Photos from Mount Tabor, where Jesus was transfigured

We hear in the Gospel today that the Lord Jesus led Saints Peter, James, and John "up a high mountain apart by themselves" (Mark 9:2). The mountain on which he led them was Mount Tabor.

Located in the lower part of Galilee, the solitary mountain - in geological terms, a monadnock - reaches a height of some 2,165 feet:

On the way to Mount Tabor, taken on the bus

From the base of the mountain

Although the Evangelists do not specify this mountain in their accounts of the Transfiguration of the Lord (cf. Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:1-8; and Luke 9:28-36) - nor does Saint Peter in his (cf. II Peter 1:17-18) - there is no doubt Mount Tabor is the mountain they ascended; it is the only mountain in the region.

Even on a cloudy day, the view from the top of Mount Tabor is something to behold:

 

The first church on the mountain was built around the year 400 A.D.When the Crusaders arrived in the Holy Land, Benedictine monks built a fortified monastery strong enough to defend against the forces of Saladin. However, following the defeat of the Crusaders by Saladin at the Horns of Hattin in 1187, the Benedictines were forced to abandon their monastery. Franciscan friars took over the old monastery in the 1600s and they remain on Mount Tabor today.

The present basilica built in a Roman-Syrian style from the fourth through seventh centuries is the work Antonio Barluzzi:

From within the basilica, one can look through certain places of the floor to the see the rock of the top of the mountain:

 

Consecrated in 1924, the Basilica of the Transfiguration houses a series of beautiful mosaics:

The Nativity of Our Lord

The Bread of Life

The Lamb of God

The Resurrection of Our Lord

The Transfiguration of Our Lord

In the mosaic depiction of Jesus transfigured, we are able to glimpse something of his majesty revealed to Peter, James, and John:

 

 

In this mosaic we see something of what Benedict XVI wrote: "Jesus' divinity belongs with the Cross - only when we put the two together do we recognize Jesus correctly" (Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, 305).

In these remaining days of Lent, let us ask the Lord to help us recognize his glory hidden in the Cross, so as to experience all the more joyfully his glory revealed in the Resurrection, both in this life and in the life of the world to come.

Under the mantle of a saint

Following the creation of the twenty new Cardinals, the Holy Father Pope Francis approved the request of the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints for the canonization of Blessed Jeanne Emilie de Villeneuve, Blessed Mary Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, and Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy.

It was the approval of this third canonization that caught my attention, partly because I know something of Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified (a stigmatic who both levitated and bilocated) but not of the other two. Vatican Radio offered a brief summary of her life (and of the other two, as well):

Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy was born Maria Baouardy in Abellin, a village in Upper Galilee, near Nazareth, in 1846 of Arab parents. She was baptized in the Melchite Greek Catholic Church. From early youth she experienced many sufferings together with extraordinary mystic phenomena. In France, she entered the Carmel of Pau. She was sent to India to found new Carmels, and then to Bethlehem, where she died in 1878. She was beatified by St John Paul II in 1983.

When I was in the Holy Land with Steve Ray (with whom you should go on pilgrimage), we visited the Carmelite monastery in Bethlehem where the relics of the only Arab Palestinian to be raised to the glory of the altars are enshrined.

Immediately after we celebrated the Holy Mass in honor of the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, we venerated the relics of Blessed Mary, frequently called "the little Arab," which the Carmelites allowed us to do so while wearing her mantle:

PHOTO: Steve Ray

PHOTO: Steve Ray

I didn't realize I had so much grey hair in the back.

PHOTO: Steve Ray

Two of Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified's sayings seems particularly apt as we quickly approach Ash Wednesday, the first of which is this: "Everything passes here on earth. What are we? Nothing, dust, nothingness, and God is so great, so beautiful, so lovable and He is not loved!"

The second saying is very much like the first: "I am nothing, I can do nothing, but You can do all. I hope in divine mercy."

It sometimes happens that we spend so much of our attention on our Lenten penances - on how difficult they are or on how they can benefit us - that we focus more on ourselves than on God. This should not be so! Our penances should instead help to remind us that we are dust, that we are nothing, and yet that we are loved by God. In this way our penances should lead us to love God who first loved us (cf. I John 4:10).

Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified considered herself as a "little nothing." May she intercede for us and wrap her mantle around us, that we might come to consider ourselves the same.

