Tempted to Sin? Just Say No!

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First Sunday of Lent: Tempted to Sin? Just Say No!

The Gospel passage of the Temptation of Jesus is a stark contrast to every person’s struggle with temptation and sin. Jesus is able to resist the cunning enticements of the devil, unlike Adam & Eve, who succumbed to disobedience and their desires to be “like God” (Gen 3:5). Too often we put our desire for pleasure, power and prestige before our love for God. As Jesus shows us, it is only through our obedience to His Word that we will truly be “like God” and reflect His likeness. Christian pilgrims who have visited the Mount of Temptation near Jericho in the Judean wilderness witness the barren and harsh surroundings of the place where Jesus spend forty days in the desert after his baptism by John the Baptist. The Greek Orthodox monastery that is carved in the side of the mountain serves to mark the The Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Temptation sits on the mountainside high above the Judean desert near Jericho

Help For Holy Land holy site where Jesus prayed and had his basis and what we are doing to look past Christians confrontation with the devil. Palestinian our own selfish desires and look towards Christians, whose families have lived in this the needs of others. Do we look too much Franciscan Good Friday harsh land since the time of Christ, also for pleasure and gratification from material Collection: face the same temptations as Jesus. They goods and sensible pleasures as a substi- www.myfranciscan.org are caught in the cruel reality of cultural, tute for our relationship with God and with economic and political strife that makes our neighbor? Is the desire for power over daily life a constant struggle. Poverty others at home, work and in the communi- Order of the Holy Sepulchre of caused by lack of opportunities for educa- ty creating an unhealthy balance in the Jerusalem: tion and employment result in difficulties time we give to prayer, worship and chari- feeding, sheltering and clothing their fami- table acts? Has the desire for honor and www.holysepulchre.net lies. The shifting political powers of this prestige created a “treadmill effect” that region lend a constant aura of unrest and has us running away from God, our Crea- uncertainty and the real threat of violence tor, instead of running towards Him? A Latin Patriarchate on a daily basis. The humiliation that must solid remedy for these temptations is to of Jerusalem: be endured by these hardships is always a resolve during this Lent to spend time in www.lpj.org temptation to despair. prayer and fasting to give hope to our Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy As we begin our Lenten journey, it is an Land and to give alms to support their ur- opportune time to take stock of the temp- gent needs through the Pontifical Good tations that we are faced with on a daily Friday Collection. Please Give Generously to the Pontifical Good Friday Holy Land Collection

Second Sunday of Lent: Jesus’ Message—“Be Not Afraid”

Each Second Sunday of Lent, we hear about the Transfiguration of Our Lord, and this year the Gospel story comes from Matthew. According to tradition, the place of the Transfiguration is Mount Tabor, a solitary mountain that rises over 1600 feet in the lower Galilee region. Atop of the mountain is the Basilica of the Transfigura- tion, highlighted by its twin towers, double altars, and gorgeous mosaics of the Trans- figuration. The Basilica of the Transfigura- tion is owned and maintained by the Fran- ciscan Custody of the Holy Land, who re- ceives financial support from the Good Friday Collection that is taken up in parish- es all over the world. Pilgrims to the Holy The mosaic that adorns the interior dome of the Land take a wild taxi ride up the mountain Church of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor and then are blessed with the sight of the beautiful basilica and the incredible views Matthew tells us that Jesus took Peter, tians in the Holy Land are no different. of the Judean countryside. James and John up a high mountain to And they have even greater reasons to fear pray. Before their eyes, Jesus’s face and about their livelihoods and well-being than

