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November 21, 2022

Thy Kingdom Come – The Solemnity of Christ the King

Greetings, Superfriends! This week we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. That’s a pretty exalted title, but one that is well deserved. What does it mean to acknowledge that Christ has dominion over us, and especially our hearts? How does the Church show us that the Kingdom of God is quintessentially different from any earthly kingdom or authority? Each homily was a bit different this week, but the essentials are below. The video is from the 5:00 Vigil Mass.

Thy Kingdom Come – Vid from the 5:00 Vigil Mass

[The King Spud Joke.]

It is a very perplexing sort of juxtaposition. On the one hand we are celebrating the Solemnity of Our Lord Christ the King of the Universe. On the other hand, we have this gospel reading from Luke 23:35-43, where Jesus is hanging on the Cross and the good thief asks him to remember him when he comes into his kingdom. Jesus’ answer is “This day you will be with me in paradise.”

There’s a lot to unpack here.

First of all, what does it mean to acknowledge Christ as King? This is difficult for us Americans because we got rid of our monarchy 246 years ago. It helps to remember that a monarch had dominion. This means he had authority over the land and everything and everyone on it. But he did not own it. It was given to him by God to be placed under his care. At his death a king would be judged on how the land and the people prospered materially, culturally and morally under his care. He was a steward, not an owner.

This feast was established relatively recently by Pope Pius XI in 1925. He did so to emphasize that, in the face of the rising secularism of our day, it is Christ who is sovereign over all creation, including every human person. The feast also has an eschatological dimension. At the end of the age, the Kingdom will be established in fullness and Christ shall reign supreme. This is why it is celebrated on the last day of Ordinary Time, on the threshold of Advent, when we contemplate the second coming of Christ in glory.

Second, dying a brutal death by an incredibly cruel method of execution does not seem to be the way to establish the Kingdom. As we will see in May when Charles III is crowned King of England, it is usually done with great pomp and circumstance and lots of fancy clothes and shiny things. What was it about Jesus that allowed the thief on his right to see who Jesus really was, even in the midst of his own suffering? That is a faith that looks into eternity. THAT’S the kind of faith that I want!

Third, Jesus’ answer to the thief lets us know that the Kingdom is not just some distant, future reality. It is something that we can experience “today.” This is cause for reflection. There is an immediacy to the Kingdom, its benefits, its responsibilities, and our role in helping it unfold in the present day.

One thing is obvious. The Kingdom of God is very different from any kingdom on this earth. It bears none of the trappings of this world and thus transcends the vagaries of this world. So much so that even a dying, repentant thief could recognize the King of the Universe as he hung upon the Cross.

What’s the key? Quite simply, the Kingdom of God is not made of bricks or stone or pomp or circumstance or lots of shiny things. It is made up of relationships. Relationships with God and with one another.

Relationships are not rocket science. If you want a relationship to grow, you give it two things.

1. Time, and

2. Attention

If you want your relations with Christ to grow,

You give it time and attention

Once again, I say, “If you cannot find ten minutes a day for private prayer with Our Lord, your life is out of control and you need to make adjustments…no excuses.”

If you want your relationship with your spouse, your family, your friends to grow

You give it time and attention.

Very few relationships end because of conflict

Conflict is simply a symptom.

Very many relationships die because of neglect.

This coming year we are preparing for my 40^th class reunion. Quite frankly, we are just amazed at how many of us are still alive.

But here’s a good exercise. Go back and pull out your high school yearbook from your senior year.

Count how many people wrote in your book that you would always stay in touch. Think about how many times you wrote that in the yearbooks of others.

Where are those people now?

Very few relationships end because of conflict

Very many relationships die because of neglect.

If you want a relationship to grow, give it time and attention.

If I was the Evil One, I would try to steal your time.

I would fill your life with so many good things.

Not bad things

Good things:

Career, responsibilities, hockey, soccer, volleyball, dance, video games, even volunteering…you name it, so that you would not have time to give attention to the essential relationships….to what really matters.

The Kingdom of God is built of relationships

In fact, we even describe it in terms of the most intimate relationship that we humans can have with one another,

We call it being in full communion

with God and with one another in the Church

In this holy communion, who I am is intimately joined at the very level of being with who God is

And who you are as the body of Christ.

This is celebrated in the Eucharist as we celebrate and receive holy communion from this very altar.

Virtue deepens this communion

Sin injures or severs this communion

Reconciliation restores this communion.

