Final Pilgrimage Eucharist at ABU GHOSH – EMMAUS

1 Peter 1: 17-21 and Luke 24: 13-35

“Were not our hearts burning within us

as he was talking to us on the road,

while he was opening the scriptures to us’ (Lk.24:32)

X

INTRODUCTION

So we draw close to Emmaus and celebrate together in this great Abbey church, home to a French order of Benedictine monks and nuns, which witnesses to the Resurrection; to hope in a divided land.  Long before this village was given the name ‘Abu Ghosh’ it was biblical Kyriat Yearim where the Ark of the Covenant rested before being taken to Jerusalem by King David.  So, like the Ark, we rest here before beginning our journey to our earthly homes, to the places we belong for the time being. 

Yet no longer, maybe, quite at home.  Maybe our journey, our pilgrimage, has awakened the eye of our heart to desire something else, a Land to which this one witnesses – the Kingdom of God.  We have encountered much, and it may take a long time for the effects to become truly apparent.  But, just like those two disciples as they walked along the road from earthly Jerusalem to Emmaus, the eye of our heart has been opened to the presence of Christ journeying with us as a fellow-pilgrim.  Perhaps, like them, we have begun to see something which has yet to fully reveal itself.  Yet we have seen – something – which has moved our heart. 

Maybe we’ve come to a deeper sense of belief because of what we’re seen, which is just what another gospel – St. John’s – is all about.  Seeing and believing.  And just as St. John begins his gospel by acclaiming that: ‘… the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth’ so Luke gives us his own ‘sign’ of the glory of the Father’s only Son as he recounts the eucharistic Breaking of Bread set in the context of a journey. 

SEEING AND BELIEVING

We’ve ‘seen’ so much, places which have appealed to the eye and heart, or not: signs on our pilgrimage of our hidden God.

At Tabor we were in the ;place where three disciples saw beneath Christ’s bodily appearance and were blinded by the glory of God shining through His body and clothes – that great epiphany/ manifestation.  How does that event move you in your relationship with Christ?

At Nazareth we saw that place where Mary, our Lady, had a vision of Gabriel who announced that she was invited to become the Mother of the Blessed One, Mother of God Incarnate, and in her “yes” to that invitation she became the most blessed amongst women.  How do you hear God calling through angel voices to you – to what is God inviting you to say ‘”yes” – how does her humility speak to you?  And how do you, in your devotion, affirm Mary’s blessedness?   

At Bethlehem, the House of Bread, we encountered the Word made Flesh through stones and Sacred Bread.  Many were profoundly moved by stones built up for separation – many by a stone starred that we might see the place where the Word was made Flesh.  We were affected by stones and rocks – by caves and wells – in this hard land, each reminding us that God entered deep into the earth, both in birth and death.  How do you feel called to break down barriers and deepen your devotion to the Eucharist where Christ is timelessly present?  Deepen your life in the heart of Christ?

We saw the waters of Baptism, the waters of new life, and affirmed that we wanted to live that life, and one of us made a public declaration that he wanted to commit himself to walking that way.  How will you be refreshed in your life in Christ?

At the Mount of the Beatitudes we listened to Christ’s instructions on living a blessed life – how will you keep returning to be formed by those words? 

At Jerusalem we realised the horror of carrying the Cross, unrecognised by the crowds in life yet faithful to death.  So we venerated the place where He died just as we had the place where He had been born; powerful signs of the price God paid for us and the love, the deep love, that drew Him to die for you – and me.  What does Calvary say to you about the way you live?

Yet, just a few paces away, was the sign that life had not ended – that place continuously venerated by Christians for 2000 years, the place millions long to see and touch – the promise of eternal life in God which all our senses draw us to desire.  How does the resurrection speak into your heart?

So much seen, so many sings.  What do they mean for you?  R. S. Thomas expresses this well in one of his poems:

I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the pearl
of great price, the one field that had
treasure in it. I realise now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying …

on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.

LIVING IN THE RESURRECTION

So here, in the final place of encounter on our pilgrimage in the Holy Land, we remember two disciples who, dejectedly, walked the road to Emmaus.  But whose hearts were warmed – set on fire – as they journeyed through the scriptures.  Words came to life for them just as that stranger would be known by them.  Christ became present in bread just as he will become present in these elements; present to us that we might be made one with Him in the mystery of the Trinity.  For in our Faith Christ constantly invites us to know the Father in the love of the Spirit as He invites us to life in the Trinity. 

CONCLUSION

Just as we are indebted to the monks of this French monastery so generations have been indebted to another Frenchman, a 17^th century Jesuit – Fr. Jean Pierre de Caussade – who wrote an important book called ‘Self Abandonment to Divine Providence’. In it he writes of the ‘Sacrament of the Present Moment’ and says this:

‘There is no moment at which God does not present himself under the guise of some suffering, some consolation, or some duty.  All that occurs within us, around us, and by our means, covers and hides his divine action.  He is there, most really and certainly present, but in an invisible manner, the result of which is that we are always being taken by surprise.  Could we pierce the veil, and were we vigilant and attentive, God would reveal himself continually to us and we should rejoice in his action in everything that happens to us.  At every occurrence we should say 'Dominus est, it is the Lord.’

