Fr. Ralph’s trip to the

Thank you for all of your prayers on my behalf for a safe journey to the Holy Land! Let me assure you that your prayers were answered beyond any measure that I could have hoped for. The entire pilgrimage was an absolute delight. All the flight connections worked without a hitch, the weather was just perfect the whole time we were there, our group of ten got along better than any of us would have imagined and we had more special experiences than anyone could have expected! Our flight in seemed a bit convoluted. Since we flew on Delta and Air France, our route was from Cleveland to Atlanta, Atlanta to Paris and Paris to Amman, Jordan. As I mentioned, all the connections worked flawlessly, and having left Cleveland about 4:30 p.m. on Monday 23 September, we finally arrived in Amman about 7 p.m. on Tuesday (with about a seven hour time change). We got to our hotel in time to have a nice dinner and go to bed.

On Wednesday morning we got up and had breakfast and drove to Mount Nebo, which the Book of Deuteronomy tells us was the place where Moses brought the chosen people at the end of their forty years of wandering through the desert searching for the Promised Land. An interesting fact is that the journey from the Red Sea to Mount Nebo should normally take about two weeks on foot. One explanation was that since Moses was a man, he wouldn’t bother to ask anyone for directions, and so it took him forty years! Whatever the truth may be there, we know that Moses was permitted to bring the people to the Promised Land, but he himself was not permitted to enter into it. Moses died after viewing the land that was the goal of his wanderings and was buried in the valley between Mount Nebo and Jordan River at a place that has never been discovered. We stood on Mount Nebo near where Moses did, and very recently Blessed John Paul II and emeritus Benedict have stood there as well. The view was to say the least, spectacular! Looking down the Jordan Valley you could see the Jordan River and the Dead Sea in the distance. The city of Jericho, thought to be the oldest inhabited city in the world, was visible in the distance. The Judean hills rose in the distance and formed a slightly hazy horizon that made it difficult to tell where the mountains ended and the sky began. It did seem as if you could see forever. It was really such a beautiful sight that one could easily image that Moses died from sheer delight at glimpsing the fulfillment of his mission…after all, he was one hundred and twenty years old when he died! It was on Mount Nebo that we celebrated our first Mass in the Holy Land. A wonderful beginning to an unbelievable trip.

Thursday, 26 September found us travelling north from Jericho to Galilee where our first destination was Mount Tabor. This is the site of ’ Transfiguration. In the Scriptures it is often referred to as “the mountain” or “a high mountain” and its name was often omitted. When you see it, it is a very commanding site, more of a high hill by our standards, but a very steep one to climb. We had to switch from the bus we were in to smaller vans in order to navigate the seep road with many narrow turns that wound its way the mountain. It seems that one reason the Scriptures didn’t mention the name of Mount Tabor too often was that it symbolized the wrong things. Because of its commanding height and location it was often a military target, because whoever controlled it had a great advantage in the whole area around Galilee and could easily spot the comings and goings of any rival forces. Also, because of its height, it was considered a holy place as was common at the time, and so those who controlled the area would also worship their gods on that mountain, so it became a symbol of false worship and foreign control. The fact that the Transfiguration of Jesus took place there became a symbol that this mountain had now been cleansed and transformed as well. I also came to a better understanding of how Peter, James and John had dozed off after reaching the top…they must have been totally bushed!

The church at the top of Mount Tabor is especially beautiful, although its beauty had been diminished. It was built in the 1920’s, and the architect used a lot of alabaster in the windows that helped to provide a very warm glow to the interior of the church to echo the brilliant light that the disciples experienced. Originally, that church even had a roof made of alabaster and with the blazing sun that is often experienced in the Holy Land, that church must have been a dazzling experience, as was the Transfiguration. However, a good number of years ago, some leaks developed in the alabaster roof, and it was covered over with a metal sheathing. Nonetheless, it is still a spectacular setting and a beautiful church. Our Mass was in a side chapel dedicated to the Prophet Elijah who, of course, appeared along with Moses representing Jesus in conversation with the Law and the Prophets. While Peter did not get his wish to erect three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah, the church is built to represent that wish of St. Peter.

