Words Cannot Describe... By Dustin Larson

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased" (Luke 2:14)

To say that this was merely a "good" day is an understatement.  This day was INCREDIBLE.  Today we went to the shepherds' fields for the announcement of the "good news of great joy"  (cf. Luke 2:10).  Today we sang with the angels in proclaiming God's glory.  Today we followed in the footsteps of those shepherds of 2000 years ago, visiting the place where Jesus was born.

"And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." (Luke 2:8)

The drive from Jerusalem to the Shepherd's Field was fairly short, because Bethlehem is only a few miles from Jerusalem.  Upon arrival, our tour guide took us straight to a cave.  As we were to see later, the cave where Jesus was born now looks more like a chapel than a cave, so this experience was helpful for imagining the Nativity scene.  Shortly after this, we arrived at the chapel dedicated to the announcement to the shepherds.  We paused to sing a verse of "Angels We Have Heard on High" as well as a verse of another Christmas hymn, and then departed to head up to Bethlehem.


The time in the Shepherd's Field definitely moved me.  It was a blessing to be filled with joy as we toured and sang.  To be at the very place where the angels appeared to the shepherds....wow....... I took in every moment of it.

"When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." (Luke 2:15)

We traveled up to Bethlehem.  After arriving in Bethlehem, we had Mass in a chapel dedicated to St. Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin.  The Mass for Christmas is offered year-round in Bethlehem, so the readings and prayers were those for Christmas Day.  It was very profound to have Mass in Bethlehem: the Word was made Flesh and represented to us; Jesus was made Incarnate once again.


"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger..." (Luke 2:7)

Seeing the place where Jesus was actually born...this was the high point of my day, and the high point of my pilgrimage so far.  We waited in line for quite some time, but when we finally got there, it was worth the wait.  The place where Jesus was born no longer looks like a cave; it is now a chapel, but under the altar is an exposed section of the cave floor that has been venerated as the spot where Jesus was born.  A few feet to the side is where the manger was located.

Words can not describe my experience of being there.  All I can say is that I was given one of the greatest blessings I've ever received.  Amid all the hustle and bustle of people flowing through the chapel, I (and the rest of us) were able to stop...to just stop...and pray.  I sat down on the floor...and a moment later it struck me that I was sitting in the REAL Nativity scene.  The next two minutes were priceless as I considered how it was HERE that Jesus was born, and HERE that He was laid in a manger...  As I already said, the experience cannot be described, but it was filled with a mixture of joy, love, and humility before our Lord.

"But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)

The peace from my experience at the true Nativity flowed into the rest of my day.  We visited the Milk Grotto, where the Virgin Mary nursed the Child Jesus.  Following this was lunch at the Latin seminary for the entire Holy Land.  It was a blessing to converse with some of the Palestinian Christians.  I will avoid politics here, but I will say that the Christians in the Holy Land need our prayers.  Please pray for them, and "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6) as well as peace throughout the entire Holy Land.

As a side note, it can make all the difference when you have a tour guide that not only knows things, but truly believes them in the heart.  It was obvious that our fantastic tour guide not only knew his stuff, but he was incorporating his authentic faith into the tour as well.  The depth of the experience of today's tour was strengthened by our tour guide's faith and his love for Jesus.

I know that God will continue to bless us as we travel throughout the Holy Land.  Please pray that as we continue to ponder God's love in our hearts, we may continue opening up to receive His love in deeper ways each day.

[All Biblical quotes are taken from the RSVCE]

No Greater Love by Mark Tibai

We woke up to another great breakfast provided by the Brigettine Sisters at their guest house overlooking the Kidron Valley. At 8am sharp we departed by bus to the Jaffa Gate. Inside and to the right of the gate is the Tower of David. The Tower of David is an old fortress that now serves as a museum and an archaeological site. The museum was very informative  and the sights from the towers gave us some of the best views of Jerusalem yet.

     After spending about an hour at the Tower of David we then went to walk on the walls that surround the old city of Jerusalem. Temperatures were approaching 100 degrees, so the consumption of water really increased today! I really enjoyed the fort and the wall and I could not help to think of all those that defended the city from attack. You can walk on the wall around the entire city, but our journey on the wall ended at the Temple Mount.

     The Western Wall which is also known as the Wailing Wall is located at the base of the Temple Mount. This wall is the holy site for the Jewish people. The Jews go to the wall to pray because they believe that God is present on the other side of the wall. Many of us went to the wall to pray and found it very moving. I personally prayed that Jews and Catholics could one day be united.