In the end, it is not our stuff that we take with us when we leave this earth

It is the relationship we build while we are here

Our communion with Christ and with one another.

This is our treasure in heaven.

It’s all about trajectory.

And it begins now

The Kingdom of God is close at hand

Because you and I are close at hand.

Let us build these relationships with Christ and one another

while there is still time

So that we may say today and every day into eternity

“Thy Kingdom come.”

November 17, 2022

Ask Fr. Leo – Is Advent a Penitential Season? Can I say “Merry Christmas” in Advent?

Dear Fr. Leo:

I always thought Advent was a season of prayerful preparation for Christmas, but our deacon said that Advent is also a penitential season. Is that why the color of Advent is purple? – P

Dear P,

Thanks for the question. Advent is one of my favorite liturgical seasons. Personally, I find it a welcome respite and a spiritual refuge from the insanity that typifies the commercial “Holiday Season.” Advent gives us a chance to contemplate Christ’s return glory at the end of the age, even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming in humility. It gives balance, perspective, and focus to concentrate on what Christmas is really all about. Regarding your question, you are both right.

As early as the fourth century, we see certain bishops in the West proscribing spiritual exercises and penance in preparation for the celebration of the Nativity, albeit less strictly than in Lent. The oldest mention of norms for Advent come from St. Gregory of Tours, in the second book of his History of the Franks. Gregory’s predecessor Perpetuus, (c. 480) decreed that the people of Tours should fast three times a week and perform acts of penance from the feast of St. Martin on November 11th until Christmas. It’s tough to say whether Perpetuus was establishing this practice or simply regulating an earlier one. In 567, the second Council of Tours instructed the monks to fast from the beginning of December until Christmas. This observance was soon taken up by the laity. In fact, it was commonly called “St. Martin’s Lent.” In 582, the first Council of Macon established norms for a period of fasting and penance in the weeks preceding Christmas. The council fathers decreed that from St. Martin’s Day to Christmas, the people were to fast on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. In addition, Mass was celebrated according to the Lenten rite.

Today, Advent continues this tradition of prayerful preparation for the Holy Season of Christmas. (Which, incidentally, begins on Christmas Eve and ends on the Baptism of the Lord. So, the Christmas Season proper lasts either 14 or 20 days, depending on what day of the week Christmas falls.)

Advent is a time of great expectation. It typically lasts about four weeks, more or less. For the first three weeks, the readings at Mass invite us contemplate Christ’s coming in glory at the end of the age. In the last week, we shift gears to contemplate his first coming in humility in Bethlehem. Advent wreathes are the primary way we teach this. Each Sunday of Advent, as the light grows brighter when we light another candle, we are reminded of the image from John’s gospel of how Christ, the Light of the World, pierces the darkness of a world enslaved to sin and death. Every Catholic home should have an Advent wreath that is prayerfully lit each evening by a member of the household. It’s a great way to involve everyone, smallest to tallest. Personally, I’m also a big fan of Advent calendars to help build a sense of anticipation.

Advent is also a time to prepare practically and spiritually. Getting one’s physical house in order is a great place to begin. I always encourage the Advent purge. First, get rid of the physical clutter in the house. Is there some small appliance or other household item that has been giving you fits? Are there clothes that you haven’t worn all year? Get them out of there! Donate or recycle them. The same goes for getting your spiritual house in order. Are there attitudes, habits or sins that are coming between you and Christ or you and your loved ones? Get rid of them! Get into the confessional, lay them at the foot of the Cross, and get them out of your life. What better way to enter into the Holy Season of Christmas than with a clean, uncluttered house and a clean, uncluttered spirit?

Advent is a time of prayerful preparation for the coming of the Lord. It also gives us the opportunity to invite our neighbors and colleagues into a better way of celebrating Christmas.

Dear Fr. Leo:

I hate saying “Happy Holidays.” Can I say “Merry Christmas” during Advent? – J

Dear J,

Yes! Absolutely! At every opportunity you can!

Doing so is a great way to joyfully invite others to a deeper sense what Christmas is all about. It’s pretty simple to do. If someone greets me with “Happy Holidays!” I respond, “Why thank you! Merry Christmas!” Depending on the reaction, sometimes I’ll say to the side, “Actually, we Catholics are observing Advent right now. For us, the Christmas season starts on Christmas Eve. Then we party for twelve days!” It’s a great way to do a little street evangelization. Give it a try.