On Friday, 27 September we drove along the to see an ancient first century boat that had been found several years ago buried in the sandy bottom of the Sea of Galilee. The story of how this ancient relic was found … and especially how it was preserved … was well worth the visit. As you might guess, there is some speculation as to whom this boat might have belonged, and the possibility that You Know Who may have sailed in it! While all of that is speculation, what is known from the ship is that many of the modern day fishing boats on the Sea of Galilee are really quite similar. From there, we drove to a dock where we boarded such a boat we went for about an hour-long sail on the lake (the”Sea” of Galilee is really a lake). The brief sailing trip was beautiful. From the water we could see some of the surrounding towns, most of which were built on hill tops for security purposes. The saying “a city on a hilltop cannot be hidden” become very plainly obvious. One of the towns that was visible was Magdala, where Mary Magdalene came from, her name identifying where she lived. A little farther along was a small black and white stone church called the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter. The church enshrines the rock at which Jesus said to St. Peter, you are Rock and on this rock I will build my Church. It is a very simple little place in a beautiful setting. After we returned to land, we drove to that little church and were privileged to celebrate Mass there at an outdoor altar next to the church. This gave a real sense of Jesus standing on the shore and preaching to the crowd, and the placement of the altar gave those participating in the Mass a beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee. A number of folks mentioned that this was one of the favorite places in which we celebrated the Eucharist.

I can understand why Jesus liked to spend time around the Sea of Galilee – it is just such a beautiful place. So many things happened here as well. The Mount of the Beatitudes is not far. But on the way there is a fascinating little place called . It is fascinating because a fifth-century mosaic was recently rediscovered there. The mosaic had been part of church that was destroyed long ago, and the mosaic was forgotten about. It depicts the loaves and the fishes, and it was very probably right around here that the multiplication of the loaves and fishes took place. A very nice little church has been reconstructed on the spot and the long-lost mosaic is once again enshrined in a church right in front of the Altar.

Still on Friday, 27 September we continued on our drive near the Sea of Galilee, stopping at , now only existing in ruins, where Jesus spent a good part of his public life. Very prominent among the ruins is the Synagogue that has been dated back to the first to the fourth century, and would have been the place where Jesus encountered the man with the unclean spirit (Luke 4:31-37) whom He commanded to be quiet and leave the man, leaving the bystanders astounded with the result that “news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.” Then the passage goes on to say, “After he left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.” He then proceeded to cure Simon’s mother-in-law who was “afflicted with a severe fever.” The house of Peter is found just a short distance from the synagogue. An octagonal church was built at the site of Peter’s house as early as the fourth century, and the remains of that church as well as Peter’s house have been excavated and a beautiful modern church, also octagonal, has been built in such a way that the ruins are carefully preserved and the church literally “floats” above them on a metal framework.

From Capernaum we drove to the Church of the Beatitudes which is beautifully placed overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It is surrounded by really gorgeous gardens that help to make is such a spectacular site. Our guide explained to us that while the Gospel says “When he saw the crowds he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them” (Matthew 5:1), it is most likely that the Gospel writer had Jesus pictured at the top of the mountain, since this would be an image the people would understand as when Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God. To actually speak from the top of mountain down toward the crowd would make it very difficult to hear. I would seem that in actuality, Jesus would have stood at the shore and spoke toward the people on the hill which would have formed a natural amphitheater and would have enabled Jesus’ words to be heard by the multitude. Makes sense to me! It always good to remember that the Evangelists wrote their Gospel’s years after the actual events, and often enhanced what they wrote with meaningful symbols, like God speaking from the mountaintop.