On the Pilgrim Shell

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, in which I have the honor to be a Knight, has four principle aims:

• To strengthen in its members the practice of Christian life, in absolute fidelity to the Supreme Pontiff and according to the teachings of the Church, observing as its foundation the principles of charity which make the Order a fundamental means of assistance to the Holy Land;
• To sustain and aid the charitable, cultural and social works and institutions of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, particularly those of and in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with which the Order maintains traditional ties;
• To support the preservation and propagation of the Faith in those lands, and promote interest in this work not only among Catholics scattered throughout the world, who are united in charity by the symbol of the Order, but also among all other Christians; and,
•  To uphold the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

We seek to fulfill these aims through daily prayer for our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land (especially through the intercession of Our Lady of Palestine), through our annual dues to the Order and other charitable gifts, and through at least one pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which, as you know, I recently completed.

The members of the Order who have completed a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and who have prayed at the Holy Sepulchre of the Risen Lord receive the Pilgrim Shell, the most significant decoration awarded by the Order, often from the Latin Patriarch himself.

The shell has long been the symbol of a pilgrim, in no small part due to the important medieval pilgrimage destination of Santiago de Compostela:

The identification of a seashell with a pilgrim is of ancient origin.  In the beginning, the shell was never awarded or conferred on the recipient as it is today.  Instead, it was a self-chosen decoration that the pilgrim proudly pinned on his own cloak, so that as he returned homeward, other pilgrims would know that the wearer had made it to the place of pilgrimage.

Legend has it that Saint James, the apostle, had been the apostle of the Iberian Peninsula and had first brought the Good News of salvation to the people of that part of the world.  He subsequently made his way back to Palestine to die and after death his body was returned to Spain to be buried in his own mission land in the city now called Santiago de Compostela, in honor of the apostle.  In the 9th Century, the place of his burial was rediscovered and gradually became a place of pilgrimage.

Before the first Crusade in the 11th Century, Christians were not allowed by the Seljuk Turks to visit the Holy Land and Jerusalem.  As a result, the faithful started to flow from all parts of Europe by different routes and streams, to pay homage to Our Lord at the spot where one of His apostles lay buried - Santiago de Compostela.  Each year thousands of pilgrims visited and prayed at the tomb of St. James.  Since Santiago de Compostela is so close to the sea, seashells were abundant and they became the badge of one who had traveled there.  As they started the long walk home, the shell on their garment was a symbol of encouragement to those whom they passed who were on their way to visit the Tomb of St. James.

As history changed, pilgrims once again started their arduous trips to Palestine and the land of Jesus, but the Sea Shell of Santiago de Compostela had become the sign of a successful pilgrimage, and out of faith and tradition it remained the badge of pilgrims [more].

I hope one day to make this pilgrimage, as well.

The Pilgrim Shell of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jersualem remains distinct from that earned by a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint James, however, because it includes the Jerusalem Cross placed within the shell:

The Pilgrim Shell is worn on the cloak of a Knight or Lady at the center of the Jerusalem Cross on the left breast, or on the mozetta of a priest in the same location:

On 2 January 2015, my fellow pilgrims and I went to Latin Patriarchate to be received in audience by His Excellency the Most Reverend William Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem. After speaking with us about the importance of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and of the symbolism of the Pilgrim Shell, he awarded this decoration to me:

Bishop Shomali pins the shell to the mozetta.

Smiling for pictures gets a bit tiresome after a time.

A Curious Trio: Pompeii, the Visitation, and Saint Joseph

Before I left Rome to embark on my recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I first visited the city of Pompeii, both to see the ancient ruins of the city buried in volcanic ash and, more importantly, to ask the intercession of Blessed Bartolo Longo, whose relics are enshrined in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (which he built).

Before his conversion, Bartolo Longo was a Satanic priest. After his conversion, he became an exceptional laymen who was deeply devoted to the holy rosary and also a Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Supulchre of Jerusalem. It was his membership in the Equestrian Order - which has, as its principle concern, the support of the Christians in the Holy Land - that led me to seek his intercession for my pilgrimage as a Knight of the same Order.

After praying at his tomb, the priest who accompanied me and I made our way back through the basilica where this depiction of the Visitation of Our Lady to Saint Elizabeth caught my attention:

What caught my eye and gave me cause to ponder what I saw was the inclusion of Saint Joseph in the Visitation (I only just now noticed Zechariah in the doorway).

As I thought about the inclusion of the adoptive father of the Lord, it suddenly occurred to me, "Of course Joseph wouldn't have let Mary go on her own! What kind of man would have sent Mary on her own?!

