This morning we went as a group for Mass at the Greek Catholic Church in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is about a five minute walk from the Notre Dame Center, and it was a very beautiful morning. As an aside, all of our days here in Jerusalem, except for the first two or three, have been gorgeous: clear skies and crisp air. The church is a beautiful place; the whole interior is covered in icons, even the ceiling. There we celebrated in a very beautiful way the ending of the Christmas Season with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
The rest of the day was free until the evening. Many of us spent it exploring Jerusalem, especially the Old City and all the many interesting sites and churches there. Being at the Notre Dame Center has really put us close to the heart of the Christian mysteries here in Jerusalem.
In the evening we met with Cardinal George, who is in Israel with the heads of the bishops’ conferences from the other English speaking nations. It is a regular trip they make in order to show their solidarity with the Church here in the Holy Land and to find out what it is that they can do for the Church here. Our meeting with him gave us the chance to gain his insight into the many different things that we have been experiencing here: Israeli/Palestinian conflict, interreligous dialogue (or the lack there of), and even his experience of the Holy Land and his desire for how it will help to make us better priests.
Today is the first day of Ordinary Time! Contrary to commercial practices, that means Christmastime has just ended. Today also marks the end of the first week here in Jerusalem. We arrived from Galilee last Monday, had several days of early wake-ups for the Stations of the Cross and Mass at the Holy Sepulcher, but now we’ve settled into a more regular routine. Today was a regular class day with the afternoon free. What does that look like?
Here at the Notre Dame Center, on a class day, we have breakfast at 7:30 am, Morning Prayer at 8:40 am, then class starting at 9:00 am. First Fr. McIlhone teaches us on the Gospel of Matthew, then Fr. Akpunonu teaches us the History of Israel. Each class lasts an hour and a half, with a break in between with coffee, tea, and cookies.
Every year a different Synoptic Gospel is taught on pilgrimage, the same Gospel as the Sunday lectionary cycle. This year is year A, hence Matthew. We especially focus on the passages that come up in the lectionary.
History of Israel focuses on the history of the People of Israel as recounted in the Old Testament. The idea is to develop the narrative and historical context for the whole of Salvation History. Both this class and Matthew are very aptly taught here in the Holy Land, where almost daily we are encountering the very places spoken of in the Scriptures.
Since we had a free afternoon, the brothers took advantage of this to wander around to various parts of the city, work on homework, or relax in the hotel. The Holy Sepulcher is just minutes away, as is Jaffa Street, which is part of the new city with lots of small shops and restaurants. The Notre Dame Center is really in an ideal location!
Today we had a full day of classes and an speaker in the afternoon on Judaism. One of the many good points of studying the Gospel of Matthew with Fr McIlhone is that he asks us at the end of each passage how we will preach on it. Not only is the meaning of the Gospel opened up for us but we are also invited to move into the next phase of our preparation for deaconate and priesthood by reflecting on how we will bring the scriptures alive for the people we are sent to minister to as deacons and then by God’s abiding grace priesthood.
Fr Peter Damian hasn’t had to "skin one of us alive" yet. Today we discussed the ten plaques in Egypt and how God’s power was revealed to pharaoh using natural phenomenon. He also spoke to us about some of the Jewish agricultural feasts celebrated during the year.
In the afternoon we had a presentation on Judaism. One of the things that struck me during the presentation was the process of exegesis used in the Mishnah. It is similar to the who, what, when and where process we have been taught. One of the questions they ask is what the people in the passage might say to one another during the course of a conversation in the context of the situation presented. They also pay close attention to the repetition of redundant phrases. We were given another tool to place in our toolbox as preachers of the Gospel.
Today we were originally scheduled to go out with Catholic Relief Services to visit several of their projects here in the Holy Land. However, due to schedule changes, this was pushed back to our last week in the Holy Land and today was changed to a free day for us.
This was another busy day for us. In the morning we had the two classes that we are taking for this second half of the pilgrimage: The Gospel of Matthew with Fr. McIlhone and the History of the Old Testament with Fr. Akpunonu. Both of the teachers are plowing quickly and deeply into their respective materials.