November 13, 2022November 13, 2022

It’s Not the End of the World

[Hey, folks. Deacon Mick Fornelli hit another one out of the park this weekend. I do like to hear him preach. Here is the vid of his homily on what we are to make of Jesus words about the tribulations in his age and in our own.

My own musings on the same readings, albeit with a very different take, are below.]

Dcn. Mick Fornelli – It’s Not the End of the World

BECAUSE OF THE NAME

Fall is football season. With football comes pre-game. With pre-game, comes pep talks.

The purpose of a pep talk is to inspire the squad to achieve higher than their expectations of others and perhaps even of themselves. Pep talks inspire confidence, build courage, unite teammates and set the heart on fire to aspire to great deeds. They usually have a great punchline like, “Win one for the Gipper!”

Today in the gospel, Jesus is also giving a kind of pep talk. He mentions how his disciples will be betrayed by those closest to them. How they will be dragged before religious and civil authorities because of his name. And so what is his punchline?

“You will be hated by all because of my name!”

What’s up with that?!

Unlike the first Christians, we have the benefit of history. We know what happened in the three centuries following Pentecost. Almost immediately, Christians were persecuted, first in the synagogues, and then at various times in the Roman Empire until Constantine legalized Christianity in 313 AD. (Ironically, because they did not sacrifice to the gods, the early Christians were persecuted as atheists.)

But it has not stopped there. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, 900,000 Christians were killed in the last decade, about one every six minutes. Fortunately, this is down by about half from the previous decade that saw 1.9 million Christians killed in various parts of the world. These are sobering numbers.

Jesus was not being morbid, he was simply being realistic. It’s no different today than it was then. The simple fact of the matter is this. In today’s world, to be Christian, and especially to be Catholic, is to put a target on your back. If the political climate of the last few years in this country has taught us anything, it is that if you try to live your faith, even if you do it poorly, there are those in society who will find this very annoying. Finding it very annoying, they seek to remove us from the public square.

In this country, this has taken on the guise of the privatization of religious sentiment. Briefly put, it goes thus: “You may believe what you want, but don’t bring the insights or collective wisdom of your faith into polite public discourse. I find it offensive that your faith might seek to make a contribution to public discourse, let alone public policy.”

The fallacy of such a position seems obvious. Is this the only age in which human beings have existed in history? Could we not learn from the lived experience of our forebears? Are we doomed to simply repeat the errors of history, content in our own self-aggrandizement?

Hardly. For the past 2100 years, the Church is the only institution which has seen every political power and social movement come and go. We are not going anywhere. We have a place in the public square. As we have spoken in every age, we have a sacred duty to speak to the present age. A polite silence helps no one, saves no one.

Catholics in America are no strangers to subtle, polite persecution.

The question is, will we speak or remain silent?

October 16, 2022

Persistence in Prayer

Does persistent prayer change God’s mind? Would you believe in such a fickle God?

Last Sunday evening, I was celebrating Mass at St. Elizabeth’s. You know how you always check out things at another parish to see what good ideas you can steal. I learned from a poster in their Narthex that they have I have a Trivia Night every so often to raise money for their World Youth Day pilgrims. Let’s take a team over and clean house!

It got me to thinking that how much cool stuff I have been privileged to learn in the course of my life, but also how much little known and useless information I have amassed over that same period.

For example, in high school, a friend of mine and I challenged each other to learn all the American presidents, the order in which they served, and the years that they served.

I found that much like the genealogies of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, the American presidents are a diverse lot. There are great saints and great sinners. Geniuses and men of…shall we say, elusive intelligence. However, all seem to have wanted what was best for their country.

One of the most maligned is Calvin Coolidge, the nation’s 30^th president who served the White House from 1923 to 1929, and was in office at the outset of the Great Depression. His nicknames were: Cautious Cal, Cool Cal, Silent Cal, and the Sphinx of the Potomac.

Not many people know much about President Coolidge today. But if you Google him, the first 49,000 citations will mention this one passage that he gave in a speech in 1929. He said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Mr. Coolidge was right. In a way, he is echoing what our Lord is saying in the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. Does she prevail solely on the merits of her case? Not really. Does she prevail because of the benevolence of the judge? Hardly. No, it is her persistence that wins the day.

Why does Jesus ask us to be so persistent in prayer? Our prayer certainly does not change God’s mind. God already knows what we need long before we ask. Parents are the best examples of this. Our mom or dad could give us what we need without our asking, but would we really appreciate it? Probably not. How delightful it is to a parent when a child comes to their own realization of what is best and then asks for it.