COME AND SEE - A Pilgrimage-retreat in the Land called Holy

Encountering Christ through the Land called Holy

A pilgrimage-retreat in the Holy Land

(with optional five-day extension to Petra, Jordan)

led by Fr. John-Francis Friendship

10^th – 21^st July 2017

(Jordan: 21^st – 25^th July)

Consequent to a successful Pilgrimage-retreat in 2015 I am pleased to announce that this will be repeated in 2017 – this time with the option of visiting Petra and other sites in Jordan!

The aims of this pilgrimage/retreat are to:

encounter Christ through the Land by travelling from Nazareth to Jerusalem and visiting many of the places associated with His life;

offer ways of encountering God through prayer, liturgy and meditation;

engage in an inner journey of ‘come and see’ in order to encounter Christ afresh in the depths of our being;

enjoy ourselves!

Visits will include Nazareth, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, Mt. Tabor, Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Abu Ghosh. We will sail on the Sea of Galilee and make the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa.  In Jordan We will stay at the Petra Marriott Hotel and at the Jordan Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa, visiting Mt. Nebo, the Crusader castle of Kerak, the Treasury at Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash and Bethany beyond Jordan, celebrating the Eucharist at some of the holy sites.

Some comments following our last visit:

The Pilgrimage-retreat was a unique experience as a whole – for me, the celebration of the Eucharist , the Homilies, the Prayers& Hymns were central and to be held in a land where Jesus actually lived and walked were priceless.  So many tours to the Holy Land seem to lack the spirit of a true pilgrimage.  This was totally the opposite and that’s why it was so special. (GG-J, Australia)

I do think that the structure of reflection, liturgy and prayers really helped to help me connect with the geography and places we were visiting and therefore ‘journey with Christ’. Thank you very much for the services and prayers that were prepared for us to use. And I am also very grateful for the times of ‘space’ while we were out – giving me a real chance to meditate and reflect on the journey (the outer and inner experience). (MO’B, Glos)

I felt that sharing this pilgrimage was a special journey as I found I encountered Christ in every pilgrim who walked alongside me, shared meals with me and conversed with me throughout the trip.  The prayer, worship, meditation and reflection revealed such a deep spirituality and I believe everyone contributed to this wonderful experience. (CH, Essex)

My head has still been in the Holy Land for the last week. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to go. I’ve come back a slightly different person to how I was before we left. (CP, London)

A COMPLETE BROCHURE for the HOLY LAND is available here and for PETRA AND JORDAN here.

Further information is available from:

Fr. John-Francis Friendship Tel: (020) 3583 9312

Email: jff2209@yahoo.com

Fully inclusive cost: £1870 (Jordan extension: £740)

Organised by:

McCabe Pilgrimages and

JOURNAL of a PILGRIM to the LAND CALLED HOLY

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2: Nazareth - Consider your Calling.

Today was the day we spent time in Nazareth, Considering Mary's - and our - call, as temp. climbed into the 30's.  Time at the Orthodox Church at Mary's Well before walking through the Old City and the souk to spend two hours at the Basilica of the Annunciation. Then time in Cana where people renewed wedding and partnership commitments.  Moving.  Eucharist back at the Convent of the Beatitudes.   Touched by deep sense of continuity as we encountered places still occupied by people over millennia.  Signs of Palestinian anger at Israel 's occupation evident even here.   We ended the day with moving hour of reflection in Chapel.   All early to bed tonight after not getting here until 2am this morning.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3: Galilee - Living out our Calling.

Just back from our 'cruise' on the Sea of Galilee after Mass on the shore at the site of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.   This is the place where, sadly, Jewish extremists recently tried to set fire to the church but only a part of the cloister was destroyed.   I am told that there have been further threats to destroy churches unless the Pope abandons support for a Palestinian State and 'recognises' the areas occupied by Israel (i.e. the Territories which the UN confirms are illegally occupied by Israel).  Once again it is Christians who are caught in the middle of the struggle between Jews and Muslims.  O pray for the peace of Jerusalem!   And we have seen signs of the ongoing attempts at reconciliation.   So staying here seems very appropriate and we will have a time of reflection on the Beatitudes before supper.

So - Mensa Christi, Church of the Multiplication,  a visit to Capernaum and then a leisurely time sailing on the Sea/Lake.  And lots of silence between the laughter and liturgies.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4: Mount Tabor and Jericho - the Passion begins.

Left hot and humid Galilee  (38c.) and drove to Mount Tabor to visit Church of the Transfiguration where we celebrated Mass.  Such a beautiful spot where heaven touched earth and glory shone out.   But love also made itself known at the Jordan where we

stopped at the newly re-opened Baptism site.   And here I was truly moved for after travelling down mile upon mile of barbed wire border fencing between Israel and Jordan here all bathed in the waters of the Jordan just 12 feet wide.  And who urged Israel to reopen the site for Christians?   King Abdullah of Jordan  (and  'some" foreign governments  - I dare not hope one might have been our Government - might we ever regain any moral authority  - or interest?). 