On the way back to Caesarea where we were staying, we stopped along the road to get a closer look as some of the caves that honeycomb the mountains in the area where people actually lived in Jesus’ time, and later where hermits took up residence and began some of the early monasteries. These were usually in very rugged places which would demand a great deal of time and efforts just to get daily necessities like water. What a hard and difficult life those folks must have led.

On Saturday, 28 September we left Tiberias and drove to Cana in Galilee. In the chapel of the church commemorating the Wedding Feast of Cana, the married couples in our group did a renewal of wedding vows. One of the cleverer members of our group had saved some roses that decorated the table at dinner the night before, and spread them before the couples as they came to the altar for the renewal of their vows. All in all, it was a very touching and happy moment. Please know that all the married couples here at home as well as widows and widowers and those preparing for marriage were remembered in a special way as well.

From Cana, we moved on to Nazareth, where the parish church is the Basilica of the Annunciation. This is a particularly beautiful church; just recently built in the 1960’s. At the time, Pope Paul VI appealed to all the nations of the world to contribute to the building of the church. One of the striking features of the church is that in the courtyard that surrounds it, as well as within the church itself, there are depictions of Mary from every country and culture in the world. They are done in about every style you can imagine and in mosaic, stone, tile and about every permanent medium you can imagine. This is actually the fourth church that has stood on this site, the first one going back to the fourth century, when Christianity was made “legal” and churches were permitted to be built. When you go into the new church, you quickly notice that there are no pews and in the center of main nave, there is a large hole surrounded by an ornamental fence. When you stand at the fence, you look down at the fourth century foundations of the first church that was built at Mary’s house. Going down to that level, you are able to look into Mary’s house, in which a small altar now stands. On the front of that altar is an inscription which at first appears very traditional. In Latin in reads “Et Verbum Caro Hic Factum Est.” But you will not find the word “Hic” in any other place, because it means “And the Word was made Flesh HERE.” The startling realization is that you are at the place where Jesus was conceived and took on human flesh! It was a wonderfully ‘goosebumpy’ moment for all of us. We were privileged to celebrate Mass at the main altar of the Basilica. Nearby is the church of St. Joseph, which is built over the house where the Holy Family later lived and which has beneath it some interesting excavations of the house and surrounding area of 2,000 years ago which gives some indication of what life was like for the Holy Family. Imagine, we experienced all of this and it was now just noon. On Saturday afternoon, 28 September we continued on to visit Mount Carmel, the beauty of which is praised in the Book of Psalms. Upon arriving there it is easy to see that the Book of Psalms was right on the mark. Today even thousands of years after the psalms were written Mount Carmel and the Valley of Sharon that leads up to it, stand out as a lush and green area that easily contrasts with so of the more stark and desert areas that are so common. Mount Carmel was made famous by the Prophet Elijah who contended there with the 450 false prophets of the god Baal. Elijah had the 450 prophets try to offer a sacrifice to their god. After a whole morning of incantations, prayers and working themselves into frenzy, nothing happened. When Elijah’s turn came, he simply placed the sacrifice up the altar and then had gallons and gallons of water poured over the offering that ran off the altar and even filled a ditch that had been dug around the altar. Then Elijah, in a calm and quiet voice, simply asked God to show himself to be God. At that, fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice as well as the altar on which it had been placed, and even lapped up all the water in the ditch! Mount Carmel was honored from that time on as a holy place at which God manifested Himself in a most powerful way. Centuries later Christian monks and nuns came to Mount Carmel and established monasteries there. They later became known as “Carmelites” and have been a strong and vibrant force in Christian spirituality ever since. They spread to many other countries around the world. St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of the Child Jesus (the Little Flower) are some of the more famous Carmelites. The chapel of the Carmelite monastery on Mount Carmel is built around the cave of Elijah with a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel placed above.

The Carmelites have had a long history of hospitality, and we participated in it by having a great lunch in that beautiful setting. After lunch we visited the grounds which were spectacular! From that mountain you have a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea spread before you in the most beautiful blue. From there you can also see the modern city of Haifa which is a very busy port, with all kinds of ships silently sailing in and out of the harbor.

