PILGRIMAGE HOLY LAND (Part 3 of 5)

“While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” – John 12:36 ​

Digesting the tremendous graces pouring over us as we walked in the footsteps of our Lord in the Holy Land - contemplating His words and deeds - will quite naturally require thoughtful contemplation throughout the weeks and months ahead. There is just so much! We hardly had an opportunity to reflect upon our experiences in Jerusalem and Bethlehem when suddenly we were on the move to the Northern Region of Israel. The various places we visited in the Northern region seemed to share a common thread: a call to conversion of heart – transforming or renewing the interior life. Interestingly enough, it th was our Holy Father’s declaration of the Year of Faith in honor of the 50 ​ anniversary of the ​ Second Vatican Council and the Universal Call to Holiness that inspired our pilgrimage in the ​ ​ first place. These holy places in particular seemed to point to that spirit of conversion of heart and challenged us to deepen our faith. As we traveled north along the Mediterranean Seacoast, the foothills of the Carmelite Mountain range were to our East. Eventually, we began our ascent up Mt. Carmel and arrived at the Carmelite Church, Mary Star of the Sea, (Stella Maris) named in honor of Our Blessed Mother, the Patron Saint of the Carmelite Order, and the model of purity. The Church was built over the “Cave of Elijah” the great Old Testament Prophet who used to stay in the Cave from time to time. Indeed, it was said that the Holy Family stayed in this Cave on their way to Egypt at the time of Herod’s slaughter if the Innocents. Pilgrims crowd into the small space of Elijah’s Cave to pray and light candles. The Church is filled with beautiful paintings and stained-glass windows, many depicting the life of the Prophet Elijah. Biblical inscriptions from the Song of Songs and Isaiah are etched into the walls attesting to the beauty of Mt. Carmel, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the West and Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan to the North and East. In addition to its natural beauty, Mount Carmel is known as a place of spiritual purity. ​ ​ Indeed, it was here that the Israelites of the Old Testament witnessed the contest between Elijah and the false prophets who had corrupted the people of God in the Book of Kings. The Israelites had drifted into worshipping idols. Elijah was sent to draw them back to fidelity to God. Elijah challenged the fickle hearts of the people which had grown impure and duplicitous: “How long ​ will you straddle the issue? How long will you go limping with two different opinions?” He was ​ calling them to a thoughtful and decisive act of faith, demanding purity of intention. Elijah prepared his sacrifice and cried out to God, “Let it be known this day that you are God…Answer ​ me Lord! Answer me, that this people may know that you, Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to their senses.” Immediately, a great fire swept down from heaven like ​ lightning and consumed the entire sacrifice, foreshadowing the One Perfect Sacrifice that Jesus would offer centuries later atop Calvary. As we descended Mount Carmel, we drove eastward to visit Cana, where Jesus manifested His Divinity publically for the first time, changing water into wine, through the intercession of Mary at the marriage feast. We found ourselves standing in the place where our Lord was “raising the bar” – drawing souls to Himself, the true Light, so that we might be filled with the New Wine, the sanctifying graces of the sacraments that transform the human heart, ultimately flowing from His wounded side as He hung upon the Cross. Offering Mass in this Holy Place was simply overwhelming. Think of it, Jesus changed water into wine here 2000 years ago and today, in this Mass, He changed bread and wine into His Body and Blood – for us and our salvation. Indeed, we were experiencing the True Marriage Feast – the Mass – in Cana! And just as our Blessed Mother interceded for the couple that had run out of wine, so too was She interceding for us. Pointing to her Son, she tells us to ‘do whatever Jesus commands’- namely, keep the Commandments, pick up our daily Cross, ​ ​ seek purification of the soul – especially through our faithful reception of the sacraments and daily prayer. Joyful tears seemed to draw everyone into deeper appreciation of the great miracle of Cana: the call to holiness. As twilight approached, we made our way to the bus, passing the home of St. Bartholomew along the way. Upon our arrival in Nazareth we settled into our hotel and gathered for a wonderful dinner together. After dinner, we strolled up the hill to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation for the special prayer service – the International Rosary. The ​ ​ Church was built over the Grotto where Mary received the Archangel Gabriel’s greeting. Upon the Façade of the Basilica, it is written: “Verbum Caro Factum Est Et Habitavit In Nobis”, that ​ ​ is: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. We arrived early before the crowds and ​ ​ so had the opportunity to kneel before the Grotto and quietly pray the first Joyful Mystery along with the Angelus in the very place where the Incarnation took place! Through the Incarnation, God purifies humanity, opening the door to Eternal Beatitude for all who believe and faithfully walk in His Light. While reflecting on this great mystery of our faith, two members from our group were asked to participate in the service representing the English-speaking pilgrims for the th Meditations and recitation of the 5 ​ Mystery of the Rosary. The International Rosary service ​ was a meditative reflection of the Mysteries of the life of the Holy Family in Nazareth and each decade was complemented with beautiful music. The Readers were gathered in a sunken sanctuary in front of the Grotto while pilgrims from a variety of countries gathered just above and all around the area. The hour-long program lifted our hearts to a deeper appreciation of the unity of the Church and the need to faithfully meditate on the great mysteries of our faith. Early the next morning, we left for the Sea of Galilee. We passed the ruins of what is believed to have been the village where St. Mary Magdalene had lived. We gained a clear perspective of just how close these holy places were in proximity to each other. We boarded a small vessel for a beautiful tour on the Sea of Galilee and our guide pointed out from the boat each of the places we would be visiting throughout the course of the day. We prayed the Mysteries of Light while sailing along, considering that these great Mysteries took place here. We disembarked and went to the Mount of Beatitudes, which overlooks the Sea. We offered Mass at an outdoor Altar where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. There we were – as so many pilgrims before us – repeating the words of our Lord in the Gospel passage of the Beatitudes in the very place where Jesus first spoke them. And just as He had fed the hungry crowds upon this hill, so too was he nourishing our souls with the True Bread from Heaven, the Eucharist. Later, we walked along the shore and called to mind the Apostle Peter who had asked Jesus to “increase his faith”. We visited the place where Jesus told Peter to feed His Sheep – that is, to teach and defend that very faith he had received – calling to mind our own baptismal promises and the mandate to allow the Light of Christ to work through us. The next morning we arrived early at Mt. Tabor and offered Mass at the Church of the Transfiguration. As the bus labored up the steep and narrow road and seemed to cut into the edge of the Mountain, I wondered what Peter, James and John might have been thinking as they accompanied our Lord up to the summit – and even more, what they would have been thinking as they walked back down after having witnesses the Glory of God. Our group gathered in the Moses Chapel near the entrance of the Church. There, I offered the Mass in the place where Peter, James, and John witnessed the Radiant Light of Jesus manifested before their very eyes. In the Mass, we contemplate that same glory every day – through a living faith nourished by the ​ ​ One who transfigures our souls with each faithful reception of Holy Eucharist. And in faith, we echo the words of the Apostles, “Master, it is good that we are here!” ​ ​