So here we are at the Lutheran Hostel in the Old City where the Dome's of Holy Sepulchre and the Rock stand out just a stones throw away.  Tomorrow the Via Dolorosa after Mass in the acoustically wonderful Church of S. Anne

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5: 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem! '

Salve Regina sung in the most wonderful Church of S. Anne (at the request of one of the pilgrims)  whose acoustics are renowned; a Liturgy for Healing at the Pool of Bethesda; Stations of the Cross including prayers at Station 10 (the Coptic Patriarchate) beneath a banner in memory of the Copts murdered on the beach by ISiL, and walking down the Mount of Olives praying at the churches of Dominus Flevit, the Pater Noster until we reached the Church of All Nations and Garden of Gethsemane - a rich and full day.   At the heart of which - and the goal of this Pilgrimage  - to venerate Calvary and be present at Holy Sepulchre where we shall be at 6.45am tomorrow!  DV.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6: 'This is my body, given for you.'

Awoken by the call of the minaret(s) from 4.30am!  These Jerusalem days start with invitations to pray which last until the booming bells of Holy Sepulchre begin 40 mins. later.   What to do apart from get up  - which 6 of us did - and go to pray with the Ethiopian's (and Copts, Latins and Armenians) in Holy Sepulchre. At least one can enter Christ's Tomb and pray there!

Later most of us attended the Eucharist at S. George's  (Anglican) Cathedral, which felt a bit like an Arabic outpost of the USA...  Good sermon from the Dean, Fr. Hosam, who preached on the text of the healing of the Syro -Phoenician Woman and drew out the parallels between the lengths she was prepared to go to have her daughter healed and the lengths Syrian mothers go to today to save their children.

After excellent buffet lunch at the College we split up for the afternoon with people visiting the Western Wall,  Armenian Cathedral (and how many people know of the Syrian Genocide of 1915?) etc.  I discovered that the S. Alexander Nevsky Church and Museum was open so visited there with some of the party - and was staggered to see a complete room from the days of Imperial Russia preserved there,  looked after by some young nuns of the Nursing Order founded by the Grand Duchess St. Elizabeth who was martyred in the Revolution.  And a solitary visit to Dormition Abbey and the State - run Chapel of the Upper Room.   Just a museum now...

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7: Bethlehem - 'And we have seen His glory'

Today we're spending time in Bethlehem.  This meant passing through the Wall of Separation and considering what it means to be living in a virtual ghetto.  That's both Palestinians and Israeli 's for whilst the former suffer ongoing oppression and injustice (illegal Settlements, loss of  land,  destruction of property, curtailment of basic rights etc...) the latter are victims of their own violence and history.  

So, on the day we celebrated the Nativity of our Lord with Mass in the Shepherd's Fields we also reflected on how His members suffer today.  And, through an unfortunate event, we also experienced the way those members help each other when in need.   As we left the Fields one of our party talked of feeling unwell - and where should we be heading but to lunch at the (Christian run - but open to all) Arab Rehabilitation Centre in Beit Sahour, a centre which includes a hospital!!!  Immediately  (!) she was seen by a doctor, tests then carried out and results awaited.  Thankfully not serious and the doctors gave their all-clear 10 mins. before the pilgrims returned from visiting the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem. The angels were on our side!

But it gave me a chance to talk with the administration  manager who is Syrian Orthodox.  Having fled the Turkish Great Genocide (the generic name for that genocide which the Turks inflicted on minority religious groups in the region) in 1915 her family moved to Bethlehem and now fears the total destruction of their Church.  So many Christians leaving, little hope for the future in their countries, a minority Arab group amongst Arabs - who wants the Christians?  They are so grateful for our interest and support but now fear further take-over of their land - even in the Palestinian Territories - by the Israelis.  There was a deep and painful sorrow in her words and I remembered with sadness the way our government seems to have washed its hands of  (moral) responsibility to protect a deeply persecuted minority in this region.  God forgive our hardness of heart!

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th: The Desert

Phew - another hot one!  This was to be our 'Desert Day', and the temperature was forecast to be in the 40's. But, in the event,  the sun was hidden all day by the effects of the 'shakir', a combination of events which brings a smog-like atmosphere throughout the region as fine dust from Egypt fills the air.  So at 8.30am we walked the steep path down (and up) the Wadi Qelt to the Monastery of S. George where Elijah is reputed to have lived in a cave.   Women with dresses and men in trousers were allowed in, together with a large group of Romanians led by their priest (in cassock - I felt I'd let the side down, being a wimp in shorts and polo shirt). Some of our group were allowed in and two came out an hour later glowing with wonder having shared in prayers with the Romanian 's,  been given a tour of the monastery (including seeing the skulls of the monks martyred by the Persians in the 7th.c.), and talking with one of the five - young - monks who seem to form the community. Others less modestly dressed walked further down the Wadi and wondered at the sheer silence,  beauty and sense of remoteness of the place which, in reality, is only a few kilometers from Jerusalem.  Yet it wasn't completely silent as all the time we heard the song of scores and scores of birds.