Three and a half millennia of human experience has shown that persistence in prayer has profound effects upon the one doing the praying. God does not change as a result of prayer. We do. Persistence in prayer allows us to discern God’s ultimate desire for us and to make that desire our own.

As I said before, more often than not, time is an ingredient. A monk much wiser than me once said,

“I have found that so much of prayer is simply waiting on God; and I have learned that if I am willing to wait long enough, insight always comes.”

Timing is everything. And God’s timing is so much better than our own. He not only knows what we need, but when we need it.

Persistence in prayer allows us to move from praying, “MY will be done.” to “THY will be done.”

As we spend more time in prayer we begin to realize that God has three ways of answering prayer. 1) “Yes.” 2) “Not yet.” and 3) “I have something better in mind for you.”

Okay great, Fr. Leo. How do I do this?

It’s not that complicated, but it require some discipline. You need to find a time and a place. To take some time each day to unplug from the distractions of this world. Find a quiet place and spend some time with the Lord. Decide on a time each day that will work for you. You may have to tweak this a bit. And this may change depending on your situation.

For example, at one parish my prayer time happened at 9:00 at night. Here at St. Pat’s, since we are the party parish, it has to happen in the morning at 7:30.

You may need to adjust this time, you may need to fight for this time, but you need to make time.

I’ve said it about 163 times so far as your pastor, so you should be able to complete this quote for me.

“If you can’t find ten minutes a day for private prayer with our Lord, your life is what…? [OUT OF CONTROL!]

And you need to do what…? [MAKE ADJUSTMENTS]

Any excuses….? [NO!]

You are not far from the kingdom.

So first, make the time.

Second, find a place.

Create a space in the home.

Or change your routine to bring you to a holy place.

I love this one quotation that is popping up on the door in many churches in France. In four short sentences it says:

It is possible that on entering this church, you may hear the Call of God.

On the other hand, it is not likely that he will contact you by phone. Thank you for turning off your phone.

If you would like to talk to God, come in, choose a quiet place, and talk to him.

If you would like to see him, send him a text while driving.

Or get creative. I love to tell the story of the fellow at St. Benedict’s who had two issues. First, because of his weird work schedule, he couldn’t find his ten minutes and he kept bringing the stress of his work home with him.

As we chatted, the Holy Spirit kicked in and I asked him, “You live right down the street from the parish, right?

Why don’t you just pull your truck in and park in front of that big crucifix in front of the church on your way home?”

You know, he did.

About a month later he was in my office again and said, “You know, Father, that ten minutes has made all the difference. I don’t even get out of my truck. I just do my Magnificat right there. And I’ve also found that I can just leave all of the stresses and burdens of the day right there at the foot of the Cross. I suppose I could pick them back up again, but I’ve never seen the need.”

Let me end by paraphrasing Mr. Coolidge.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence in prayer. Vocation will not; nothing is more common than unfulfilled vocations. Cleverness will not; you cannot outmaneuver God. Erudition will not; the world is full of theological derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Pray On! has opened and always will open the door to grace for the human race.”

September 26, 2022

On the Road to Emmaus.

The day after the resurrection, two of Jesus’ disciples left Jerusalem and were on their way to Emmaus discussing all the events of the last few days, As they walked along Jesus joined them and helped them understand what it all meant. The couldn’t recognize him at first, but they finally recognized him “in the breaking of the bread.” You can read all about it in Luke 24:13-35.

Interestingly enough, the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus follows the same structure as the Mass. The Council tells us that Christ is present in four ways: 1) when the people gather, 2) in the proclamation and explanation of the Sacred Scriptures, 3) in the person of the Church’s Minister, and 4) in the Eucharistic species, i.e., bread and wine which are broken and poured out. The disciples are together on the road and by golly, Jesus is in their midst. Then he explains the Scriptures to them. Finally, they recognize him in “the breaking of the bread.” This phrase, in Latin “factio panis” was how the disciples in the early Church referred to the Eucharist.

The present day shrine in Emmaus is in now the occupied territories. Because of the political situation, the road to Emmaus is not so easily traveled these days and very few pilgrim groups go there. Nevertheless, we made the trip and I’m glad we did.

There is also a very large priory and what used to be a boarding school for boys on the property. Sadly, all that ended as a result of the Six Days War in 1967. Now two friars maintain the property. The town that was around it is pretty much gone. What is left is in decay. In a few years, there won’t be anything here but the Shrine. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.

