One characteristic which distinguishes Christianity from many world religions is its historicity. We can point to locations and dates when salvific events took place. Most important of all we can visit the places where God walked the earth. Even today we can visit those holy sites. As St. John tells us in his first letter: “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life— for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” It is not necessary to go to the Holy Land to deepen one’s faith. After all the angels at the tomb say to us: “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised.” In order to encounter the risen Christ a Christian need only enter a Catholic Church and receive the sacraments. Still, visiting the Holy Land has been a pious and noble endeavor for centuries.
On January 19th thirty-three pilgrims from Our Lady of Mercy departed Logan airport on route to the Holy Land. Included among the thirty-three pilgrims were three priests (Fr. Jack Unsworth, Fr. Angelo Carusi and me) and two sisters (Sister Lourdes and Sister Emma). Our trip followed the footsteps of our Lord. Or to put it another way: we visited the places we meditate on in the mysteries of the rosary. Beginning in Galilee we visited the Mount of Beatitudes where our Lord gave the Sermon on the Mount. We stood at the shores of the Sea of Galilee where he first called the Apostles and appeared to them after his resurrection. We even took a boat on the Sea of Galilee and learned some local dance moves. While in the region we visited Nazareth, Cana, the site of the Transfiguration, and the Jordan River. Just like our Lord we then traveled “up to Jerusalem.” The busy city replaced the quiet countryside. The time of the passion and resurrection replaced the time of teaching and healing. In Jerusalem we prayed over the site of the crucifixion and the empty tomb. We also had the opportunity to celebrate Mass every day at these holy sites.
Thanks be to God the trip was filled with many graces and we all returned home safely.