By noon we had left and were at the site of another community - at Qumran - probably inhabited by the Essenes at the time of Jesus where John the Baptist may have spent time and which must provide one of the roots of early Christian monasticism.  Having considered some of their practices I was struck by certain commonalities, not least by the way we all practice ritualised washing - the Essenes with twice-daily purification baths; Muslims who wash before praying, and  Christians who, apart from the bath of Baptism 'wash' themselves with Holy Water on entering a church and then may throw it over people at Asperges!  

Finally we went on to wash ourselves in the waters of the Dead Sea - and smear ourselves in mud.  And our skin feels utterly renewed!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9: Ein Karim, Abu Ghosh - 'Did not our hearts burn within us!'

Today we journeyed to Ein Karim and Emmaus: the first the place of Visitation (between Mary and Elizabeth), the second where the eyes of disciples were opened on the day of Resurrection as they travelled, talked together and broke bread.

And that has been our pattern - to 'break bread' eucharistically (joyfully), break bread in shared meals and talk together.  So each evening - and all this afternoon - pilgrims have reflected silently, shared in pairs and then amongst us all as they have considered what this Terra Divina has communicated to us.  And today, after our Eucharist and lunch in the tranquil setting of the Convent of the Sisters of Sion (founded by a Jew who converted in 1845), we spent the whole afternoon in that simple exercise before attending Vespers in the glorious,  ancient, beautiful and sacred space of the Benedictine Abbey of Abu Ghosh, one of the sites of the village of Emmaus.  So our pilgrimage from the Annunciation to the Resurrection concluded with the haunting song ofFrench nuns and monks from le Bec Hellouin twinned, of course, with Canterbury Cathedral.

But our first stop at Ein Karim had seen us acknowledge the Visitation by singing the Magnificat and Ave in the beautiful church dedicated to that mystery and then walking through that - sacred - village, now haunted by the murder of so many Christians and Muslims in 1948 as Jewish brigades fought their way up to Jerusalem.  And houses once homes to generations of mostly Christian Arabs are now bijou residences for artists,  their Christian symbols defaced and the ancient mosque under threat of demolition.  One is never far from the realities of history and the pain of people's thwarted lives as one seeks to be open to this Land made Holy by God.

One final reflection.  Throughout it has become clear - by many conversations with different people - that it is not the obvious injustices carried out by those who exercise power and control but the gradual drip, drip of injustices - the development of illegal Settlements,  confiscation of small amounts of land, daily oppressive treatment of one people by another, obfuscation by the State - all this and more which is, slowly, wearing down a people until a sense of hopelessness sets in.  Or until people say enough is enough - which is when their pain and anger can erupt in violence.

We ended today's journey with a sense of sadness as we said farewell to Bassam Abdalla, our excellent Guide who, for nine days, had shared his faith and passion, as well as his wisdom, knowledge, hopes and fears for this Land.  Tomorrow our journey ends as we celebrate for one last time that meal which our Lord shared with His disciples in a room just metres from here.  And we shall take as our theme His Ascension which occurred from a spot we shall gaze upon from our roof top setting.  So finally we must say : O pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

COME AND SEE - Prelude to a Pilgrimage

With just over two days to go before we begin our Pilgrimage-retreat I want to share with you images of the Church and Hospice of the Beatitudes in the Galilee where we will be staying for our first few days in the Holy Land. 

But first let me explain why we are beginning here when most pilgrimages end in this peaceful spot?The answer is simple.  This – fairly unique – pilgrimage seeks to follow in the steps of the Lord and trace his journey, which means we must travel from the peaceful Lakeside to the tempestuous City.  As pilgrims who are seeking to allow the Land to speak to us it is important to begin where Jesus began his ministry and then 'go down to Jerusalem'.   For this pilgrimage is not, simply, about going to holy places, it is also intended to enter into the heart of Jesus as he responded to his calling.  And if it was important for Jesus to begin in the Galilee, it is important for us, too.

http://beatitudeschurch.com/?page_id=218

NOTICE … SAVOUR … WONDER

‘Five gospels record the life of Jesus.  Four you will find in books and one you will find in the land they call holy. Read the fifth gospel and the world of the four will open to you.’   (With Jesus Through Galilee: According to the Fifth Gospel (Corazin Publishing, 1992) by Fr. Bargil Pixner OSB (1921 – 2002), Benedictine monk in Jerusalem’s Dormition Abbey)

Many of us will be familiar with the practice of Lectio Divina, that encounter with scripture which enables us to enter more deeply into a relationship with the Word of God.  It’s a practice that has been described as:  "divine reading" and describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us. …

The first stage is lectio (reading) where we read the Word of God, slowly and reflectively so that it sinks into us.  The second stage is meditatio (reflection) where we think about the text we have chosen and ruminate upon it so that we take from it what God wants to give us.  The third stage is oratio (response) where we leave our thinking aside and simply let our hearts speak to God.  This response is inspired by our reflection on the Word of God.  The final stage is contemplatio (rest) where we let go not only of our own ideas, plans and meditations but also of our holy words and thoughts.  We simply rest in the Word of God.  We listen at the deepest level of our being to God who speaks within us with a still small voice.’  (Order of Carmelites)