Altar piece in the Apse of the Emmaus Church

Side altar dedicated to St. Cleopas, one of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus.

Side altar dedicated to St. Simeon, the other disciple on the Road.

We end our pilgrimage this evening. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Many blessings,

Fr. Leo

September 25, 2022

Jerusalem! Jerusalem!

Hi there, cyber-pilgrims! Jerusalem is a busy place and we have been busy pilgrims. Most of our time has been spent in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre and on the Via Dolorosa. There are tons of other things going on here, but these are the biggies.

As I mentioned before, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre is built over the site of Golgotha, where the Crucifixion took place and the empty tomb of Christ. It’s a big place with many levels. This is because the area was originally a quarry near Jerusalem, just outside the city walls. Once the quarry was exhausted, they filled parts of it in and put in a garden. Given the location and its former use, it also made a good spot for a cemetery. This is a seven-arrow site. There is no doubt this is the place. Because of the significance of the place and the accidents of history, six different branches of Christianity share the church. The main three are the Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, and the Armenian Oriental Orthodox. The others are the Coptics, the Syriac and the Ethiopian Oriental Orthodox.

We made three trips into the Basilica. The first was for Mass in the place where Mary Magdalen met Jesus outside the tomb after the Resurrection. That part of the Church is run by the Franciscans.

The Entrant to the Holy Sepulchre. Not that one set of doors has been walled in. The Sultan did that. He didn’t think the Christians needed two doors.

Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Magdalena Chapel.

The Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross – this starts at St. Ann’s Church, one of the few churches that survived from the Crusader period. The acoustics in here are amazing. The pools of Bethesda are nearby.

The nave of St. Ann’s. Looks like just about every other Gothic church. The acoustics are great. Better than singing in the shower even! Here a Spanish bishop is chatting with his pilgrims.

The Holy Sepulchre – At the end of the Stations, Fr. Anthony said, “Let me check to see what the situation is.” Thirty seconds later, he came back and motioned into the church. There was almost no line to get into the Empty Tomb itself. Amazing. This is my third time into this church and it’s always been at least a four-hour wait. Since I was with the right friar, I was fortunate to get to go in by myself to spend a few minutes venerating the tomb. This was the very spot where Jesus rose from the dead. Our group made it in shortly thereafter.

Side view of the chapel enclosing the Holy Sepulchre, the empty tomb of Jesus.

The Empty Tomb of Christ. This is where the Resurrection happened. Really.

The next morning we came back to tour the rest of the basilica. Low and behold, there was no line again! Bonus! We made another visit to the tomb. Can’t get too much resurrection, you know. Then we went around the rest of the basilica.

Golgotha – You can see life size icons of Mary and the Beloved Disciple. The icon of Christ on the Cross is obscured by all the vigil lamps. The Orthodox LOVE their vigil lamps. As they say, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing! This is one of the few places where the noble simplicity of the Roman Rite is juxtaposed with the noble excess of the Byzantine Rites. It’s all part of being Church.

Sometimes during the day, a pilgrim needs to rest. Why not stop in for a holy bagel at the local Holy Bagel franchise. It’s a tasty treat. You can get it lochs or locks on the side.

At the end of the day, what better way to relax than at the Franciscan Bar. Oddly enough, they did not have any Frangelico on the shelf. What’s up with that?

September 24, 2022September 25, 2022

Up to Jerusalem

Greetings, Cyber-pilgrims! Today, we made our way from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. It used to be a pretty quick trip, but since the Israeli government put up the security wall in 2000, it is much longer because you have to go all the way around the way. Nevertheless, we got here in good shape.

Some catch up from yesterday. We went to three sites before leaving the area of Bethlehem.

The first was the commemorative Church of the Shepherds Field. We really don’t know where the shepherds were when the angel appeared to the announcing the birth of Jesus, but this site has been venerated for some time by pilgrims.

Entrance to the Church of the Shepherd’s Field. This is Harold the Angel, I think. 🙂

The Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, En Karem – Tradition and the pilgrim record has held pretty steady on this site as the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. You will recall that she conceived at an age much older than usual for those days. When the child was born, those there wanted to call him Zachariah after his father, but Zach said, “His name is John.” With that, his tongue was loosed and he proclaimed what has become the Benedictus, one of Luke’s great gospel canticles. (See Luke1: 57-80) It is recited or chanted in the Liturgy of the Hours at Morning Prayer.

