in darkness.

THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND THE DOME OF THE ROCK

The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount is a very holy place for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  Entering early in the morning, it was beautiful. The gardens are very well kept and, for a place of such tension for the three religions, it was actually relatively peaceful. For the Jewish people, this is the holiest of all sites. Tradition says that it was from here that the world expanded into its present form and where God gathered the dust used to create the first man, Adam. The site is also the location of Abraham's binding of Isaac. Many Jews do not go up on the Temple Mount because this was the site of the Temple, and before going to the Temple requires purification.  So out of respect for the ancient traditions, they do not go up. It was the Holy of Holies of the Temple where the priest communicated with God. Seeing all this history and the place where the temple stood put me in awe.

The Dome of the Rock

For Islam, this is the site of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Asqa mosque, which is the third holiest site in Islam.  It is important as being the site of the "Farthest Mosque" (mentioned in the Qur'an as the location of Muhammad's miraculous Night Journey) to heaven. The Dome of the Rock is the image that is most visible throughout the old city, as it can be seen clearly from miles away. Seeing it in person, one could see the beauty of the place and see why for Muslims, this is also a very holy site. For Christians, the temple was very instrumental in the life of Jesus. Jesus walked here, many times. He impressed the Jewish theologians with his knowledge of the Torah as a twelve-year-old boy. Jesus challenged the corruption and distortion and prophesied the destruction of the temple. Though there are tensions between these three religions, walking around the Temple Mount the tensions appeared to be gone. There was silence and in it that silence, a very peaceful experience seeing the beauty of God's creation.  

HOLY SEPULCHER OVERNIGHT

Entrance to the Tomb of Christ

This last week, 12 members of our group spent the night at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This space houses many major sites and relics related to Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. Some highlights include Calvary (Mark 15:22), the Tomb (Mark 15:45), and the Pillar used at the Scourging (Mark 15:15). 

Stairs leading to the Calvary

Being marked by a pagan sanctuary, Constantine eventually ordered the construction of the church following his conversion to Christianity in the 300a.  During this time, his mother St. Helena came to the Holy Land to oversee the construction of the church. The original church was destroyed by the Muslims in the 11^th century, and the current building was reconstructed (albeit smaller than the original sanctuary). Today, this space is shared by many Christian groups (Orthodox, Armenian, Coptic, and Roman Catholic), and services are regulated by a “Status Quo” set in place during the British Mandate. The Status Quo allows for pilgrims to keep an overnight vigil in the church. As long as there no liturgy taking place, the sites are open for prayer and contemplation. The only rules governing the overnight vigil are: no candles, no singing, and no sleeping. The latter rule made our stay both challenging and meaningful. 

Our Lady of Dolours

Our group was expected to arrive at 7:00PM, and a ritual of sorts marked the closing of the doors for the night. A Muslim family has possession of the keys (mandated by the British as part of the Status Quo), and one group is charged with passing a ladder through a small hatch in the door every evening. The Muslim man typically receives the ladder, locks the hatch 12-feet above the ground, and passes the ladder back to a member of a different community. This routine is done every morning and evening. 

Chapel of the Crucifixion

For most of us, the experience proved to be very enriching. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher draws thousands of people daily from all over the world, but this fact oftentimes makes it difficult for prayer. Most of us had the opportunity to spend 30 minutes- to one hour in the tomb, something certainly unheard of during the day. We participated in the night liturgies of all the groups, and witnessed their different styles of worship firsthand. 

Chapel of Calvary

If you ever have the opportunity to overnight in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we would certainly encourage you to do so. The intimacy with probably the holiest site in Christianity is something completely worthwhile. 

            JEWISH-CHRISTIAN RELATIONS

Being here for so long in the Holy Land one cannot deny the various tensions that exist between the different groups of people.  Today we had a unique opportunity to meet a representative from the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations.  During this time we were shown the ways in which this group is helping to bring light to an otherwise grim situation.  This group offers hope.  Hope for a better future between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land.  By working with the youth and the schools this organization tries to instill an attitude of tolerance and understanding for those who have differing world views.

The encounter is complicated by the fact that the national identity of the majority of local Christians is locked in conflict with the national identity of the majority of Israeli Jews. Palestinian Arab Christians and Israeli Jews are both engaged in a search for a meaningful communal identity that takes into account a mixture of historical, political, social, cultural, and religious factors that are difficult to disentangle.

VISIT TO NABI SAMUEL AND ABU GOSH

The tomb of Samuel 

Today we visited Nabi Samuel, where tradition holds that the Prophet Samuel is buried.  As with so many other places here, multiple civilizations have left their mark. The tomb today is located on a hilltop overlooking Jerusalem to the east, in a fortress built by the Crusaders in the 12^th century and later converted into a mosque.  Today Jews and Muslims share the site, with a Jewish tomb for Samuel on one level of the old fortress and a Muslim tomb on the second level. 