Our Pilgrimage to the Terra Divina (Holy Land) invites us to notice, savour and wonder at all we shall encounter through the Land called Holy.  And the Land is divided into fertile valleys and barren hill, rocky places of ancient solitude that have provided the stone which generations have used to build homes and sanctuaries; memorials to those who have walked and worked, lived and died for millennia.  The stones have witnessed it all and bear the imprint, both physically and spiritually, of the story of the peoples who have inhabited these places to which pilgrims will be present.  And generations have sensed that this land is holy, chosen and precious in the sight of that God they sought; which witnesses to their longings and desires and for God’s in-breaking.  T.S.Eliot reminds us of the way we need to approach such places:

                  If you came this way,
Taking any route, starting from anywhere,
At any time or at any season,
It would always be the same: you would have to put off
sense and notion.  You are not here to verify,
Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
Or carry report.  You are here to kneel
Where prayer has been valid.  And prayer is more
Than an order of words, the conscious occupation
Of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.

(Little Gidding – The Four Quartets)

Pilgrims to the Holy Land are visitors in the midst of peoples whose ancestors came from distant lands – Arabia and Assyria, Persia and Babylon.  Then, later, from Poland and Lithuania, Russia and America, Georgia and Armenia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece.  All drawn to this Terra Divina in search of – something.  Domination or sanctuary or security.  Thousands upon thousands whose pilgrimage brought them here. 

But it’s not just the cultures of different peoples pilgrims encounter but their stories as well, their hopes and dreams, desire for meaning, for purpose – for God.  I think it was the Israeli author, Amos Oz, who observed that here you can live in any country at any point in history – 16^th century Poland or 5^th century Ethiopia, 20^th century America or 7^th century Armenia.  This Land embraces a plethora of identities, cultures, histories, religious practices, dreams and desires all jostling for a place.  And pilgrims join them, for a brief moment, with their own identities, cultures, histories, religious practices, dreams and desires. 

This co-existence of peoples has gone on for thousands of years, sometimes peacefully, sometimes in conflict.  Perhaps, in Christian terms, the place where this is most apparent (as might be expected) is at the heart of our Faith, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.  A heart which has pulsed with the life of different cultures and peoples for two thousand years.  Some pilgrims are shocked at the experience of a church beating with difference, held together by observance of the ‘Status Quo’, a decree of the Ottoman Sultan Osman III in the 18th century that preserved the division of ownership and responsibilities of various sites important to Christians, Muslims, and Jews, to their current holders or owners.  To enter the heart of our faith can seem foreign, strange and exotic – different at every turn.  Indeed, so foreign did this feel to 19^th century British Protestants that they created their own ‘Garden Tomb’ who’s sensitively landscaped pleasant paths give a sense of re-assurance to those who, having noticed what they encounter in the Holy City, find the experience disturbing.  But we are invited to lay aside our own story and seek to be detached from where we have come from in order to be present to what is revealed.  For pilgrimage is: ‘a setting forth, a leave-taking from the familiar, from familiarity.  A trip into the unknown, both interior and exterior.  A moving away from what is known into what is unknown but longed for.’ (Following the Milky Way: A Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago by Elyn Aviva)  To taste and see, relish and savour, notice and wonder until we encounter the Word which speaks from and to the heart.  “Come and see” said the disciple Philip to Nathanael (John 1: 46)  And that’s the invitation addressed to all pilgrims as they prepare to step aside and journey into this land chosen by God to be a particular place of revelation for Jews, Christians and Muslims – to all who are open to be changed by a Divine Encounter.

John-Francis Friendship
July 2014

PILGRIMAGE-RETREAT TO THE HOLY LAND 2015

Come and See

Encountering Christ through the Land called Holy

A pilgrimage-retreat in the Holy Land

led by Fr. John-Francis Friendship and Fr. Mark Godson

1-10 September 2015

The aims of this pilgrimage/retreat are to:

encounter Christ through the Land by travelling from Nazareth to Jerusalem and visiting many of the places associated with His life;

offer ways of encountering God through prayer, liturgy and meditation;

engage in an inner journey of ‘come and see’ in order to encounter Christ afresh in the depths of our being;

enjoy ourselves!

Visits will include Nazareth, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, Mt. Tabor, Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Abu Ghosh. We will sail on the Sea of Galilee and make the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa.