The site venerated as the place of the birth of John the Baptist

The Church of the Visitation – Also from Luke 1, this is the spot that commemorates Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth while they were both pregnant. The child leapt in Elizabeth’s womb for joy. Mary then breaks out into the other great gospel canticle of Luke, the Magnificat. It is recited or sung at Evening Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. Check in out Luke 1:39-56. Really, I think the Gospel of Luke should have a musical score to accompany it.

Really nice frescoes in the Church of the Visitation.

The security wall that encircles Bethlehem. A sad reality of the political situation on the West Bank.

This morning we made our way over to Jerusalem. First stop was in Bethpage to the church that commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. A couple of things to note here. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt that had not been ridden before. This was the fulfillment of a messianic sign. Also, the fact that he was on a colt signified that he came as a King of Peace. A warrior would have ridden in on a stallion. Just sayin’. Although the wall is in the way, we are really close to Bethany here, so there is also a place that commemorates Martha coming out to Jesus from Bethany.

Bethpage Apse. I was not able to find out about the figure that is shrouded, third from the left.
Anybody got any ideas?

From there, we worked our way down the Mount of Olives. Lots of stuff going on there.

Chapel of the Ascension – This site actually has some real credibility to it, its a four or five arrow site. Due to the vagaries of history, it fell into the hands of the Muslims, but they open it up because they can make a lot of money off us Christian pilgrims. Originally the chapel was open to the sky, so that pilgrims could contemplate the sky into which Christ ascended. Alas, it was domed over and used as a mosque for at while. The stone in the floor is said to have a footprint of Christ left as he ascended. If so, he would have had to have about size fourteen feet. Nevertheless, this is very likely the place where the Ascension took place.

The Chapel of the Ascension. Originally the dome was not there so one could contemplate the sky.

The rock from which Jesus is said to have ascended. They say you can see his footprint. I can’t quite make it out.

Pater Noster Church – this complex commemorates Jesus teaching the Our Father (“Pater Noster” in Latin) to the disciples. One fun thing about this complex is that it has the Our Father displayed in just about every language in the world, even in Braille in several languages.

Pater Noster Church – The Our Father in just about every language you can think of, even a number of Native American ones.

The Our Father in Braille (English). They many other languages in Braille as well.

The Garden of Gethsemane – We made a quick dash in here and came back later in the night for a holy hour. This is a seven arrow site and is the place where Jesus spent his agony in the garden and was betrayed by Judas.

The Tomb of Mary – a shrine of the Armenian and Greek Orthodox, it was used only briefly since Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven at the moment of her death. Still, just like Jesus, she did die. A beautiful sarcophagus forms the base of the altar in an itty bitty chapel.

The Biggy – The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. The empty tomb of Jesus – The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre encompasses Golgotha and the tomb. It is as authentic a site as it gets. It was here that Christ was crucified, died, was buried and rose from the dead on the third day. We celebrated Mass in the chapel on the place where Mary Magdalene met Jesus after the resurrection. As the celebrant fell ill, I ended up celebrating the Mass. Later that afternoon we walked the Via Dolorosa. On our way back, we stopped by the Holy Sepulchre and Fr. Anthony went in to see what the situation was. Turns out there was almost no line to get into the Tomb itself. So we dashed in and got in line. I was blessed to have a few minutes in there by myself before everybody else went in. I guess it helps to be with the right friar.

Later tonight we returned to Gethsemane for a holy hour. Turns out we had the whole church to ourselves. I was asked to lead the hour, so no pics of that. Big day. Lots to contemplate.

Really, there was just too much going on today. It’s late and we have some serious pilgrimaging to do tomorrow. That will have to do it for tonight. So long for now, pilgrims!

September 21, 2022

One Thousand Feet Below Sea Level

Hey, Pilgrims! Today we ventured into the occupied territories on the West Bank. First stop was Jacob’s Well in Nablus. As the noted biblical archeologist, Zeljko Gregor, once said, “The nice things about wells is that they don’t move.” So you can be rest assured that this was the real place.

