Reflections from the Pilgrimage

Now just over halfway through our pilgrimage, I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect a bit on our experience so far.

A favorite prayer spot in the Nativity Grotto

First, I feel we are extremely blessed to be here for such a long period of time.  Most pilgrimages are ten days to two weeks, at most.  It seems that pilgrims on short trips have a jam-packed schedule, so they get into a holy site, take a picture or two, maybe squeeze in a prayer, and then it is on to the next site.  This has been consistent everywhere, but the place where it struck me the most was in Bethlehem in the Grotto of the Nativity.  As I was sitting there praying on a bench a few feet from the spot of the birth, pilgrims would stream in from one side and stream out the other, stopping briefly to venerate the spot, occasionally joining their group to sing a Christmas song, but most people had very little time to enter into any deep personal prayer at the very place where our Faith was born.  Our group is able to spend at least an hour at every major site we visit, sometimes visiting on multiple occasions, which really allows us to connect with the site, giving us time to enter into the story of what happened there.

Stone water jar at Cana

Second, because we have this opportunity to pray and ponder so thoroughly, it is changing the way that I read scripture. It has already happened when praying the Psalms and when reflecting on the mysteries of the rosary, I am recalling the sites subconsciously.  This is a great blessing and I believe it is going to help our preaching so much!  There are so many small details in scripture that get lost without putting it all into the context of the place and the time, and while we can’t go back in time, being at the place helps tremendously to understand it. Hopefully this will allow us to explain it better to our parishioners in the future.  There is a good reason why some people call a visit to the Holy Land the Fifth Gospel!

A view from the Mount of Beatitudes

Third, we are required to do a retreat before we get ordained, both as a deacon and as a priest.  This week’s retreat on the Mount of Beatitudes serves as a preparation for our diaconate ordination and I couldn’t be happier that we are having it here in the Holy Land at this beautiful site overlooking the Sea of Galilee. We are very blessed to have this opportunity, but please keep us in our prayers as we approach ordination.

Class social

Fourth, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my classmates better.  Sure, we’ve had lots of classes together over the last two and a half years, but often we don’t spend time together socially.  In my mind the best way to get to know someone is to travel with them, and that has held true for this pilgrimage.  What I have found confirms what I suspected, that we have a really great class with a lot of good men who will make fantastic priests.  What I didn’t realize is how talented many of them are, from musical ability to prayer leading ability to athletic ability and more, these talents will benefit their future ministry in a variety of ways.  The future is bright, and it gives me a lot of hope for the future of the Church.

Finally, I think a great way to get to know a friend better is to visit their home, see where they grew up, experience their culture.  I feel this happening with Jesus here in his homeland.  As I walk in His footsteps, I am being drawn into a deeper friendship with Him, which is the greatest blessing of all!

Classmates pose for a picture at Shepherd's Field