A COMPLETE BROCHURE is available here

Further information is available from:

Fr. John-Francis Friendship Tel: (020) 3583 9312

Email: jff2209@yahoo.com

Fully inclusive cost: £1695

Organised by:

McCabe Pilgrimagesand

FINAL THOUGHTS AFTER A PILGRIMAGE

“Remember”, said Bassam our guide as we set off from Tel Aviv airport for the Galilee, “this is not a holiday but a pilgrimage”. The next nine days were to show us the difference and help us realise that we were pilgrims, not tourists. What is the difference? Well, a pilgrimage is to leave the known world for the unknown and to seek an encounter with what lies at the end of the journey. And what lay at the end was to be the greatest shock of all to many pilgrims: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The place marking Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Pilgrims experienced many uplifting moments and so many Masses in wonderful places. On the shores of the Sea of Galilee with the water lapping almost at our feet as the sun burned brightly above. Beneath the great arch of the Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem where Jesus was brought before Pilate. On a hill known as ‘Shepherd’s Fields’ where the angels sang their song of ‘Glory to God in the highest and peace to those of goodwill on earth’. Many were deeply moved by the stories we were told of the plight of Palestinians – both Muslim and Christian – and we wept by the wall which now separates Jews from Arabs through Bethlehem to Jerusalem. And we listened to a sermon at S. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem which helped put so much of what we had experienced into context. How Christianity, now the faith of only a tiny percentage of the population (1.3% and falling with the emigration of Palestinians to countries where they do not face economic and financial hardship) can still have such a profound effect through the vast array of social activities, schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centres etc. Our guide share his vast knowledge and deep faith until our heads were bursting and our hearts were touched. And pilgrims ‘saw the sights that Jesus saw’ and walked in the land where his feet trod (though, with the passage of time, often many metres below today’s ground level!) Those ten days open people eyes and hearts in a way that ten years of sermons have not done.

And for that I am grateful, for the purpose of this pilgrimage was to put people in situations where they could experience the reality of what they hear about week by week and year by year. But the goal of our pilgrimage was Jerusalem and the place where life overcame death. But just as our small group came to see and touch and venerate, so did thousands of others from around the world. And just as Jesus ‘went up to Jerusalem for the Festival’ (of Passover) so we came to Jerusalem at the time of a Muslim festival which added to the thousands of pilgrims from (seemingly) every nation on earth who came to be at this place – the heart of our Faith and the expression of human longing to be with the Lord. So, instead of a well-organised religious event as one might experience in England, we had to contend with so many different cultures and traditions all focussed on this (comparatively) tiny church of the Holy Sepulchre. Many find the experience too much – too shocking and prefer to be by the shores of the Sea of Galilee. And no doubt Jesus would have preferred to be with his friends in that quite, beautiful landscape. But he had to turn away from all that and press on to the heart of his own people’s faith. Jerusalem. So we also experienced the jostling crowds as we made the Way of the Cross down and up the steep lanes of the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows). We also felt ourselves at the mercy of political forces which oppress part of the population. We also had to decide whether we wanted to affirm ourselves as part of the body of Christ or merely be bystanders, onlookers – tourists.

Each pilgrim has their own story to tell. For me this – work – (for that is what it was) re-affirmed the importance of bringing people on pilgrimage and allowing them to stand where Jesus stood, where he was crucified and where he lay in the tomb and to simply allow them to respond to God who did such mighty things in that Land we call Holy.

PILGRIMS PROGRESS (8)

WEDNESDAY, 17TH NOVEMBER – Abu Gosh and Ein Karim

Tonight, a tearful farewell to Bassam (our Guide) and Wa’lid (our driver). Bassam was an excellent guide who spoke with great knowledge and from his heart shared his passion for this land and for his people. It was good to work with him in such a constructive and easy way.

We began by visiting the Church of S. Peter in Gallicantu (‘cock-crow’) where we had Mass in the crypt. The church is built on the site of a Byzantine church (as so many are) which commemorated the house of the High Priest, Caiaphas. After exploring the prison in which Christ was held during his trial we drove on to Abu Gosh, only to find it closed as the church closed at 1100. The village is the site of ancient Kiriath-Jearim, where the Ark of the Covenant rested whilst in the hands of the Philistines. Bassam, not to be put off, took us to visit the lovely church of ND d’Arche de l'Alliance (Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant) with its spectacular views over the valley leading to Jerusalem. Lunch was at the Convent of the Sisters of Sion in Ein Karim from where we walked up the hill to the Church of the Visitation, passing Mary’s Well and the abandoned mosque built over it. This place always moves me as it is one of the villages attacked by the Jewish Brigades in 1948, many of whose Arab inhabitants are still living in refugee camps in Bethlehem (over the hill) after they were expelled from their homes. There are two churches here to commemorate the two homes of Elizabeth and Zacharias, parents of John the Baptist. The one in the village contains the shrine to his birth and the other marks the place of the Visitation. It was there that we met an American Franciscan who informed us that today is the feast of S. Elizabeth (of Hungary), patron of the Third Order of S. Francis!

Our final visit was to the Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book where Bassam explained the model of Jerusalem in the 1st cent. AD and then took us to the Shrine. It was after our visit there that we bade farewell to him as we overlooked the Knesset. It seemed so appropriate that, having started our pilgrimage in ancient Galilee we were ending it looking at the sign of Israel (and Palestine’s) future from a place with two memorials – to the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness. So much to ponder at the close of a memorable pilgrimage.