As I left the basilica, I knew the prayers of Blessed Bartolo would accompany me on my pilgrimage, but I had no idea how close Saint Joseph would be to me.

After we visited the homes of Mary and Joseph at Nazareth, I went away with a much deeper appreciation of their courage and faith, each in their own way, especially on the day we drove from Nazareth to Ein Karem, where Zechariah and Elizabeth:

Interior of the Church of the Visitation

Our journey on the bus from the Sea of Galilee through the hill country of Judah took two hours. Imagine walking that distance, or perhaps riding a donkey, while pregnant.

Looking out from the Church of the Visitation

What Saint Luke calls the hill country of Judah we would call mountains (see Luke 1:39). It cannot have been an easy journey for her. Riding that distance in comfort brought home to me all the more clearly what I suddenly realized at Pompeii: Of course Joseph would have gone with her!

Mosaic on the facade of the Church of the Nativity

Joseph's accompanying of the Blessed Virgin to visit her kinswoman has been remembered in the Holy Land and his presence is not forgotten in the image on the front of the church built over the home of the parents of Saint John the Baptist. Why this took me so long to realize is simply beyond me.

Throughout the pilgrimage, and especially after visiting the Church of the Visitation, I knew I wouldn't to return with some sort of a reminder of Saint Joseph. I do, after all, bear his name. However, finding good images of him is not as easy as one might think, not even in the Holy Land, but on the day we stopped at a Christian store specializing in hand-carved olive wood, I found just the item:

It is a small, 8" olive wood devotional shrine (that weighs more than you'd think) to Saint Joseph carved by local Christians. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't quite do it justice.

The tomb, and the cloth that covered His face

Ever since I first became aware of the Veil of Manoppello, I have wanted to do nothing more than to look inside the tomb of the Lord Jesus. It was this passage from Paul Badde's excellent and intriguing book, The True Icon: From the Shroud of Turin to the Veil of Manoppello (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) that first instilled such a longing within me:

After mentioning "the linen cloths" twice, John speaks once again specifically about the "napkin, which had been on Jesus' head" [Jn 20:5-7]. He describes its location with puzzling precision: the fact that it was "not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself". This soudarion was lying lying there by itself, separate from the other cloths. John attaches great importance thereto in this extremely concise text. If that was the case, however, it must have been lying on the ground. Otherwise there was no "place by itself" apart from the stone bench on the right side of the narrow passageway. Indeed, directly behind the bench, the bedrock wall projects straight upward. The bench is not a bed where something can disappear into a nook or cranny. The design of this particular sepulcher simply allows no other place "by itself" or "alongside"; its clear structure translates the position of the little cloth unambiguously from the text into reality. In this room, "not lying with the linen cloths" could only mean on the floor of the chamber, at the feet of the apostle Peter (89-90).

Over the last year or so, I have made the little pilgrimage from Rome to Manoppello to look upon the Holy Face three separate times.

Photo: Paul Badde

Each time I did so, my longing to look inside the tomb and to see for myself where this mysterious little cloth came from increased all the more. This was, in fact, the primary goal - simply to look within the tomb - behind my recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Steve Ray; I wanted to see with my own eyes and so better to understand what happened that first Easter morning inside the tomb of Christ Jesus.

In piecing together the story of what he calls the "missing link of Easter night," Badde asks a couple of very insightful questions. When Peter finds the tomb empty,

Why did he not run out immediately to John and then with him to the Roman prefect? Why did he not exclaim also, "They have taken the Lord!" Why did not dash off to the other apostles to consult with them about what they should do now, or to the Sanhedrin to shout, "You can't do that: first you kill our Master, and then you secretly get rid of him! He is still a Jew like you. Did he not at least have the right to rest in peace with the dead? What other outrage do you plan to commit?" Why, then, did he not run with John to Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who had laid Jesus in the tomb and rolled the great stone in front of it? Why not? Why does the narrative now completely change course from Mary Magdalene and her realization, "They have the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him?" Peter, after all, was not more intelligent, wiser or more prophetic than Mary Magdalene. Jesus could only have been carried off; what else? Maybe by Romans, maybe by robbers, by whomever: yet he was gone. No longer there. Simply gone. That is how the women had seen it, and so Peter saw and felt it now - with just one difference (91).

