At the beginning of our pilgrimage, we were asked to imagine that Jesus was asking us the following question: "Who do you say that I am?" Before following in His footsteps through the Holy Land, my answer was that You, Jesus, are the Son of God. You are my friend, and my brother. You came to save me. You gave your life for me. You did the ultimate sacrifice.
Today, after having experienced a 10-day pilgrimage in the Holy Land, following Jesus, where He lived, where He walked, where He performed His first miracle, my answer is the same as it was at the beginning, but it's also so much more. You, Jesus, are the Messiah. You could have walked away from the crucifixion, but You chose to go through with it because You love me so much. And even though, during your human life, You lived in Israel and Egypt, today, You live everywhere. You are not confined to a particular place. You live in my heart, so I take You with me wherever I go. You are my best friend. And You want me to take your message to others. You want me to be Your hands and Your feet... like You told me in the Church of the Ascension when I was looking at the imprint of your foot on the rock. So who do I say that You are? You are my Everything.
This pilgrimage was life changing, but not only because of what I saw, but because of what I felt, and because of the messages that I received while I was there, and that I am still receiving as I meditate on the journey. Jesus' love for us is perfect. The love we feel for our children or our parents or our spouses is nothing in comparison to the love that He feels for us. And I was able to feel that love in every step I took through His Holy Land. Even when the food was not great, and we were tired of eating hummus every day, there was love in the persons that prepared it and in those that served us. Even when we were pushed aside and punched while we waited to visit the Holy Sepulchre, there was love as our group united through that experience. Even in the roughness of the people, there was love because they, just like us, wanted a glimpse of the tomb of our Lord. There is love in the faith of the Jewish community who return to Jerusalem every year to celebrate their Passover, just like Jesus did 2,000 years ago. There was love in the Spanish pilgrims that we encountered at the Church of the Dormition, as we united to sing and pray together. There was love at the Wailing Wall, when hundreds and hundreds of people from different backgrounds and different faiths, united in prayer to God.
I was very touched as well by all the Marian sites that we visited: the Church of the Annunciation, the Church of St. Anne, the Church of the Visitation, the Church of the Dormition, the Church of the Nativity, the Church at Cana, and the Church of St. Joseph. I have always had a special place in my heart for Mama Mary, especially since I became a mother myself almost thirty years ago, but after seeing how she lived and the sacrifices she made first hand, now I have great admiration for the Woman. She was all about love and service. She placed herself last. The needs of others always came before hers. And it did not matter if she had to go on a 3-day journey or a 10-day journey in top of a donkey, through hills and valleys. She just went. Her love for God surpassed any other love. She also knew what perfect love was all about. And perfect love required immense sacrifice, but she never asked questions and she never said "no." She is my hero and my role model to follow, and I know, that no matter how hard I try, I will always fall short because there has never lived another woman like her, and there will never be another one like her. She was full of grace, and she was immaculate. But she suffered greatly, and she never uttered a single complaint. I take my hat off to her, and I hope I can be just one tiny particle of the Woman and Mother that she is. And may we never forget that she shines, just like the moon, because she reflects the light of her Son. And she will always lead us to Him.
I cannot pick one favorite place or thing from the entire pilgrimage because every single place and every single thing that I experienced was special. Even the Dead Sea... which is probably my least favorite, had something unique, and there was something to learn from the experience... The whole package (the places we visited, the priests, the guides, our fellow pilgrims) was what made this experience so wonderful and amazing. Even if I were to come back in the future, it would never be the same.
Israel, the country, is very interesting. Its people, the ones that live there, are a mixture of cultures. Some are extremely friendly and happy, while others are rude and dry. The most popular animal is the cat.
Yes, even more popular than the camel.
There were cats everywhere, even in the places we stopped to eat. They were the kings, and would walk between our legs when we least expected it.
I did not feel unsafe at any point while in Israel. We walked through the streets of Jerusalem at night on our own, and through the streets of Tiberias, and people were having a good time just like in any other part of the world. Yes, bad things happen there, but they also happen in any part of the world. We saw high security, mostly in Jerusalem, but it did not scare us, on the contrary, it gave us peace of mind. There were areas that were well kept, while there were others that were dirty and abandoned. But overall, the country is beautiful, with a mixture of desert
and greenery.
The flowers are absolutely gorgeous and at this time of the year they were blooming everywhere.
And the food... well, let's just say I don't want to get anywhere near Mediterranean food for a very long time. And because it was Passover, I have never craved bread so much in my life, not even when I gave it up for Lent a few years ago. But all in all, we had good and plenty of food everywhere we ate.
Israel is definitely a country I would recommend to anyone to visit, not just for the religious experience but because of its culture and history. Of course, the religious aspect is the icing on the cake. And as the sign on the Church of St. Catherine said: "I am hoping that if you visit Israel as a tourist, you will exit as a pilgrim. And if you enter as a pilgrim, you will exit as a holier one."
I am thankful for the journey, and for the candle that is still burning bright in my heart from having lived through this pilgrimage. And I thank every person that shared this pilgrimage with me because each one added flavor to the experience. I entered the Holy Land as a pilgrim, and I definitely left as a much holier one.
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