PILGRIMS PROGRESS (7)

TUESDAY, 16TH NOVEMBER - Jerusalem

Today was a ‘free day’ with an optional walking tour of the Old City in the morning – to which everyone came. There was some cloud around coming up from the south but it was dispersed by the mountains. I led the group to the Western Wall and then through the Jewish Quarter (stopping for coffee at a place with wonderful views over the Pinnacle of the Temple and the City of David). Then, stopping to view the remains of the walls dating back to the First Temple period (1000BC – 587BC) we went to the Cardo and saw the painting of the road as it would have appeared in the Roman period. After that we unfortunately ‘lost’ two of the group! However, they were rediscovered later in the afternoon no worse for their experience. The rest of us walked as far as the Armenian Quarter and S. James’ Cathedral (closed – we got there after 12noon) and, needing lunch I found a café David’s Citadel (Jaffa Gate) which could take us. After that many of the group felt confident enough to explore on their own and I, having bought a few presents, spent a relaxing hour drinking pomegranate juice in Muristan before heading back to the hotel.

Today the Old City and East Jerusalem was much quieter as it’s the end of the festival commemorating the birth of Mohammed. At least, that’s what I think Muslims have been celebrating as I haven’t found anyone who can explain it to me…

PILGRIMS PROGRESS (6)

MONDAY, 15TH NOVEMBER – Bethlehem

Another beautiful day and early start. Drove via valleys through quiet Checkpoint to Shepherd’s Fields where I celebrated Mass at the edge of the domain overlooking the hills and nearest Jewish Settlements. Taught the pilgrims to sing the Angelus (and other things) then to see the Chapel of the Angels (by Antonio Barluzzi) before the group were let loose in the Holy Land Handicraft Cooperative Society where they managed to fund the Palestinian economy for the next year… After that we went for lunch via a detour to view the Security Wall at the Beit Jalla Refugee Camp. This had a profound effect on many of us as we saw close up the massive concrete blocks which now intrude into the lives of the population. Many people from many countries have used the wall, as they did in Belfast, to express their rage and anger, fears and philosophy about this development. It is a reminder of the walls one finds in any divided society but in particular of those places which have found a need to separate communities. Whatever the short term benefits of this form of security, the long term effects can only add to the divisions and the violence associated with frustration and anger. Yet as the Jewish writer, Amos Oz, pointed out the Jews have become accustomed to living behind walls and the ‘ghetto mentality’ is deeply ingrained in the experience of many. Yet who is imprisoned? Who, exactly, is walled in? They have created another ghetto, but just who exists in it is questionable.

Lunch was at the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation, a project founded by Gp. Cpt. Leonard Cheshire in 1960 and still run by Christians and now an important hospital for the West Bank. Whilst we were there we were told that Christians now form only 1.5% of Israel’s population of app. 5mill. Many have emigrated because of the situation and because of the fear that this exodus will continue, but there are some who are trying to create work for young Christians to help them remain in the land.

After lunch we drove into Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem where we were able to venerate the birth-place of Jesus and visit the caves associated with S. Jerome and the early monks. We were lucky to have to queue for only 30mins before we gained entrance and were able to sing our Christmas carols in the grotto of the Nativity. It was first erected by Empress Helena in 323, destroyed during a revolt in 529 and subsequently rebuilt by the Emperor Justinian. The building we is a remarkable place in that it has avoided destruction since that time.

We were able to spend time in prayer here before returning to the hotel – and the noisy bustle of the final day of the Muslim feast of the Hajj. On the way back I discovered that the Muslims in Israel are Sunni, not Shi’ite, which explains why they are less ‘fundamentalist’ than their Shi’ite counterparts. Certainly it’s more relaxing here than in West Jerusalem and more welcoming – maybe another example of the way in which living in ghetto’s and formed by a religion that is very exclusive affects the way in which one deals with strangers.

PILGRIMS PROGRESS (5)

SUNDAY, 14TH NOVEMBER

Early visit to the Holy Sepulchre with Phyllis, Ken, Kaye and Cathy. Time with the Ethiopians, Greeks (beware the man with the fez and silver stick) and Franciscans and then Mass at S. George’s Cathedral. The readings couldn’t have been more appropriate and the sermon addressed the issue of persecution of Christians in Iraq in a way that pointed out the positive influence of this small community in the Middle East.

Lunch was at the Jerusalem Hotel and then on to the Jeel al-Amal Boys Home in Bethany. Here, as in many other places, Christians and Muslims work together for the benefit of others and the group were introduced to the plight of Palestinians in a way that they will continue to experience first-hand. Afterwards we were able to visit the Church of Mary, Martha and Lazarus before coffee in the ‘real’ arab tent – diwans et al.

Tonight’s processing of the day after dinner led to some difficult discussions. I should have explained more about the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before we made our first visit but the difficulty of encountering the crowds of such a wide variety of different cultural expressions of faith cannot be understood without experiencing it. I was also grateful to Basaam for pointing out that this is a pilgrimage, not a tour, as well as his comments that the Temple buildings are not important to Christians as we have Christ as the true Temple.