The one difference is found not within Peter, but within the tomb itself; the one difference is that cloth rolled up in a separate place. Badde continues:

For now Peter had suddenly glimpsed something else in the shadowy darkness on the floor. At his feet the light was caught in something distinct, as the wind is caught in a shrub. Like a flicker from the burning bush. It shimmered golden, bronze. If it had been lying on the bench with the other cloths, the first rays of dawn would not have been able to lay hold of it; Peter would not have been able to see it or to feel it with his fingers, because it was so extremely fine. Only on the floor could it have been in by the light. No light at all fell on the bench - impossible. Because of the low entrance, the light could only fall on the floor. On the bench with the cloths, everything remained in the shadows. Only on the floor could Peter see something, and what he now saw there was delicate as woven breath and so fine that Peter would not have seen it either, had it been lying on the ground. Yet it was wrapped, tied, rolled, crumpled or folded up. The Greek verb entylisso that John uses can mean all these things.Thus, the expression makes just one thing clear: it was not lying there flat. It was a haze, but it must have been recognizable somehow as a "thing", as an "object" that caught the first rays of dawn. Naturally, Peter bent down and picked it up. It was the precious little cloth that had lain on Jesus' face, the finest sea silk. It was as light as an angel's feather as Peter picked it up, unfolded it and held it against the light of the entrance. What else? He must have held it that way, not toward the interior of the dark chamber, but up to the light. It was, however, a cloth of light. It reacts to light.

What Peter saw now in that tomb on the veil against the morning light made it in a blink of the eye as clear as the sun: no one had taken the Lord from the tomb. Jesus had not been stolen and carried away. Something completely new was in the world now. It was unheard of, what Peter glimpsed in the blue hours of the first Easter morning here, on that transparent fabric held against the light of the entrance. Here suddenly Christ was looking at him! With open eyes! No man had ever seen this before. This cloth was "not made by human hands", as was said later. It was the true image. Three days earlier Peter had said that he did not know that man. Hours later he had had to watch from a distance and hear how Jesus, streaming with blood, cried out again on the cross and died. Peter was still reeling from the shock - when now suddenly Christ himself looked out at him from the veil in his hand. Now he knew him. Now he recognized him immediately. "In thy light we see light," Israel had read for centuries in the Book of Psalms [Ps. 36:9]. Did that verse occur to him? Or did he already remember then the earlier intimations of Jesus that "the Son of man must ... be killed, and on the third day be raised" [Lk 9:22]? We do not know. Only one thing do we know. Besides the bewildering emptiness of the linens in the tomb, this message in pictures read, "I live." Jesus was no longer dead. The only thing corresponding to this image was not another image, no icon or other sort of portrait; the only thing corresponding to what he saw was the living man (91, 93).

It was at this very moment that John "saw and believed" (Jn 20:8).

The Apostles took those cloths with them from the tomb and over the centuries they were taken to various places in the world. The cloth that was wrapped lengthwise around his head to keep his jaw closed is now housed in Cahours, France. The cloth that was wrapped around his head to collect the blood of his face and mouth is now housed in Oviedo, Spain. The cloth that was wrapped lengthwise around his body - the Shroud - is housed in Turin, Italy. And that last cloth that covered his face - the most important one because it bears clear witness to his Resurrection - is housed in Manoppello.

As I said, all I dared ask of the Lord was simply the grace to look inside the tomb. In his great kindness, he gave something more: the grace to offer the Holy Mass within his very tomb. For thirty-five minutes I stood within the tomb. All through the Mass my mind returned again and again to the Veil of Manoppello and to that first Easter morning. Having seen both the Veil of Manoppello and having stood within the tomb, I can say that what Badde describes must be true; there simply is no other explanation for the cloth that bears the living face of the Lord Jesus.

Why should you go pilgrimaging with Steve Ray?

Here I am with Lady Janet and Sir Steve after I received the Pilgrim Shell

When first I decided to fulfill my duty as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I considered simply pilgrimaging on my own - or perhaps with another priest or two from the Casa Santa Maria - to Jerusalem and Bethlehem over our Christmas break. As I considered this possibility, two principal questions occurred to me: How do I choose local guides, and, Is this a safe and good idea?

To help answer these questions, I sent an e-mail to Steve Ray, the excellent Catholic apologist and convert from the Baptist tradition. I knew of him mostly from some of his many articles and his time on Catholic Answers Live, but also a little through his blog (which you should follow). I explained to him that I don't generally enjoy traveling with a full bus of people (you tend to spend too much waiting for people to arrive) and that I was particularly looking to be able to spend some time in prayer at the various holy places (and to meet with the Patriarch to request the Pilgrim Shell of the Equestrian Order). His response was for me to give him a call, which I did, and the rest is, as they say, history. It was one of the best phone calls I have ever made.