garments became dazzling white, and Mo- many of us do. They are a significant mi- ses and Elijah joined him in conversation. nority in the land where Jesus was born, Help For Holy Land The disciples were awe-struck. Peter want- lived, died and rose again to save us all Christians ed to build three tents, so they could stay from our sins. Their fears of not being able on the mountaintop and prolong this in- to support their families and of being tar- Franciscan Good Friday credible experience. The Gospel story con- gets of violence and persecution are well Collection: tinues with another miraculous appear- founded. Sadly, many have succumbed to www.myfranciscan.org ance – this time of a cloud that overshad- their fears and have left the Holy Land ows Jesus and a voice is heard saying: “This even though their ancestors were the first is my beloved Son, in whom I am well- Christians who came to believe that Jesus Order of the Holy Sepulchre of pleased; listen to him” (Mt 17:5). On hear- was the Messiah they had longed and wait- Jerusalem: ing this voice, the disciples were struck ed for. In the Gospel story of the Transfig- with fear and fell to the ground. But Jesus uration, we can find a remedy for their www.holysepulchre.net came to console them and told them not fears. Jesus consoled the disciples in their to be afraid. time of fear and trepidation and we can do the same for the Christians in the Holy We hear those words many times in the Latin Patriarchate Land by being generous with our prayers, Scriptures – “Be not afraid.” Yet, how of Jerusalem: fasting and almsgiving for the Pontifical often do we put aside Jesus’ reassuring www.lpj.org Good Friday Collection this Lent that sup- words and succumb to our fears – worries ports the apostolates of the Franciscan about families, jobs, the economy, and Custody of the Holy Land. violence and division in our communities, country and the world today? The Chris- Please Give Generously to the Pontifical Good Friday Holy Land Collection

Third Sunday of Lent: Have Courage and Drink Deeply!

This week’s Gospel story from the fourth chapter of John features a woman – and even more surprisingly – a Samaritan woman. In Jesus’ time, there was much enmity between the Hebrew people and those from Samaria and they did not associate with one another. But, this encounter between the Samaritan woman and Jesus dissolved that barrier between them in a most remarkable way. This Samaritan woman was an outcast, a sinner; but she showed courage. She does not run away when a stranger, that she recognizes is a Jew, asked her for a drink. She stayed and what enfolded was an amazing encounter with the living God. Traffic back-up at a checkpoint in the separation wall in the West Bank When Jesus offers her living water, she is initially confused, but intrigued. In re- ah and she joyfully brings that message to dignity in their daily lives. They do not sponse to her kindness and courage, Jesus, her neighbors. Again, she demonstrates have free access to their work, their in turn, reveals Himself to her as the Messi- her courage – a sinner and an outcast, and schools, their hospitals or their families. a woman - ready to risk her neighbors’ They must file through long lines at these anger and distain to share the Good News. Israeli checkpoints and are totally at the Help For Holy Land whim of security personnel whether they The location of this Gospel story is Jacob’s Christians are permitted to pass through or not. well, which in Jesus’ time was in Samaria. They, like the Samaritan woman, risk being Historic Samaria, which is located in the Franciscan Good Friday targets of bigoted anger and distain as they West Bank, is difficult to get to today, be- Collection: attempt to simply live and survive each cause it is in Palestinian territory that is day. www.myfranciscan.org occupied by the Israeli government. In order for a pilgrim in the Holy Land to en- Have you demonstrated the courage of the ter the village of Nablus and visit Jacob’s Samaritan woman to meet and recognize Order of the Holy Sepulchre of well and the Greek Orthodox Church built an encounter with Christ and to drink of Jerusalem: over it, the tour bus must go through the living water that He offers to you dur- www.holysepulchre.net checkpoints in the separation wall that ing this Lenten season? Are you ready to stretches hundreds of miles through Pales- ask Jesus for the courage to stand up for tinian lands. This area of the West Bank is your neighbors that are targets of anger, Latin Patriarchate very tightly controlled. The Palestinian distain and violence from others? One way of Jerusalem: Christians there, like their Muslim neigh- to be courageous and drink of God’s living bors, have little freedom to travel any- water is to pray for our Christian brothers www.lpj.org where. Like the Samaritan woman, they and sisters in the Holy Land and to support need to have great courage to face the them through giving alms to the Pontifical many obstacles to human freedom and Good Friday Collection this Lent. Please Give Generously to the Pontifical Good Friday Holy Land Collection

Fourth Sunday of Lent: Have You Seen the Light?