            Then we continued on to the village of Abu Gosh a little further to the west, where we visited a peaceful church dedicated to Mary, Ark of the Covenant. It is believed that the Ark of the Covenant was lodged here for about twenty years after it was recovered from the Philistines, to whom it had been lost in battle. The Israelites built the Ark of the Covenant according to instructions given by God to contain the two tablets of the Ten Commandments.  They believed that the Ark contained in some way the presence of God himself. Christians have likewise given Mary the title Ark of the Covenant because she bore within her womb the presence of God, Jesus Christ. 

Our lady of the Ark of the Covenant Church

            Down the hill from this church is a monastery run by a group of French Benedictine monks and nuns. It was built on a site where tradition holds that Jesus appeared to two disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus after his Resurrection. 

The place where Jesus appeared before two of his followers on the road to Emmaus after His Resurrection 

It is believed that the church here was built on top of the place where the two disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, after having spoken with him for a while as they walked along the road. Here we joined in the Sunday Mass celebrated by the Benedictines.  It was a beautiful liturgy, almost entirely sung in French and Latin.

Mass at Benedictine Monastery in Abu Gosh

 JERUSALEM AT LENT

We now begin our first Friday in Lent here in Jerusalem. A spirit of repentance, sacrifice, and the liturgy now emphasizes sites that once called to mind the fateful days leading up to Christ’s Passion. In a more total way we consider what Christ went through. Lent, for Catholics has this power: we alter our whole way of living to unite ourselves more closely with the suffering Christ. We pilgrims, who have been attacked by things as small as homesickness to things as miserable as the flu (and sometimes both), feel it just a little bit differently.

Many of us have had the opportunity to visit the holy sites associated with His Passion, to participate in the way of the cross on the very road He Himself traveled. Whereas previous sites focused more on His glory and His ministry, Jerusalem, in Lent, expressed His ministry, passion, and glory very uniquely. It seems as if even more pilgrims have flooded to the streets of Jerusalem for that very same experience. I've noted groups from Japan, Australia, the United States, and Canada. Even more people are represented here and their own faith is certainly an inspiration.

That said, the crowded streets in many places are literally choked with people—not the most convenient  experience for us here, but perhaps the way Jerusalem became when Jesus walked the streets. After all, many from the Galilee towns followed after Jesus in great numbers. Perhaps this crowding and near-suffocating was meant to be this time of year. I can only imagine this same multitude shouting, “Crucify him!”

In that thought, we certainly recall our own sinfulness and double-mindedness, asking for His mercy this special time of year. We pray for you and hope you are doing the same for us.

GETHSEMANE

Today we visited the Church of all nations which is situated amidst the garden of Gethsemane. It is situated at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  The actual garden itself seems to be small in size due to the number of churches built here to commemorate this site where the Lord taught his disciples and most notably prayed fervently to the Father en route to His Passion. Many of us sat on the steps outside which looked toward the Old City where Jesus would have been taken upon his arrest. 

            We celebrated Holy Mass in a cave on the grounds which tradition suggests Jesus would have taken the disciples to talk and spend time together. It was pretty good sized with a low ceiling fitting maybe up to 50 people. Since the garden is within  walking distance for us, as with many of the other sites around town, we will often return to take holy hours. Another activity we are fond of is the procession. There is the Via Dolorosa which marks the stations of the cross throughout the old city, another is the procession at the Holy Sepulcher which takes one around the Holy sites especially Calvary and the Tomb of Christ. 

            Many of us returned to Gethsemane later that night for a candlelight procession around Gethsemane.  Their was Eucharistic adoration and Benediction accompanied by a rather talented Friar on guitar and a Nun with an angelic voice.  Amidst the prayer and silence was interspersed beautiful tunes and dramatic reading of scripture. This reading was done in a handful of different languages to emphasize our diversity as well as our unity in Christ. On fire with the spirit of praise and worship we walked through the garden illumined by candles.  It was just us and 200 hundred of our Catholic sisters and brothers.  Praise be to Christ who looked out over his path to Jerusalem from the Mt of Olives and handed himself over for us.

 The garden of Gethsemane

ARMENIAN  ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL

We had the opportunity to visit the Armenian Orthodox Cathedral of St. James for Vespers. One might be wondering two things about our experience: Who are the Armenian Orthodox, and what are Vespers? Christianity has a tradition of marking certain times of the day with prayer. In Catholicism, there exists seven hours at which the church recites prayers: Matins (Office of Readings), Lauds (Morning Prayer), Terce (Mid-Moring Payer), Sext (Mid-Day Prayer), None (Mid-Afternoon Prayer), Vespers (Evening Prayer), and Compline (Night Prayer). All religious, priests, and deacons are required to pray these daily for the good of the Church according to their particular calling. These periods of prayer center on the psalms and include readings from either the Scriptures or Saints.

