We walked and prayed the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa (The Way of Sorrows) following the footsteps of Jesus to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Here at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are the last two stations of the Via Dolorosa. Here Christ was crucified and died, and was laid hurriedly in a tomb. It is easy to be overcome with grief at first, after walking The Way, reflecting on His passion, now to His death and burial. To kneel down and touch the rock on which stood the cross...to touch the stone upon which he was laid in the tomb is indescribable. It is indeed a place of strong solemnity, of quiet reverence and deep personal reflection. It is also the place where, on the third day, He rose! This small entrance to the stone where Jesus body had been laid, deep in the belly of this Church can either break your heart with repentant grief or fill you with the light of new life...or strangely, both. And isn't that the way, our brokenness wrapped in the Light of God's love. Both And. Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the World.
Mt of Olives & the Church of Dominus Flevit
We walked here, descending down the Mount of Olives, along the Palm Sunday descent, past the Jewish Cemetery to the Church of Dominus Flevit (God's Tears), the spot where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. "And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying,Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." Matthew 23:37
The church has jars on her four corners, as Psalm 56:8 reads: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
We stood here, overlooking Jerusalem and through her, the world. The world needs our prayers.
Garden of Gethsemane & Church of All Nations
In this place of pilgrimage we were blessed to be able to celebrate mass in a quiet garden area of Gethsemane. In the Church of All Nations we knelt down to touch and pray on the rock where our Lord prayed in His agony - the church is literally built on rock - and walked a garden that has several olive-trees that date back to the time of Jesus, as well as younger ones; all at the lowest part of the Mount of Olives.
There are so many Gospel scenes where Jesus talks to his Father but this place particularly calls us to pause and ponder the intense hours preceding his Passion and Death, when Christ prepares himself to carry out the Sacrifice that will bring us back once more to God’s Love. Here in the Garden of Gethsemane, as his Passion is about to begin, with all its humiliation and suffering close at hand, he prays ‘Father, if it pleases you, take away this cup.’ And immediately he adds, ‘Yet not my will but thine be done’ (Lk 22:42).”
The ceilings of the church have the emblems of the nations, you can see our seal in the upper right hand corner.
Sacred Heart Pilgrims on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem…
(and our dedicated photographer! 🤣)
Thank God for ‘Doubting’ Thomas!
"We do not know... how can we know the way?"
Courageous master of the awkward question,
You spoke the words the others dared not say
And cut through their evasion and abstraction.
Oh doubting Thomas, father of my faith,
You put your finger on the nub of things
We cannot love some disembodied wraith,
But flesh and blood must be our king of kings.
Your teaching is to touch, embrace, anoint,
Feel after Him and find Him in the flesh.
Because He loved your awkward counter-point
The Word has heard and granted you your wish.
Oh place my hands with yours, help me divine
The wounded God whose wounds are healing mine.
-Malcolm Guite
Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Colossians 3:15
#dailyingodsword
On this national holiday, between the barbecues and fireworks, let's take some time to recall Emma Lazarus' poem inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty, offering a haven, a refuge, for the burdened and battered.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
Do these words remind you of a more ancient text?
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
❤️🙏🇺🇸
As an immigrant I can truly say I have been blessed living in America these past 55 years 🇺🇸🏴 everyone deserves a safe place to work and live without fear .. being made welcome no matter who they are or where they are from .. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all .. 🇺🇸
Beautiful shot of the fireworks over the Del. Happy Fourth of July weekend!
📸"Coronado Summer Nights" - Coronado Landscape Photography
Masada
The ancient hilltop fortress of Masada, located alongside the Dead Sea, is home to a lot of history and religious significance.
Masada itself is a striking fortress on a large mesa whose terrible beauty has become one of the Jewish people's greatest symbols as the place where the last Jewish stronghold against Roman invasion stood. It was originally built as King Herod’s Palace, and as such includes a bathhouse, pigeon coops, an elaborate aqueduct system, cisterns, and storehouses as well as elaborate residential provisions.
At the beginning of the Revolt of the Jews against the Romans, a group of Jewish rebels overcame the Roman garrison of Masada. After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple (70 CE) they were joined by zealots and their families who had fled from Jerusalem.
While under siege by Romans, who built a huge ramp and battering rams still visible today, this last stronghold of Jews refused to defend themselves only to kill their fellow men who were forced into slavery and required to fight against their own under Roman rule. Their story was told by two surviving women. The defenders – almost one thousand men, women and children – chose instead to burn down the fortress and take their own lives rather than being taken into slavery. Today it is a kind of pilgrim memorial for the Jewish people.
Morning mass in Bethany at the Church of St. Lazarus. The church is built on the site of the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. A great place to reflect on our friendship with Jesus; the small church is off a busy street yet quiet and lovely, surrounded by a garden. #parishpilgrimage2022