Jacob’s Well – Jesus Meets the Samaritan Woman

Here’s a fun fact. In sacred scripture, wells were the places where lots of men met their wives. So it was with Jacob who met Rachel by a well. He was crazy for her, but because Laban her father switched her older sister for Rachel at the wedding, he had to wait fourteen years before he could marry her. Moses also met his first wife by a well. So it’s an interesting thing that Jesus would meet with the Samaritan woman by a well. (See John 4:4-42) Of course, he did not wish to marry her, but he did bring her into relationship with him as the Messiah. Note in John’s account how she goes through three stages of knowing Christ. First she sees him as a very special man, then as a prophet, and finally as the Messiah. Just like plumbing the depths of the well, Jesus takes her deeper and deeper in to the mystery of who he is. Pretty darn cool. I think he does something similar with all of us as we gradually get to know him for who he really is, and in the process get to know ourselves for who we really are.

We drew some water out of the well. The well itself is about 35 feet deep and the water has a depth of about 6 feet. It comes out crystal clear. This is some really good water. The Greek Orthodox monks there were most hospitable to us. They have been very busy making the church beautiful. It is the fifth or sixth church on the site since the fourth century. The well is in the crypt chapel below the sanctuary.

Facade of Jacob’s Well Orthodox Church. It’s based on the crusader church that preceded it.

Jacob’s Well. I found it interesting that the gift shop was within five feet of it in the crypt chapel off to the right. Oh well…

The Jordan River – Most people have this image of the Jordan River as some mighty flowing waterway. The reality can be a bit underwhelming. It’s actually only about ten of fifteen meters across. One reason for this is that so much of it is syphoned off for irrigation. This far downstream, about a mile from it’s terminus in the Dead Sea it is slow and murky. Nevertheless, most scholars agree that this is the area nearest to where Christ was baptized. It is also the general area where the Israelites would have crossed into the promised land on their way to Jericho. The walls have never been rebuilt, by the way. We stopped and renewed our baptismal promises there.

Looking across the Jordan River into the Kingdom of Jordan. The river serves as the international border between the two countries. Note the Jordanian flags on the other side.

Fr. Page gives us a good sprinkle after we renewed our baptismal promises, just like on Easter Sunday. Oblivious Canadian pilgrims are in the background.

Jericho – Guess who’s coming to dinner? Jericho was a surprisingly important town in Jesus’s day. Since there was only room for so many priests in Jerusalem, the rest of them hung out here. It was a center of learning and commerce. Thus, Zacchaeus would have made a good living as a tax collector. His conversion is a good lesson for us all. Jesus doesn’t need much of an opening to invite himself in. There is hope for us all.

A sycamore tree. Not THE sycamore tree, but you can see how easy it would have been for a little guy like Zacchaeus to climb one of these.

September 20, 2022

Old Broken Stuff

Howdy, pilgrims! Well, today was a slower day to go look at the old broken stuff. They need to take better care of their antiquities. I mean the place is in ruins!

The ruins today were at Caesarea Maritima and the Crusader Stronghold at Acre.

Caesarea Marittima – When the Roman Emperor Pompeii took over much of the middle east in in 63 BC, he set up Herod the Great as the puppet monarch of Palestine. Herod was completely insane and an incredible despot. Not only did he order the execution of all the boys under the age of three in Bethlehem, (see Matthew 2:16-18), he also killed his two eldest sons six days before his own death because he suspected they wanted to usurp his throne. But boy, could he build! There were public works projects going on all the time. Part of this was the port city of Caesarea Marittima, the first man-made port in history. They said he “folded nature” to make it happen. He build a huge palace for himself on the most prominent point. (“It’s good to be the king!”) It had an amphitheater that is still in use today as well as a hippodrome for chariot races and all the things a fellow needs to make himself comfortable. It later became the provincial capital.

Biblically, there are at least two significant events. You may recall in the Acts of the Apostles where the pious Roman centurion Cornelius had a vision of an angel who told him to seek out Simon, also known as Peter, to speak to him about the Way of Jesus. About the same time Peter had his famous “What God has declared clean, you cannot declare profane” vision. Peter came to Cornelius’s house Caesarea Marittima and baptizes Cornelius and his whole household – men, women, children, servants, neighbor kids, everybody! It was from this point forward that the Christians began to distinguish themselves from the Jews, since increasing numbers of Christians were Gentiles. You can read all about it in Acts 10.

This was also where St. Paul was held for two years once he appealed his case to the Emperor. He would have left from the port on his trip to Rome. Of course, he got shipwrecked off the coast of Malta.

A good look at Caesarea Marittima. Herod’s Palace is on the point, the Hippodrome just in front of that. The rest of the town stretches down the coast of the Mediterranean.