The Armenian Orthodox Church participates in this liturgical action. The Church in Armenia rightfully prides itself in being the first nation to convert to Christianity (roughly 20-years before the Roman Empire) in 301 AD. How did this conversion transpire?  According to tradition, Tiridates III was appointed governor of Armenia by the anti-Christian Emperor Diocletian. Tiridates imprisoned all Christians, including a priest named Gregory the Illuminator. After being struck with a paralyzing illness, Tiridates III was counseled by his sister to stop persecuting Christians after a dream she had. Tiridates III released Gregory who later healed him of his horrible illness. Tiridates was convinced of the Gospel and required his nation to convert to Christianity. Visible communion with the Armenian and Latin Churches ended with the Schism of 1054, but we continue to pray for visible communion, and we are proud to admit that much has been done in the area of Ecumenism.

Tomb of St. James the Apostle

The Armenian Cathedral of St. James is unique in that they have the relics of two apostles: St. James the Greater and St. James the Lesser. If you remember, Herod martyred St. James the Greater after Christ ascended into heaven (Acts 12:2). St. James the Less, also called the “brother of the Lord” (Acts 9:27), was the first bishop of Jerusalem. After the vespers service, we had the opportunity to venerate their relics contained in the sanctuary and a side chapel. Situating ourselves as participating with the faith of the apostles has been helpful for our future ministry. May God bring the good work begun in us to fulfillment.

  THE CHURCH OF ST. LAZARUS IN BETHANY

The Church of Lazarus in Bethany

Today is the beginning of Lent and we received our ashes at the Church of St. Lazarus in Bethany. At Mass, some of us were pondering what Lazarus death had to do with Ash Wednesday. The homilist answered our concerns by saying that, "We need to die, like Lazarus, in order to be raised up." Death is a pretty scary thing, because it is very difficult to let go. However, as Lent begins it is when we let go of everything that we can rise and live to do God's will. 

At the tomb of Lazarus, we entered a very narrow entrance where each of us entered on our own. Imagining what our Lord told Lazarus, "Lazarus, come out" and he came out. After Mass and the tomb visit, we had a day of recollection. 

Silence was observed for the rest of the day and we gave up electronic devices, in a spirit of solidarity. Lent is a time to let go and get closer to God. We all have different methods of obtaining this, but the important thing is to grow with the Lord. It is a tremendous blessing for us to begin Lent here in the Holy Land and know of our prayers for each and every one of you, please pray for us too. 

The tomb of Lazarus

THE HOLOCAUST

The Hall of Names containing commemorating the millions of Jews 

who were murdered during the Holocaust.

We just finished visiting Yad Vashem.  This is a place set up as a memorial to all those who suffered and died in the holocaust.  It also pays tribute to those who fought against this evil, both Jew and Gentile alike.  The complex is massive and one would need almost an entire day to see all of it, however I doubt one’s emotions could handle such a trip.  We were able to see three major points here, the museum itself, the children's memorial, and the Hall of remembrance. The museum was one exhibit after another leading one through the slow development of what happened from the initial political movements of inequality to what would later develop into mass genocide of an entire people.  It was by far one of the most powerful things we have seen so far.  The museum ends in the Hall of Names. The hall of names is an amazing place dedicated to cataloging and documenting all the victims of the holocaust. Being in there, surrounded by millions of names of those who died, it felt more like a crypt than a museum at that point.

Eternal Flame

The next place we saw was the Hall of Remembrance. This is where they keep an eternal flame burning in remembrance of all those who perished in the holocaust. It is also the place where Blessed John Paul II paid his respects, as well as Pope Benedict XVI. The final place we visited was by far the most haunting of all, the Children's Memorial. Upon entering, it is simply a room that is pitch black with a single candle burning in the middle. The room is filled with mirrors thus giving the illusion of thousands of candles burning.  However, what was truly moving was the voice that was simply reciting the names of each and every child that died at the hands of the Nazis. This visit was probably one of the most sobering ones we have had yet, and is hard to really write about because it affected each of us in very profound and different ways. However, in the end I believe thanone of us will ever forget the things we saw and heard on this day.

JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM... 