As I talked with him, I knew I should join his pilgrimage, despite the cost. Steve freely admits that his pilgrimages cost more than other pilgrimages, but, if I may say so, the added cost is well worth it. The pilgrimage put together by Steve and Janet Ray so far surpassed any and all of my hopes and expectations that I think I should tell you why you should go pilgrimaging with them:

Assisting the Christian Population

As members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Steve and Janet are very concerned for our brothers and sisters still remaining in the Holy Land. For this reason, whenever possible, Steve and Janet conduct business with Christians. We stayed in hotels owned by Christians. We ate in restaurants owned by Christians. Our one - yes, only one - shopping excursion was to a Christian co-op. Both our local guide and our driver were Christians. Because they are a decreasing minority, it is imperative that pilgrims support and patronize Christians businesses in the Holy Land. 

Two Bases of Operations

Though we were in the Holy Land for eight days, we only stayed in two hotels: one in Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (with every room looking onto the sea) and one in Jerusalem (just outside the Old City and very near the church of the Holy Sepulchre). This required us to do a bit of driving each day to get to our destinations, but it also meant that we only had to change hotels once, which was very nice. We stayed three nights in Tiberias and five in Jerusalem. On the last day, Steve and Janet reserved the rooms for an extra day so the pilgrims who left on the last day (about 7:30 p.m.) could check out of their rooms in the evening after taking a shower and freshening up before their flights home (otherwise they would have checked out of their rooms about eight hours before going to the airport).

The Spirituality of Pilgrimage

The pilgrimage never once felt like a tour. This was due to numerous factors: Mass celebrated each day at the holy sites (most notably within the very tomb of Christ); the recitation of the corresponding mystery of the rosary at the various holy sites; biblical reflections and histories given on the bus rides, as well as Steve's conversion story and the vocation stories of the priest(s) and seminarian(s); and no stops for shopping each day. Shopping was reserved to the day we were in Bethlehem, with a specially arranged visit to a Christian co-op shop. They even made rosaries made by nuns in Bethlehem available for purchase at the very beginning of the pilgrimage so we could touch them to the holy places along the way.

Avoiding the Crowds

Steve and Janet, together with their local guide (Amer) and driver (Assam) - with whom they work each time - do everything in their power to avoid the crowds so as to have better opportunities for prayer at the various sites. This sometimes means early departures from the hotel - and sometimes walks through the dark in the Old City of Jerusalem - or adjusting the itinerary on the fly (as we thought we'd have to do when we caught wind that 40 busses of Italians would likely be following us) but it is well worth the effort and usually also means free late afternoons and evenings.

All Inclusive

The cost of the pilgrimage included every meal (usually including a soda or drink), lodging, and all tips and ticket costs (even a camel ride), when necessary. The only "out of pocket" expenses were incidental items like an occasional bottle of water or soda (like Dr Pepper, which can be found in several stores), a snack, and souvenirs and religious items to bring home for family and friends.

Steve Ray

I think it safe to say that you would be hard pressed to find a more knowledgeable and enthusiastic lover of the Sacred Scriptures and of the Holy Land itself than Steve Ray. The breadth and depth of Steve's knowledge of the Scriptures themselves and of the history of the Holy Land is truly impressive and inspiring. As I explained the benefits of this pilgrimage to a few of my friends before I left Rome, they said again and again, "And you get to travel with Steve Ray!" They were right and I'm glad now to call Steve a friend.

Your Fellow Pilgrims

PHOTO CREDIT: The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The ways of the Lord are often quite baffling, especially when it comes to the ways and reasons he brings groups of otherwise strangers together. My fellow pilgrims came from all across the United States of America (one of whom is living in London) and even one from New Zealand (who is also living in London). We represented a wide range of ages, interests and occupations, but we all wanted to pilgrimage with Steve for the same reason: to encounter the Lord Jesus in the Holy Land; there were no tourists among us (which can sometimes be problematic with more other so-called pilgrimages that are operated more as tours).

I cannot recommend enough that you join one of Steve's pilgrimages, especially to the Holy Land, but elsewhere, as well. I assure you, you will not regret it. I thoroughly enjoyed this pilgrimage and look forward to joining Steve and Janet again in the future.