The Gospel story of Jesus’ healing of the blind man from the ninth chapter of John contains important lessons for all of us. First, it demonstrates to us how much Je- sus loves mankind and the special place He has in His Heart for those who are suffering. Second, it shows us how easy it was to get caught up in the details of this event and miss what was truly important. The Pharisees were so caught up in trying to dissect every part of this event that they missed the wonder of this miraculous healing. As a result, they were blind to the fact that Jesus is the light of the world (Jn 9:5). Jesus’ encounter with the blind man takes place in Jerusalem. The Lord had just left the temple area because the crowd was angered by His claims of divine authority. Today in Jerusalem and all throughout the Holy Land, there are many who continue to Excavation of ancient ruins around the Temple mount in Jerusalem

deny Jesus’ claim to being “the light of the daily experiences? Have I found myself Help For Holy Land world” and still live in the darkness of igno- blind to His many miracles, such as the Christians rance and violence. The Christian minority transubstantiation of the bread and wine that lives in the Holy Land knows that into the Eucharist at Mass? Have I been Franciscan Good Friday Christ is the light that “produces goodness tempted to judge others by their appear- Collection: and righteousness and truth” (Eph 5:9). ance and not by their heart (cf. 1 Sm But, the constant difficulty of their lives in 16:7b)? What habits or addictions do I www.myfranciscan.org trying to meet the basis necessities of have that keep me in the darkness of sin

food, shelter, education and health care and slavery? Have I been blind to the

makes it a daily challenge to “live as chil- needs, challenges and sufferings of others? Order of the Holy Sepulchre of dren of light” (Eph 5:8). So often a blind Jerusalem: One very special way that you can help eye is turned toward the struggles that meet the needs and bring the light of www.holysepulchre.net face these Palestinian Christian families as Christ to our suffering brothers and sisters they are caught in the middle of the politi- in Christ is to contribute generously to the cal, cultural and religious tensions and con- Pontifical Good Friday Collection that helps Latin Patriarchate flicts of the region. of Jerusalem: support the apostolates of the Franciscan As each of us moves through our Lenten Custody of the Holy Land. www.lpj.org journey, there are important questions we must continue to ask. Have I ever missed an encounter with Christ because I was too wrapped up in the secular details of my Please Give Generously to the Pontifical Good Friday Holy Land Collection

Fifth Sunday of Lent: Jesus, You Raise Us Up!

When Lazarus died, it was more than just a physical event. Spiritually, for the family members who remained, it was a final end. It was the death of any hope they had for Lazarus to be cured. When Jesus raised Lazarus, He not only restored his life; he also restored the hope of all those around Him. Jesus showed everyone that there was something stronger than death - something that could never be extin- guished. It was the realization that Jesus was and is “the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25). Because of that truth prov- en by the raising of Lazarus, hope is something that we as Christians ac n always have because we are told by Christ that “whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live” (ibid).

St. Lazarus Greek Orthodox Church in Bethany The village of Bethany was home to Mar- many difficulties and obstacles. They live as tha, Mary and Lazarus. It is mentioned a a double minority: as Christians in a largely Help For Holy Land handful of times in the Gospels, but the Muslim culture and as Palestinians living Christians raising of Lazarus is the most famous of under an Israeli occupation. As difficult as those encounters between Jesus and His this is, they still manage to live out their Franciscan Good Friday dear friends. Bethany is only 1.5 miles east faith daily. They even have a common say- Collection: of Jerusalem on the southeast slope of the ing: "We live in a land that has experienced www.myfranciscan.org Mount of Olives. But because it is located Resurrection, so we as Christians always in the West Bank that is surrounded by the have hope." thirty-foot high separation wall, which only Whether by the example that Jesus gave us allows entrance and exit through Israeli Order of the Holy Sepulchre of in the raising of Lazarus, or the inspiration checkpoints, it takes 45 minutes to drive to Jerusalem: that is provided for us by the Christians in Bethany from Jerusalem today. The pre- www.holysepulchre.net the Holy Land today, we as followers of sent day village of Bethany is home to the Christ can and must always have hope. St. Lazarus Greek Orthodox Church, which One way we can support and give hope to houses beautiful mosaics that depict the Latin Patriarchate our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land is Biblical events of Jesus with Martha, Mary of Jerusalem: to make a generous contribution to the and Lazarus. www.lpj.org Pontifical Good Friday Collection this Lent. Today, when we hear of the repeated violence in the Holy Land, it seems like a hopeless situation. Christians there face Please Give Generously to the Pontifical Good Friday Holy Land Collection

Palm Sunday: Do You Follow the Crowd or Follow Jesus?

