Holy Land Pilgrimage 2016 Walking in the Footsteps of the Lord

One of the great opportunities we receive in our final year of formation is the chance of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to visit those places where the Lord was born, lived, taught, died, and rose again.  I recently had the great privilege of joining seven of my brother deacons on this pilgrimage before our ordinations this upcoming summer.  Words truly cannot describe how amazing this experience was.  There were many awe-filled moments but some of the highlights for me would include assisting and preaching at Mass on the Mount of Beatitudes on my thirtieth birthday (I assure you my sermon was nothing in comparison to the one we were commemorating).  Another highlight was taking a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus called his first disciples, preached to the crowds, walked on water, and calmed the storm (don’t worry, there were no storms in need of calming this time).  I couldn’t help but reflect on my own calling and my own journey to the priesthood in this place.  We also renewed our own baptismal promises on the Jordan River where our Lord was baptized.

On the third day of our trip we finally entered into the ancient city of Jerusalem where so many significant things happened in our Lord’s life.  We visited the upper room where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood, the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane, the house of Caiaphas and the dungeon where Jesus spent the final night of his earthly life.  We also walked the way of the cross ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher built over the site of the greatest mysteries of our faith where Jesus was crucified, died, buried, and rose again on the third day.

Of all the places we visited this was the most memorable for me.  A few of us decided to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity by praying an all night vigil in the Holy Sepulcher.  We entered at around 7:00pm and left around 4:00am after praying a Holy Hour in the empty tomb and literally spending the night (without sleeping) on Golgotha, the very place where our Lord offered himself up for my sins and those of the whole world.  Having walked in the very footsteps of our Lord whose priesthood we are seeking to join, I am sure I can speak on behalf of my fellow pilgrims and say we feel renewed and our desire to serve God and his people has only grown stronger.