After Mass and lunch, we had the second lecture by a local Jewish woman on Judaism. She is a very entertaining woman, though the difficulty many of the man had is whether she really represents the modern experience of Judaism. We have heard so many times that the Jewish community here in Israel is extremely varied and divided in its view of Judaism and Jewish life. Regardless, she gave us a very colorful and warmhearted experience of what it means for her to be a Jew today in Israel.
Almost immediately after this talk, we all climbed on a bus and drove to the other side of the Old City and across the Kidron Valley. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Church of All Nations, which enshrines Christ’s Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. To the side of the Church are some ancient olive trees, some reputed to be over two thousand years old (others say about eighteen hundred years old, but either way they are ancient). The church itself was built with donations from many different countries, each of which is symbolized on the ceiling of the church, hence its name. In the floor of the church, at the foot of the altar, is a large white stone, a boulder really, that is fairly flat except for some dramatic indentations in it in the middle. This is the rock where our Lord prayed in agony to His Father while the disciples slept.
We were blessed to be able to spend an hour in prayer at this place. In some ways this place can be considered the beginning of Christ’s Passion, which lead to His death and our salvation. Our time there gave us the opportunity to sit with this great moment and mystery of our salvation; it also gave us the time to unite ourselves to Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection in a new way.
Another regular class day, with two classes in the morning. Then Mass. Everyone takes their turn with the various ministries: Acolyte, Lector, Cantor, etc. The priests take turns preaching, too.
The highlight today was a lecture in the afternoon by a VERY interesting local Jesuit. After the lecture, many of us felt that he was the best speaker we’ve heard so far, and there have been many of them!
Father wears many hats: he teaches Scripture at the Latin Patriarchate Seminary in Beit Jala (right next to Bethlehem) that we visited in December. He also teaches in various capacities in Israel, and he’s the pastor of the Hebrew Catholic parish in Haifa! It was funny, because Sr. Kathleen introduced him as the head of the Scripture department at the seminary, and then he revealed that he IS the Scripture department, responsible for teaching all the courses.
He spoke on Catholic/Jewish relations, more specifically Vatican/Israel relations. He also revealed his own very interesting story: he was raised Jewish in South Africa. When things got dangerous there his parents sent him to stay with relatives in Israel. Here he met an old Orthodox nun who changed his life, eventually leading to his entering the Catholic Church, and later becoming a priest!
Father spoke on the situation in Israel, the development of the state of Israel, and the way the Holocaust (or Shoah) continues to play a key role in identity and relationship between Catholics and Jews. This is obviously a very delicate and controverted issue, and Fr. spoke with calm confidence and conviction. Then he examined the theological impact of the founding of the state of Israel and Zionism, and the engagement of the Palestinians in light of this. Finally, he examined the work of Vatican II in opening doors between Jews and Catholics. When our time was up, many of us were hungry for more!
The last few days have provided the opportunity for Father Peter Damian and Father McIlhone to keep us focused on the academic aspect of our pilgrimage. Today is lighter in that we don’t have a late afternoon speaker at 3:00 p.m. It doesn’t make any sense but the gap between the end of classes in the morning and anticipating a speaker at 3:00 p.m. feels like the day has demanded more energy than if we had the entire afternoon free to visit the holy sites here in Jerusalem or catch up on the reading we need to accomplish for our classes. I guess there are times when the experience of life just doesn’t make sense.
Today we took a long trip to the southern region of Israel: the Negev Desert. We visited two sites. The first site was Avdat, which was an ancient city of the Nabatean Kingdom. The Nabateans were a nomadic, trading people who ran great caravans of hundreds, even over a thousand camels, through the desert. The great wealth they accumulated because of their trade induced them to settle in various spots along their caravan routes, and one of these places was the hill of Avdat.
Being at Avdat means being in the Negev, which is a desert. Yet, the Nabateans were able with great ingenuity to make the Negev bloom. At Avdat is a giant winepress, a sign of the fertility the Nabateans drew from the land.
