| This is a picture of me floating in the dead sea.
It looks like I'm in an inner tube but it's just me. |
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Our Holy Father celebrated a Mass in Manger Square. EWTN showed our
beloved Pope entering the low door leading into Mary's house where she
lived while she was with child. The doorway was made this size so as not
to allow horseman enter and desecrate this holy residence.
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The picture here is the type of manger that was
used at the time of the birth of our Messiah. They were made of
stone. Our great leader told us that Joseph's main craft was
probably that of a stone mason. When I heard this I reflected on
St. Joseph's statues and that I have seen at least two
sculptures where St. Joseph has a chisel in hand. |
| Via Dolorosa (The way of the Cross) This is a very
moving experience. You can only see me holding the bottom of the
cross. There were six in the group who carried the Cross to the
next station. Believe me that was heavy and it was not even near
the size of the Cross that Jesus carried. I meditated about
Jesus having his body covered with gaping wounds and dried blood
and can we even imagine the pain with perspiration -- can we
even imagine the stress just knowing that the Cross we are
carrying, that we will be nailed to it? |
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Father Mitch compiled an 8 /11 Pages 1 to 148 a Holy Land Prayer Book
with Bible passages with appropriate prayers at each site we visited.
Father financed the publications himself and each pilgrim gets his own
copy. This book is a treasure that we can refer to and contemplate for
the rest of our lives.
One of the reasons that I was so anxious to go to the Holy Land was
because I heard from a few people who were there that it was only a
short distance that Jesus had to walk to Mount Calvary. I can tell you
that is a seriously false statement. In Jesus' day the Way of the Cross
was not paved. It is a rough paving but it is not full of holes and
rocks. The stations were long distances and very none of them are on
even ground. Most of them are ramp like and or many steps. When we
reached the huge Church of the Sepulchre The entry is at the foot of
Calvary and the last three (I'm not sure whether it is three.)
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To get to the top of Calvary in the Church of the
Sepulchre where Jesus was crucified many many, many stairs must
be climbed. |