Today Jerusalem experienced a dust storm that began in the morning; by late afternoon it looked like a heavy fog had settled over the city. The winds had shifted and were blowing fine particles of sand in from one of the deserts that surround Israel to the south and east. This is also the result of a drought that the region is currently experiencing;  although the winter months are normally cool and rainy, this winter they have largely been warm and dry.  A Jerusalem resident told us that droughts are not uncommon to this region. In the past, droughts were almost always followed by famine, which are not an uncommon feature of the Old Testament.  In the past much more so than today, the people that inhabited this land lived very much at the whim of the forces of nature, forces which were often a matter of life and death. Their inability to control nature helped them to develop an awareness of their dependence on God. Because we live in such an advanced technological era, we can sometimes think that we have mastered – or are capable of mastering – the forces of nature that dictated the lives of the generations that came before us. But whether we realize it or not, the reality remains the same – there is very little that we are really in control of. Only God is truly in charge of all things, and in the end we are just as much in need of God as all the people that came before us.   

THE DEAD SEA

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to travel to two significant places. The first was Qumran, the location where between 1947 and 1956, 972 ancient texts were discovered which are known today as the Dead Sea Scrolls. As we explored the vast dusty mountain side, we began to see how it was possible for these scrolls to have survived for over 1900 years. The lack of humidity, and the remote location of the caves provided for the perfect opportunity for the scrolls to go undiscovered and naturally preserved for so long. After we explored Qumran, we, as a class, moved to the famed Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest place of land on the entire planet. Located at 1,401 feet below sea level, major water sources from the area naturally empty into it. This causes a massive amount of salts and minerals from the land and mountains to wash into the sea. And, because of evaporation, this means that the salinity of the sea is so great that nothing lives in the sea.

For those who wish to swim in the sea, they soon discover that one naturally floats upon the water, and they also discover that getting the water into their eyes or any open cut is a painful experience one hopes never to experience again! Reflecting upon the significance of the Dead Sea on our pilgrimage, a homily given years ago by one of my old parish priests came to mind. In the homily he spoke of how the Dead Sea receives water from different sources which naturally empty into it. However, because the Sea keeps everything it receives, it becomes so salty and infused with minerals, that it is incapable of supporting any life within it. So too can the life of a Christian become if we hold onto everything we receive, and yet do not remember to let our gifts then naturally flow from us to others. God has given each of us many gifts and talents in our lives. We are to use these gifts in our lives and our interactions with our fellow brothers and sisters. If we choose to not use those natural gifts, but rather hold onto them deep within our hearts, than we may too find ourselves like the Dead Sea, not having life within us, but being bitter and stagnant. With the grace of God, let us always ask and seek to receive Jesus Christ and the gifts God has blessed us with and remember to then let those things flow from us, into the lives of others.

BRINGING SCRIPTURE ALIVE

In class we had the opportunity to study the book of Ruth in depth. The book is barely 5 pages, and is a story that's often overlooked. Unlike some of the other books, such as Genesis or Job, that are much longer, it's refreshing to go through an entire book, examining how all the parts interact. Much like the length of the book, the figure of Ruth is someone easily overlooked. Ruth, a Moabite, was a subject of derision and ridicule because of her heritage. Yet she becomes a great matriarch of the Jewish people and a symbol of righteousness because of her loyalty, charity, and trust.

Many books of the Bible offer valuable lessons for us to learn from, and they are lessons that are accessed simply by reading them from front to back. There's a value to brevity insofar as something brief can be more memorable. The weakness, however, is that it passes more quickly and we forget what we've read. The only difference is the intentionality we bring to that situation.

It causes me to reflect on situations of ministry: some of the greatest spiritual experiences we've had are experiences in passing. The person we met once in the hospital, the family we comforted when in sorrow, or a child whom we helped. Many times we take the moment seriously, but it passes and we forget about this or that encounter. But then there are also those times where the smallest gestures produce the largest effect on our ways of thinking and our spiritual life. In our own prayer and study, looking at these smaller books of Scripture can produce profound effects on how we look at Scripture and can, much like big events, change our perspective and deepen our appreciation for God's work in our lives.

THE HOLY SEPULCHER 

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher 

We woke up early in the morning and walked what would usually be the noisy, bustling roads of the old city.  But no one was yet awake, offering the perfect setting for the solemn Mass we would celebrate in the tomb of Christ. The site is rather small, with an altar placed above the stone slab where our Savior once laid.  The Holy Mass was celebrated with a reverence befitting this Holy place that has inspired countless Christians by the event of sacrificial love that happened here and continues to this day. 

                                                          The Holy Sepulcher

The Holy Sepulcher is a busy church; once one mass is finished another begins in a minute.  One can even listen and hear many liturgies unfolding at once.  It is a lot to take in and I sense that we will all unpack these experiences over time. It is surreal because whenever the tomb of Christ is mentioned the actual images will be called to mind probably for the rest of our lives.

The Tomb of Jesus Christ

Later on we received some fellow pilgrims from St. Mary of Vernon.  It was really nice to see some familiar faces.  It was really a joyful time and we had many stories to share with them. They have been some of our greatest supporters with their seminarian ministry. All of us are grateful for their kindness and the many ways they help form us to be better future priests.