Our faithful friar guides, Fr. Page and Fr. Anthony, read us the account from Acts 10.

A pano shot of the port in Caesarea Marittima. They dredged it out and walled it in. It’s amazing what you can do with an endless supply of expendable labor.

The Crusader stronghold at Acre – After the crusaders were defeated in 1187, they held out for another 100 years at the port city of Acre. Here they built a most impressive fortress. While not biblical, it was really, really impressive what they were able to accomplish. They built glorious halls, churches, and fortifications. It was worth the trip. The sheer magnitude of the excavations to bring it to light is astounding.

The first snafu of the trip came when we tried to say Mass at St. John the Baptist Church on the bastion walls. The place was locked up like the fortress it sat upon. Turns out the friars were in the middle of a rotation and nobody told the incoming friars that we were coming. So, we improvised and had Mass at their school chapel. Fr. Gabriel was most accommodating.

Part of the Refectory (Dining Hall) at Acre. They were shooting a music video while we were there. Imagine that.

The bastion walls on at the Acre Fortress. Kids were diving off the wall into the sea. Note the small staircase in the center. They used that to climb back up.

St. John the Baptist Church on the bastion walls where we almost had Mass. Check out how thick the walls are that we walking across. It’s gotta be 30 feet (10m) or more. That’s a lot of stone.

September 19, 2022

In the Galilee

Howdy, pilgrims! Lot of fun in the Galilee today. This is where Jesus did the bulk of his preaching, teaching and healing. There are lots of churches to commemorate events you read about in the gospels. Here’s a smattering of what we did.

Cana – First Miracle of our Lord was to make a party a success. That’s my kind of savior. Incidentally, the wine they sell there in the gift shops is terrible. Go figure.

The Church in Cana. Lots of our folks renewed their marriage vows here. Here is a group from India celebrating Mass in the Church.

Caesarea Philippi – “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church…” Caesarea Philippi is located in the farthest north part of Israel. From out of the rocky hill comes a spring which is the headwaters of the Jordan River. Alexander the Great built a temple here to the god Pan. There were other Hellenistic temples here too. Herod Agrippa made it his capitol. Our Lord certainly had a flair for the dramatic. Check out the backdrop for his famous commission to St. Peter as the first leader of the Church.

Remains of the pagan temples at Caesarea Philippi. Looks like the one lady had found her niche.

Happy trials to you! English can be confusing for Israeli sign makers.

The headwaters of the Jordan River. Nice and clean now. Wait till we get further downstream later in the week!

Tagbho – Multiplication of the loaves and the fishes. Hey, our job is to bring the fish. Jesus does the rest. The floor of this church is from the 5th century.

Church nave in Tagbho. This is a four arrow site. We are in the place that has been venerated by Christians since the second century as the place where the miracle took place.

The famous 5th century mosaic that commemorates the loaves and fishes.

The Sea of Galilee – Yep, this is where Jesus went for his morning walk and calmed the storm. I’m still not sure why Peter asked him to join him walking on the water. For me, the miracle is not that Jesus walked on water, nor that Peter walked on water, which is exceedingly cool. In my mind the miracle of the story is that Peter got out of the boat. That’s the kind of faith I want.

Sea of Galilee – Can’t say I wasn’t tempted to go for a walk myself.

Mount of the Beatitudes – Darn it. Forgot to get a picture of the exterior of the church commemorating where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. I made up my own beatitude: “Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape.”

Primacy of Peter Church – This church commemorates John 21, where Jesus appears to the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and cooks them breakfast. Peter denied him three times. Three times Jesus asks Peter loves him. His three-fold denial is forgiven by his three-fold declaration of love. At the end, Jesus says, “Follow me.” Sounds like a plan.

Primacy of Peter Church – the rock is where Jesus sat and cooked breakfast for the apostles on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Capernaum – So many miracles, so little time. Jesus lived here for a good while. It was here that he expelled the demon in the synagogue, where he cured Peter’s mother-in-law and then everybody else in the town who was ailing. The place buzzes with miraculous energy. Very cool. The Basilica is build right over Peter’s house. This is a a seven arrow site. It’s really Peter’s house.

We had Mass right over Peter’s house in Capernaum. The glass in the floor lets you see the house underneath.

The ruins of the 4th century synagogue built over the one Jesus preached in and expelled the demon.

The foundations of Peter’s house under the basilica.

That was a lot for one day. We are pooped. This was some extreme pilgriming!