Mark diligently working
on this post

     After we visited the Western Wall we had some free time to have lunch and to wander as we saw fit. I enjoyed an excellent shawarma sandwich at a local restaurant in the Christian Quarter. I then went with a few of my brothers back to the Holy Sepulcher to pray my holy hour. When I arrived I decided that I wanted to go to the top of Calvary to pray and touch the actual spot where Jesus died. Calvary is where our Salvation was consummated by Jesus Christ. How should I react as I approach such a location? I was internally quiet and kept repeating the Jesus Prayer as I approached (Jesus, Son of the Living God have mercy on me a sinner). When it was about my time to touch the stone of Calvary I began to invoke the Holy Spirit to come upon me. It was a quick, but somber moment when I knelt below the altar. All I could do was thank Jesus for what he did for me so that I could be with him in heaven.

     We are all now back at the guest house and are looking forward to Mass where Jesus dies for us in an un-bloody manner. Please know of our love and prayers for all of you.

New Panoramas!

Simply click the image and drag it around to get the full 360 effect!

The Holy Sepulcher

The Lion's Gate, also known as St. Stephen's Gate

St. Stephen's Church

Busy Day by Andrew Dawson

Waking up this morning to the call to prayer over the Dome of the Rock and the Mount of Olives brought it home - we're actually here. We have been thinking about the pilgrimage to since last summer and when I heard the cock crow at 4:20am, the image of Peter's denial came to mind so I decided it was morning and got up and went outside to watch the sunrise of the sunrise. Straight ahead, the Temple Mount, below me, the Kidron Valley, to the south, the garden of Gethsemane. It's all so real, as we hoped it would be. The Gospels in full color, surround sound.


Later in the morning we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I expected Golgotha to be a powerful place, but I was really surprised by my own reaction to it. As we reached the bottom of the steps to the top of the rock, I was the last to begin climbing, but I did not want to go up. I hesitated, asking myself what right I had to go up to this place, where Christ died willingly and excruciatingly for me. I felt like someone should be checking spiritual resumes before allowing entry to this place. But I climbed the stairs to find a LOT of other people up there. But I felt sick to the stomach, struggling to take in the significance of this place. We will be returning there, but there is already much to pray about with even just the brief moment we had today.

Shortly afterwards, we celebrated Mass just a 100ft from the tomb of our Lord. We we unable to enter today since it was very busy, but again the proximity of this site was not lost of me. Then to lay our hands on the rock it is believed Christ wept upon in the garden on Holy Thursday, which is set into the floor of the Church that stands at this point in the garden of Gethsemane...such a grace. And this was all in one day!?

Arrival in Israel by Marcus Wobschall

After a long day of traveling, we finally arrived in Tel Aviv at about 4:30 local time. Despite the long days, everybody has been in good spirits and is very excited for our pilgrimage through the Holy Land. For our first week here, we are staying with a group of Briggetine Sisters. They have shown us great hospitality and welcomed us with great charity.

Marcus diligently working
on this post

As our plane was descending over the land of Israel this afternoon, I couldn't help but think of God leading Moses & the Israelites through the desert into the Promised Land. This very Sacred Land was the very land we saw as the plane descended over Israel. This is the Sacred Land where the Israelites personally experienced God's loving providence for them. As the plane wheels touched ground, I thought of the Israelites as they first stepped foot onto the Promised Land, and the great joy it must have been for them. Now, here am I, stepping foot onto this same Sacred Ground. Now, its my turn for God to reveal his loving providence in my life, and the lives of my seminary brothers. Now is the time. God has fulfilled His promise and brought us to the Promised Land, the very land where Jesus Christ stepped foot and revealed the face of God for all humanity. All of world history was changed in this place.

Jesus, open our hearts to your loving action in our lives. Bless and reward all those who made this pilgrimage possible for us, especially our benefactors.

Pictures!

Here are the first set of pictures!  Please check the pictures page daily, I'll keep it updated without a post on the front page.

Chapel at the Brigitteine Sisters, where we are staying.

Lunch in Detroit Airport

Lunch in Detroit Airport

Joe Campbell playing piano at airport in Paris

Joe Campbell playing piano at airport in Paris

We have arrived!

After stopping by Paris for a few hours, I am happy to report that we have officially arrived in Tel Aviv!  Thank you for your prayers for safe travels!

Not many of us got much sleep on the first flight, but all of us slept well on the flight from Paris to Tel Aviv.

Again, thank you for the prayers, we are all very excited to get to Jerusalem in only a  few hours!