Finally I reflected on the contrast between society here and back home. I was reminded of the lack of violence, drunkenness etc. in the streets and the way in which (by and large) people respect each others, not least visitors like us.

PILGRIMS PROGRESS (4)

SATURDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER – In Jerusalem

Another glorious morning with the sun shining down and some high cloud but little sign of autumn. We left at 8am and travelled to the Mount of Olives where we began the Palm Sunday journey, first descending into the Kidron Valley by way of the churches of the (French Carmelite) Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit and All Nations. The environs of this church include the Garden of Gethsemane and, although it was very full, it was strangely possible to find – at the enclosed rock of the Agony, a space to pray and for a few moments it seemed as if one was alone in spite of the hundreds of people around.

Basaam guides very well and gave a very full description of the history of this city from a vantage point in a Jewish cemetery overlooking the eastern side of the city. From here we continued down (visiting Dominus Flevit and All Nations as we descended) into the Kidron Valley where we passed the Tomb of the Virgin. The Orthodox tradition is that it was here that the Virgin Mary died and was taken by angels into heaven (a belief shared by Muslims who, when the Caliph Hakim was destroying churches in 1091 spared this place because of their veneration for this site.

We began our climb into the city passing through S. Stephen’s Gate (known as the Gate of Miriam by Muslims) and stopping at S. Anne’s Church (whose acoustics are world famous and where we sang the Salve Regina) and the Pool of Bethesda. In the church we visited the Grotto of the Virgin, where we prayed, then onto the Chapel of the Flagellation where Basaam talked about the city using the model displayed there. After that it was onto lunch at the Convent of the Sisters of Sion (Ecce Homo) and Mass in their wonderful chapel with the dramatic arch - part of the Antonia Fortress – enclosing the sanctuary. We sang again and found the acoustics were almost as good as in S. Anne. After Mass we returned to the Chapel of the Flagellation as the actual First Station is n the Islamic school opposite. Basaam explained that to avoid being pestered by shopkeepers we should pray as we went so we prayed the Jesus Prayer throughout right up to Calvary. I think this may have been the first time some of us had prayed in such a public way but no one took any notice of us and did, indeed, respect our devotion.

Holy Sepulchre was not as crowded as I had expected and we were able to venerate Calvary although there were long queue’s to enter the Holy Sepulchre so I suggested we make our veneration using the chapel of the Copts at the rear as it provides an access point to the marble of the Tomb inside the Sepulchre.

I realise that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a shock for many pilgrims as it doesn’t quite conform to our English sense of decorum. At the time when we visited (app. 4pm) it was noisy, pushy, hot and sweaty with people from every nation jockeying for position. And if, for some, that meant pushing in – so be it. But, as Basaam pointed out, it is not the building that matters for, as Christ said, the true Temple of God was his body. So it matters not that the place seems chaotic (it is actually carefully organised to maintain the ‘Status Quo’ and prevent real chaos) what matters is that one is present where Christ died and rose again.

So, after our long Via Dolorosa we sat down for coffee and then wandered through he lanes of the Old City back to the Hotel where the evening was rounded off by the ‘Sultan’s Feast’ and those wonderful dancing boys!



FRIDAY, 12TH NOVEMBER - The Jordan Valley

Off again to a blinding sun at 8am and down the Jordan Valley taking in the ‘Baptism Site’ – created by the Israeli Govt. since they declared the actual site a military zone near the Allenby Bridge a prohibited zone. Then on down the barren valley stopping at the (Greek Orthodox) Monastery of S. Jeronimus (near the Allenby Bridge) and then on to the desert hilltop fortress of Masada. How the place had changed since I was here in 1998! The facilities for visitors now equal to its status as a World Heritage Site. Always, though, moving for its history as the final place of resistance by a Jewish garrison against the Romans. But was their suicide (recorded by the Roman convent Josepheus Flavius) ethical?

Then back to Jericho noting the water-mark of the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1911 (?), now many metres above the Dead Sea where we had lunch in a Palestinian restaurant. I ha d a sense that the difference between what was offered there and what we had experienced in the (Jewish) Galilee was beginning to be noted. After lunch we drove to see the Tree of Zaccheus, now enclosed in a building site paid for by the Russians as they develop a new church and museum (?), the Monastery of Quarantine and the ancient walls of Jericho, excavated by the redoubtable English archaeologist, Kathleen Kenyon.

Finally we drove down back to the Dead Sea so that people could bathe in its waters. And what a tale that was! I was moved by the way people who had a fear of water found they did not drown. A small but significant move.

All that happened as the sun set and after 45mins we set off for Jerusalem. The expectation built up about our arrival was dashed by the reality of living in Arab East Jerusalem. Dirty, noisy and crammed with people (hwy isn’t it as pleasant as the Galilee run by the Israeli’s?). So we disembarked in the run-down East Jerusalem Bus Station (ah, how many buses have I caught from there!). But the ‘Golden Walls Hotel’ proved an oasis of beauty in the apparent squalor of the city. So après-dejuener enabled me to answer questions focussing on the situation here until we all retired to bed …