On the Epiphany, having returned from Bethlehem

Here in the Eternal City, we still celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord on its proper day, January 6th. In doing so, we remember that wondrous day when the Magi from the East "were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother" (Matthew 2:10-11).

Adoration of the Magi, Edward Burne-Jones

Today, one simple thought continues to run through my mind: I have been to the place where the Magi prostrated themselves before the King of heaven and earth. It is a humbling thought, and still somewhat difficult to believe, so wondrous and undeserved were the many graces of this pilgrimage.

Beneath the present Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem is preserved the cave in which the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to the Christ Child:

The silver star marks the place where Our Lord was born.

Naturally, an altar has been erected above the place where Mary gave birth to her Son. If you stand facing that altar today, a few steps behind you and a few steps down is preserved the cave where the Blessed Mother placed the Son of God in the manger:

The cave in which the baby Jesus was placed in the manger.

On the left, the site of the Lord's Birth; on the left, the site of the manger.

The Magi "departed for their country by another way," it is true, to avoid the wrath of King Herod, but also because in their adoration of the Child of Bethlehem they themselves were changed (Matthew 2:12). And because they were no longer the same, they could not return the same way they came.

Like the Magi, I, too, have left Bethlehem - and the rest of the Holy Land - changed, with a deeper understanding of the Scriptures and a greater love of Him who made that land holy. But we need not go all the way to Bethlehem to adore the newborn King (though I highly recommend doing so). As Benedict XVI observed at the World Youth Day in Cologne:

Dear friends, this is not a distant story that took place long ago. It is with us now. Here in the Sacred Host he is present before us and in our midst. As at that time, so now he is mysteriously veiled in a sacred silence; as at that time, it is here that the true face of God is revealed. For us he became a grain of wheat that falls on the ground and dies and bears fruit until the end of the world (cf. Jn 12: 24).

He is present now as he was then in Bethlehem. He invites us to that inner pilgrimage which is called adoration. Let us set off on this pilgrimage of the spirit and let us ask him to be our guide. Amen.

At the end - Thoughts from my fellow pilgrims (and me) at the conclusion of the pilgrimage

Holy Land Pilgrimage - Day 8 by Steve Ray

Holy Land Pilgrimage - Day 7 by Steve Ray

Holy Land Pilgrimage - Day 6 by Steve Ray

Mass inside the tomb of Jesus - Video by Steve Ray

Holy Land Pilgrimage - Day 5 by Steve Ray

And a little New Year's Eve party:

Holy Land Pilgrimage - Day 4 by Steve Ray

Holy Land Pilgrimage - Day 3 by Steve Ray

From Mount Tabor to Nazareth

From Mount Tabor we made our way to Nazareth to visit the homes of Mary and of Joseph. In the first century, Nazareth was a tiny village of just 25 caves (not houses), which suggests Nathaniel’s question to be a reasonable one: “Can anything good came out of Nazareth” (John 1:46)? Though Nazareth had perhaps 250 inhabitants 2,000 years ago, today it is home to some 90,000 people, 38% of whom are Christian – the highest percentage in all of Israel.

As we entered the Church of the Annunciation built above the cave-home where the Archangel Gabriel said to Mary, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus,” we heard the local Catholics singing the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic, a clear witness to the universality of the Church (Luke 1:30).

Within the church, you can descend a set of stairs to look into the cave in which Mary once made her home:

Notice the inscription on the altar:

The word was made flesh here.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I walked through the church towards the grotto, so palpable was the sense of the holy in this place, so great was the reality of God's love for us. It was a powerful moment that I cannot adequately express with words, nor one that I will ever forget.

After spending a few moments in prayer at the grotto, we went to the upper church to look around and to see the local Christians as they celebrated Sunday Mass. I was shocked to see so many men and young people present and wished that we would see the same in the United States of America.

From Mary's house, we made our way to the cave in which Joseph lived, just about a minute's walk. Here is a panoramic photo taken of the Church of St. Joseph (built his cave) on the left and the Church of the Anunciation (built over Mary's cave) on the right:

It isn't very far at all, and it was in Joseph's cave that the Holy Family lived for thirty years. It was a special grace to be at the home of the Holy Family as we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family.

As I thought about the Christians who remain in the Holy Land despite the difficult conditions under which they live, I asked myself why they stayed. Remembering what I felt at the grotto, I knew very well why they remain: Here they feel clearly the presence of God and here they maintain the memory that in this very place the Word of God began man. Remember to pray for the Christians of the Holy Land today, and every day.