Driving down from Mount Carmel we went to the ruins of the port city of Caesarea Maritima which was built by King Herod the Great to honor the Emperor (hence the name “Caesarea.” One fascinating archeological find was a large stone with the name of “Pontius Pilatus” inscribed on it. While Herod was building his great port city, he also wanted to honor some of local political figures as well. This is one of the few artifacts bearing witness to Pontius Pilate that exists, and if also places the building of the great port exactly at the time of Jesus.

We then continued on our journey to Jerusalem. After getting situated in our hotel, we had some time to relax and recount our adventures thus far.

On Sunday, 29 September we drove to Ain Karem, still a tiny village not far from Jerusalem. This was the home of Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, and her husband Zechariah. The Church of the Visitation stands there today as a testament to that meeting that happened so long ago. In the courtyard surrounding the Church, the Magnificat spoken by Mary is written on large tile segments in just about every known language. Just that is a pretty impressive sight. One thing I came away with was a much greater appreciation of the Visitation. This was not just kind act on the part of Mary, it was downright heroic! Mary was living about 90 miles to the North in Nazareth. According to the Scriptures, when she consented to be the mother of the Lord, she was told that her much older cousin was already six months pregnant with John the Baptizer. Mary decided to go and help her cousin and now being pregnant herself she made her way to Ain Karen. She most probably made the journey by walking with a group going to the same area, and being in a group for safety reasons. They had 90 miles to cover, through arduous territory - desert and very rocky terrain – and dangerous as well, passing through some unfriendly territory where travelers were often preyed upon by bandits and robbers. Then after arriving and staying with her cousin until her baby was born, she made a similar journey home now three months pregnant herself. Wow! That is so much more than just a simple act of kindness.

From Ain Karem we stayed and the outskirts of Jerusalem and came to the church called “Dominus Flevit” meaning “the Lord wept.” This church is on a hill just above the Garden of Olives. When you enter it, there is a large horizontal window in back of the altar which provides a panoramic view of the city of Jerusalem and is a most appropriate setting to remember the biblical scene of Jesus looking over the city and weeping. The church is decorated with many of the Scriptural references to the city of Jerusalem. From there we walked down a narrow and winding road that took us to the Garden of Olives or the Garden of Gethsemane. There are some ancient olive trees there, some of which may have been just saplings in Jesus’ time, but the place has certainly been a Garden of Olives for untold centuries. One of the more recent olive trees was planted there by Pope Paul VI in 1964. After a visit to the Garden and some time in the Church of All Nations which adjoins it, we met up with our bus once again. After a stop for lunch, we would continue on to Bethlehem where we were to celebrate Mass in the Church of the Nativity.

Our Sunday afternoon, 29 September in the Holy Land was a very memorable one. We drove to Bethlehem, which today has a 20 foot wall around most of it, supposedly to prevent terrorist attacks. However it seems to have more the effect of antagonizing the people that live there since many of them farmers and shepherds and now are separated from their fields and flocks by this wall, which necessitates their going through check points every time they leave and enter their own city.

Arriving at the Church of the Nativity we literally step back into the Fourth Century. When Christianity became “legal” in 313 A.D., churches were able to be constructed. The Church of the Nativity is unique in that many parts of it actually date back to the Fourth Century. One of the major invasions of the Holy Land too place in the Eighth Century by the Persians. When they arrived and conquered, they destroyed everything in sight. When they came to the Church of the Nativity, however, they saw on the front of building a large mosaic of the Three Wise Men…who were dressed as Persians! When they saw this, they revered the site and didn’t touch the Church! Although in subsequent centuries the depiction of the Three Wise Men was lost for unknown reasons, later invasions and even natural disasters left the church largely intact. The church is built over the cave of the Nativity which has been consistently honored as such from the most ancient times. A silver star marks the place of the Nativity. The actual stone is covered now in marble mainly because ancient pilgrims – just like modern ones – wanted to take home a ‘little memento’ of the Nativity and would consequently take a few stones or a little soil from the site. After a couple thousand years and many millions of pilgrims these ‘little bits’ mount up.