Also at Avdat are the ruins of a Byzantine Church, where we celebrated Mass in the open air. Thankfully it was a pleasant day, seeing as we had not protection from wind, sun, or rain.
From Avdat, we headed back north to the northern edge of the Negev. There we visted the site of Beer-sheba, the city of the Patriarchs. It was in this area that the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spent a great deal of their time. The excavations on this tel have not revealed much from that time, but work has not finished.
This was a free day for us, the first in several days. It was a welcome relief from the hectic pace of classes and trips. Most of the brothers filled it with many their own activities, but it was in general a relaxed day. For some, it was a day of resting after the AFC and NFC championship games; they had to stay up until five in the morning to watch the end of the last game. They were grateful, though, that there was a place that was carrying the game. Others used this day to catch up on the school work. There are a few papers that we have to write for our classes here, and yesterday was a good day to get a lot of work done on those various projects. Still others used the day to visit different sites here in Jerusalem, or to spend time in prayer at their favorite places. It was a very welcome day indeed.
Already into our third week in Jerusalem! Today we kept up the rhythm with classes in the morning: Gospel of Matthew and then History of Israel. Then after Mass and lunch we had our last Reflection Groups with Sr. Kathleen, and a speaker.
These reflection groups have been going on since we arrived. If you haven’t heard about them, here they are in brief: About every week or so we write about 3 pages in our Integrating Journal examining the spiritual movements and themes of the previous days, as well as our reading in On Contemplation and Prayer, a compilation of texts on prayer from various saints and teachers of the faith. This is handed in and read for feedback by either Sr. Kathleen, or Fr. Dan, the pastor-in-residence. The same day we hand it in, we have about 45 minutes or so to share some of it with our reflection groups. It’s a chance to hear where other guys are at in the pilgrimage, providing a helpful wider perspective. This was our last group meeting, as our future efforts in the last weeks will be focused on a self and pilgrimage evaluation.
Then we had our penultimate speaker. He is a leader on Christian-Jewish relations here in Israel. He spoke very well on "What is the Jewish State?" In a very entertaining and perceptive matter, he examined a series of ways Israeli society occurs in the "between": Heaven and Earth, East and West, Past and Future, and Minority and Majority. Then, he used this lens to examine 8 different ways of defining/describing the Jewish State. All have played and play a role in the perception of Israel from within and without. Finally, he talked a little about current political/ideological views on the state. All in all it was a great way to get a glimpse of the overwhelmingly complex dynamics at play here.
At the beginning of the trip, our very first speaker welcomed us and talked about the enormous complexity of the Holy Land on multiple levels. He said that the longer he’s been here, the more layers and levels he sees. I have to say, personally, that after almost 10 weeks, I’m beginning to see what he meant! I feel like I understand a lot more, but I also see how most of the simple answers or conclusions ignore a lot of important facts, positions, or people! May the Lord guide all of us!
Today we visited sites in and around Jerusalem. One that was very memorable for me was the site containing a Model of the Temple. It is located outside in an open area so we were able to view Jerusalem from the north, south, east and west. The model really put things in perspective. We recognized sites we have been to in relation to the Temple Mount, Herod’s Palace and the Dome on the Rock to mention only a few.
Visiting the Holocaust Museum was a very powerful experience. What struck me the most were the videos with holocaust survivors describing the experience of their families as well as their own personal experiences. One could easily spend 4 ½ hours and still not be able to see all of the exhibits. In the midst of all the devastation trees had been planted in memory of the people who had assisted the Jews as they fled for their lives. In a very real sense it was an experience of life springing forth from death.
After classes in the morning, we set out in the afternoon for the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. This church commemorates Peter’s triple denial of Christ at the house of the high priest ("galli" comes from the Latin word for rooster and "cantu" comes from the Latin word for sing). It is built on some ruins that are believed to be the house of Caiphas the high priest. At this Church we celebrated Mass, and then had a tour of the site. Part of the tour included all of us cramming into a small pit that is believed to have been a cellar at the time of Christ. Most likely it also served as a prison/holding cell for those the high priest had on trial.