The view from the Mount of Olives is amazing. The whole of Jerusalem is spread out before you. Walking from the top of the Mount of Olives recreating the Palm Sunday procession is one of the highlights of any pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The route begins on the top of the Mount of Olives and winds down between stone walls. The way is narrow and steep and as you are descending you pass by the Church of Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept for Jerusalem (Lk 19: 41) and the Russian Or- thodox Convent of St. Mary Magdalene. Further down the road, you pass by a Jew- ish cemetery, where small rocks sit on top of the flat tombs. The custom is that visi- tors to the graves place a rock on a tomb as a witness – suddenly the passage in Luke that the stones will cry out makes

The Hosanna Way down the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem

Help For Holy Land sense (cf. Lk 19:40). Finally, the path ar- An act of oppression and aggression from Christians rives at the Garden of Gethsemane and one group often fuels a mob mentality that Basilica of the Agony, also known as the results in more acts of vengeance and vio- Franciscan Good Friday Church of All Nations, commemorating lence from others. The cycle continues and Collection: where Jesus began His Passion. So the is self-perpetuating. The Christians in the www.myfranciscan.org physical geography follows the pattern of Holy Land, who are a small minority of the the Gospel for Palm or Passion Sunday – population, are often caught in the middle first, the triumphal entry to Jerusalem and of this cycle of cruelty and persecution. Order of the Holy Sepulchre of then the agony in the Garden. They know all too well that being a follow- er of Christ means we must try to be faith- Jerusalem: The two Gospel readings for Palm Sunday, ful, not only in the good times when we www.holysepulchre.net the triumphal entry and the Passion, re- are triumphant, but also when we suffer in mind us of our human frailty. We are quick our own weaknesses or are the victims of to join a crowd and follow along, whether collective violence. In solidarity with our Latin Patriarchate that means shouting “Hosanna” or “Crucify Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy of Jerusalem: him!” We witness the same thing today in Land, we can help ease the effects of this Twitter mobs and social media – human www.lpj.org oppression and violence by giving gener- beings in a group can be easily swayed. ously to support their urgent needs The tensions between cultures in present through the Pontifical Good Friday Collec- day Israel and Palestine are no different. tion this week. Please Give Generously to the Pontifical Good Friday Holy Land Collection

Easter Sunday: Hope to All—He Has Risen!

The Easter Triduum that culminates in the glorious celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the highlight of the liturgical year. It should also be the highlight of our lives as Easter Sunday represents the promise of our salvation won by Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. How blessed are we that even while we were still sinners, Christ freely chose to suffer and die for our sins! This is Good News! As a pilgrim to the Holy Land, you can walk the Way of the Cross, known as the Via Dolorosa. You wind through the crowded and bustling streets of the Old City of Jeru- salem for the first nine stations and then enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the last five stations. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was first built by the Em- peror Constantine after the Council of Ni-

A mosaic of the crucifixion in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

caea in 325 A. D., after the location of the disciples had been slow to comprehend. Help For Holy Land tomb of Jesus was discovered by his moth- But, when they saw the empty tomb – they Christians er, St. Helena. The church was destroyed believed! twice – once by the Persians in 614 A.D. The Christians in the Holy Land deal with Franciscan Good Friday and again by the Muslims in 1009 A.D. The multiple struggles in their daily lives – both Collection: Crusaders erected the present church in materially and spiritually. They need hope 1149 A.D. The Holy Sepulchre, the empty www.myfranciscan.org – they need to believe that their fellow tomb, is the holiest place in all of Christen- Christians all around the world know about dom. It presents the gift of salvation and their difficulties and challenges and are the promise of eternal life in heaven – Order of the Holy Sepulchre of willing to come to their aid. Each of us can brought about by the greatest act of love Jerusalem: help them believe that they are cherished ever known to mankind. www.holysepulchre.net and that they can get past these struggles In the Gospel from John on Easter Sunday, – representative of Christ’s passion on we hear that Mary Magdalene was the first Good Friday – and that they can experi- Latin Patriarchate to arrive at the tomb. When she found the ence the joy and hope of the Resurrection of Jerusalem: tomb empty, she ran to find Peter & John. by all of us being generous this Holy Week www.lpj.org As they raced to the tomb, can you imag- in our contributions to the Pontifical Good ine what thoughts were swirling in their Friday Collection that aid the apostolates heads? Jesus had often spoken of his up- of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. coming death and resurrection, but the