We celebrated Mass in the cave of St. Jerome, which is about as close as we could be to the Nativity chapel. There on a late September Sunday we celebrated Christmas Mass with the appropriate readings and Christmas songs. It is astounding – even in a small chapel, when it is entirely made of stone, the ten of us sounded like the Sistine Choir! Your intentions….and all of you were prayerfully remembered in that sacred place. The Chapel of St. Jerome that we were in, by the way, was actually the place where St. Jerome came to in the Fifth Century and lived there while he translated the Bible into Latin so that people outside of the Middle East could read it.

Later that same evening we returned to the Garden of Olives where our group had the incredible privilege of having a quiet Holy Hour just by ourselves. The Franciscan monks there were most accommodating to us. Just our group of ten celebrated Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction with a quiet hour of reflection. This was in the Church of All Nations which enshrines part of the rock that Jesus is often pictured at during the Agony in the Garden. We all agreed that this was one of the most moving experiences of our pilgrimage. It is still hard to believe that it actually happened.

On Monday, 30 September we headed into the Old City of Jerusalem. The origins of the Old City date back to the time of King David, about a thousand years before the coming of Jesus! On ancient maps, it was considered to be the center of the world because of its central location between the three continents known at the time: Europe, Asia and Africa. It is the place where the Jews built the Temple; it is the place where Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead; it is the place where Mohammed rose to Heaven. Many changes have taken place over time. For example, the walls that surround the city partially go back two thousand years, but they were restored and expanded by Muslim conquerors in the fifteen hundreds, so they are not the walls of Jesus’ time. Jerusalem is probably one of the most fascinating cities in the world, both historically and archeologically.

Our first stop was at the Church of St. Anne, who received the unique favor of the Immaculate Conception, so this place is honored as the birthplace of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some archeological investigations have uncovered some of remnants of the typical houses of that time. The church itself dates back to the Crusaders in the twelfth century and is a very solid and beautiful structure. A short distance away is the Pool of Bethesda, the site of Jesus’ cure of the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. From there, we began the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross, pausing at each of the fourteen stations for a brief scriptural reflection. This was all while walking through a busy and fairly congested street, which actually gave it the feel of what it must have been like in Jesus’ time: while a man is being led to crucifixion, life is going on around it, with many people totally oblivious to what was happening. The last five Stations are actually recalled within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which helps to provide a more prayerful atmosphere.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher has to be one of the most fascinating places on the face of the earth. Unfortunately, all the divisions in the Christian family are very evident there as well. Besides Catholic and Orthodox Christians, some of the most ancient groups of Christians are well represented: Armenians and Copts (Egyptians) to name a few. Ironically, Protestant Christians are so relatively recent that they aren’t formally represented in the church at all! We were privileged to be able to celebrate Mass in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Since the church is actually built over the site of both Calvary and the Tomb of Christ, we celebrated the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord, with special petitions for the unity of all Christians. In one of the greatest of ironies, since all the Christian groups have had difficulty getting along over the centuries, several centuries ago, the keys of the Church were entrusted to a Muslim family who have custody of them to this very day! … if anyone ever had doubts as to whether God has a sense of humor….