We had to cut our trip to St. Peter in Gallicantu short because we then went to a Christian Unity Event at the Cenaculum (the Upper Room). During the whole Week of Prayer for Christian Unity there are different prayer events around Jerusalem and the holy sites. The prayer service is rather basic, but it was powerful to see all these Christians of many different denominations brought together in the Cenacle to pray for the unity of the Church. The service itself was mostly in English, but there were also parts in German and Spanish. At the time of the intercessions, it was opened up to all the faithful to offer petitions in their native language. After the prayer service, the room where the Holy Spirit descended on the Mary and the Apostles was opened up so that the faithful could go in and pray. It was a great chance to spend a few minutes praying in the same place where the Holy Spirit came down so dramatically on the Apostles and the Church was born. May the unity that existed return soon to the Christian community.
We had class in the morning, and in the afternoon, we had our last outside lecture for the pilgrimage. The speaker presented a very interesting topic: Biblical Themes on the Land. He talked about different ways of reading the Bible in regards to the theme of the promise of the Holy Land to the Jews. His aim was to present a Catholic reading of the promises in a present context. It was a very interesting topic in light of the various tensions here in the Holy Land.
Jordan! We woke up this morning, bundled up our gear, and after a quick breakfast, headed for Jordan! First the bus dropped down to Jericho in the Jordan Valley, then we headed north for the area near Bet’Shean, and the Sheikh Hussein bridge, one of three crossings from Israel to Jordan. That took us a good 3 hours or so. After another hour or so we’d finished passing through the Israeli border post, onto the shuttle bus, across the Jordan (more of a big stream than a big river!) and through the Jordanian officials as well. With relief and excitement we met our Jordanian Guide, the tourist policeman who would accompany us, and our bus driver. With no further ado, we headed south for Madaba and Mount Nebo.
After passing through any number of towns and villages, and passing innumerable fields full of vegetable greenhouses surrounded by desert, we started to climb up out of the Jordan Valley towards Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the Promised Land before he died. We passed on by to head into Madaba for lunch… it was almost 2:00 by this time, and we were famished! The highlight of lunch, as it rained outside, was hot fresh "pita" bread coming straight out of the oven! Most felt it was by far the best bread we’ve had on the whole trip! And not just because we were hungry!
Then we visited the Church of the Map in Madaba, famous for the remnant of a mosaic map from the 6th century, showing most of the Holy Land. After an explanation and some time to look at the rest of the church, we hurried back to the bus through the drizzle to head for Mt. Nebo. As soon as we got there, we had Mass in a prayer room because the church is being renovated. Then we headed out to the crest of the hill to see what we could see. Providentially, the rain stopped for a bit and the sun tried valiantly to come out. We didn’t get anything like clear skies, but it was probably the clearest it had been all day.
Then we headed south for Petra. Fog and snow settled in, and maybe even some sleet, so the long drive became longer. Finally, by about 9:00 our very good bus driver pulled us safely into the Movenpick Nabatean Castle! The hotel was beautiful, even in the rain, and dinner was much appreciated. Tomorrow, Petra!
This was our second day in Jordan. The focus of the day was visiting the ancient civilization of Petra. We really got our exercise in for today and then some. It was about 2.5 miles in and then again 2.5 miles out. There were opportunities to ride by horseback, on a donkey or in a horse drawn carriage. Some of the pilgrims took advantage of the horseback riding opportunity. Sister Kathleen had an exhilarating experience riding on a very spirited horse. I can’t wait to see the picture where the horse is galloping off as she turns and waves for a picture with a big smile on her face!
The rock formations we walked through were awe inspiring. The colors were beautiful by themselves but they were enhanced when they became wet from the rain we had. We celebrated our daily Mass on the ruins of a Byzantine Church. By the end of the day everyone was ready to get some rest at the hotel we stayed at which was right on the Dead Sea.