Where He Walked – Just in time for Holy Week, I’ve returned from a trip to the Holy Land, which was such a grace filled experience in countless ways. Going to the holy places where Jesus lived, where he prayed, where he gave his life for us was simply amazing. The Holy Scriptures now take on another meaning, as I have a greater context of the place where Jesus lived and died. Here’s a glimpse of a few places I visited…
View from Mount of Olives
Praying at Gethsemane
Stations of the Cross – walking in the path of Christ’s Passion, seeing the storekeepers staring at us, the Muslim women taking photos of us… The narrow, uneven streets, up and down, twisting and turning. How surreal to have the Son of God walking to his death on these streets. This is where the Lord walked to his death for me. A powerful reality check of what he has done to offer us eternal life.
Walking the Stations in Jerusalem
The last part of the route and Calvary ahead
Calvary – the smells of incense, candles, the darkness, the rock where the cross was lifted up. An atmosphere of reverence, yet juxtaposed to what the Son of Man represented—LIFE—the Author of Life was freely put to death in such a brutal manner by Crucifixion. He gave himself up freely; he remained a sign of Love, of contradiction. Forgiving these men up to the end, he handed over the most precious possession he had – his Mother – to us.
Mass at Calvary – Here Christ came once again (as at every Mass), offering his very Body and Blood as he did that day on Calvary…. The Blood from his very side is offered to us to drink, so we may gain life – Eternal Life in Him. This Mystery took on a deeper, ever more poignant significance….being there, right there, where Christ truly offered Himself on that Good Friday.
The entire trip was such a gift, and I have many more graces to ‘unpack.’ This last photo was taken right after I gave a reflection in the synagogue in Capernaum, where Jesus gave us the Bread of Life discourse found in the Gospel of John. Much of his public ministry was spent there. May our prayers and our hearts accompany our Lord this Holy Week in an ever deeper way!