On the afternoon of Monday, 30 September we visited the beautiful Dormition Monastery, which looks like a fortress, and was built in the last century. The Orthodox Churches celebrate the “Dormition,” or “falling asleep,” of Mary on 15 August, the same day that the celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is important to realize that these are two different names for the same event! Even the dogmatic definition of the Assumption of Mary left open the question of whether or not Mary actually underwent death in connection with her departure from this world. The rich theological and artistic history that is experienced in the Dormition Monastery creates a mystical beauty around this facet of our Catholic faith. Not too far from here, we visited the church of St. Peter “in Gallicantu,” which could literally be translated as “the singing chicken”… or perhaps more appropriately as “the crowing rooster.” One interesting thing about this church is that on the very top of it stands a crowing rooster rather than the usual cross. This church is built over the site of the house of Caiaphas, and would have been the approximate site of the three-fold denial of St. Peter. Going down to the lower levels of the church there are some rather ominous rooms that do date back to the time of Christ and might well have the place where the Lord was beaten and scourged and held as prisoner for the evening. There is a rooster pen just out of sight, but close enough to hear a rooster crow that sent shivers up my spine.

Doing a little historical backtracking, we then came to the “Upper Room.” While the site is approximate and the room, while centuries old, is much later than the time of Christ, the place we visited has long been regarded as an excellent example of what a typical Hebrew or Greek “upper room” would have been like. Such rooms were often built on the top of flat houses for privacy. They could provide some airy comfort in the hot season and also be used for the entertainment of guests. Some were large enough to accommodate sizeable gatherings of people. Jesus met with his disciples shortly before his arrest in an upper room and ate the Passover supper with them – the Last Supper. Ironically, the Upper Room we visited had centuries ago been changed into a mosque. It is not any longer an active mosque but is kept as more of a neutral space. We were told that Pope John Paul II requested to celebrate Mass there on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and was permitted to do so with very few people present and no photographs being permitted. The history of the Holy Land is unbelievably complex, but incredibly interesting!

We are coming close to the end of our pilgrimage as we recall Tuesday 1 October: after breakfast that morning we drove to the village of Bethany where Jesus’ good friends, Martha, Mary and Lazarus lived. After getting off the bus we had about a quarter-mile steeply uphill walk to the village. It is still a little town, and a very poor one at that. Most of the residents are Muslim and there are very few Christians to be found there. We arrived – a bit out of breath – at the Church of Martha and Mary and Lazarus and were able to celebrate Mass there. The Gospel that was used was that of the resurrection of Lazarus, and we also remembered the accounts in Scripture in which Jesus came to the house of his friends and enjoyed their company. As was true in so many of the other places we visited, below the church there were excavations that provided some idea of what the village was like in Jesus’ time.

After that, we returned to the bus and went to Dead Sea. The Dead Sea earns its name from the fact that it has no outlet – after all, it is the lowest point on the face of the earth, so where would the water go from there? Because the Jordan River is the main source of water coming into the Dead Sea, and since water from it is increasingly diverted to provide irrigation for crops, the Dead Sea is becoming smaller and smaller. Minerals and even mud from the Dead Sea are used for skin treatments and various beauty creams and other products. The area is rather strangely beautiful with stark mountains and desert surrounding a beautiful pale blue lake. Very little vegetation grows in the area because of the high salt content in the soil. A good number of our group, including myself, went for a “swim” in the Dead Sea. Actually, the best you can do is walk into the water and float after the water level gets above your knees. All you need to do is sit down, and it is as if you were in a floating reclining chair, paddling around as you will! For me the hardest part was trying to get my feet back on the ground again to walk to the beach. That was accomplished after several attempts, but I suspect it looked like a misplaced scene from Moby Dick!

After lunch, we visited a place called Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in the 1940’s. The caves of Qumran are located not far from the Dead Sea in a stark and treacherous area honeycombed with caves as are fairly common in the area. The location of some of the caves is almost inaccessible and incredibly dry. This enabled the earthenware pots that contained the parchment scrolls, which were hidden for safekeeping, to be preserved in excellent condition for 1,900 years. These scrolls contain some of the most ancient copies of many Old Testament writings that exist, and have been a great help to Scripture scholars in providing the most accurate translations of these ancient writings. Another fascinating day!

On Tuesday evening, we concluded our day with a cocktail party on the roof of the Notre Dame Center of Jerusalem. The building had been built about a century ago as a seminary. When the political instability of the area began to cause problems and it was no longer practical to be used for that purpose, the building was going to be sold. However, the Vatican representative to the area stepped in at the time, and proposed that the building be converted into a hotel for Christian pilgrims since such a place was hard to find in the area. It has now become that, and quite a nice place to stay besides. There is a School of Hotel Management at University of Bethlehem (where were they two thousand years ago, you may ask!) This school helps to provide some excellent training for Palestinian Christians in one of the few areas of work that can help them earn a living in the land in which they live so they don’t have to emigrate to other countries. I should also mention that this school is supported by the Good Friday collection that is taken every year, not only to support the upkeep of buildings but also to provide very practical help to the residents of the Holy Land.

The roof of the Notre Dame Center provides one of the most beautiful panoramas of the City of Jerusalem. Being there at sunset was an especially memorable experience.

The next day, Wednesday, 2 October, the Feast of the Guardian Angels was the last day of our trip. There are two small villages not far from Jerusalem that claim to be the biblical Emmaus, where Jesus appeared to the two disciples on Easter Sunday evening. As it happened, we were not able to visit either site, so our guide told us of another place not very far away that might interest us. The name of the village was Abu Ghosh, which meant absolutely nothing to me. However, we found out that the ancient name of this place was Kyriath-Yearim, which is spoken of in the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel in the Old Testament. This is the place that became known as the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. During the time of Samuel, there was a battle with the Philistines, during which the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and kept it in several places for periods of time. However, the presence of the Ark became a detriment to those not of the Chosen People who attempted to keep it, and it was eventually returned to the Israelites at Kyriath-Yearim. The Ark of the Covenant remained there for about twenty years, until the first year of the reign of King David who then brought the Ark to Jerusalem. There has been a small church on that spot for many centuries, and it is dedicated to Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant.

As you may recall, on 2 October, our last day in the Holy Land, we celebrated Mass in a place called Abu Ghosh, where in ancient times the Ark of the Covenant had been revered for about twenty years before it was finally brought into Jerusalem by King David. A church has stood on that spot throughout most of the Christian centuries, although to my understanding, it was never one of the major shrines. Today a small group of Catholic nuns reside at the shrine and take care of it. There are only about seven or eight nuns in the group, and they are largely isolated since it is mostly a Muslim area today and there is really no Christian community nearby. The Sisters were very grateful for our visit because the priest who usually comes to celebrate Mass with them had called and said he would not be able to come that day. The day was the Feast of the Guardian Angels, and the ceiling of church was decorated with the figures of a multitude of angels, so we all took this as a sign that the angels were indeed watching over us. Also the dedication of the Church to Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, was a kind of a revelation to several people in the group who had just never heard that title or thought of the Blessed Virgin in those terms. But it made all the sense in the world: the ancient Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments and other signs of the presence of God with His people, and Mary contained Jesus, the Son of God, in her womb. It was a simple but beautiful celebration that, I think, surprised us all with its meaningfulness.

From there, we went to the Hebrew Museum which is a magnificent place. It contains some of the Dead Sea Scrolls and a wealth of other exhibits about the history, life and culture of the wonderful land we had been privileged to visit. There is a beautiful outdoor model of the City of Jerusalem at the time of Solomon’s Temple which helps to understand some of the history we had been experiencing. After leaving the museum, we returned to our hotel to relax a little and to pack up so we could get to the airport in Tel Aviv for our mid-night flight home. What an amazing pilgrimage experience!

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our Holy Land pilgrimage at least as much as I have enjoyed writing about it. It is amazing the things you begin to remember as you write down reflections, and then having the written record helps to enhance the memory of the experience even more. Remember, there has not been an “ideal” time to visit the Holy Land in about the last 4,000 years – so don’t wait for an “ideal” time – if the opportunity presents itself, GO!