We began our last full day of the pilgrimage with Mass in the Church of St Catherine which is situated in Manger Square, next to the Church of the Nativity.
Referring yesterday’s homily on the sacrifice of the Mass, Fr John said that today, in this church, we should instead see the Mass as a ‘sacrifice of praise’. Near the site of Jesus’ birth, we see the glory of the living Christ and the goodness of creation. We are called to bring our joys as well as our sorrows to the Lord, since all things come through him: he came to redeem us, but also to elevate us. God has shared his life with us, and all of creation rejoices in the divine love that flows through all things.
After Mass we visited the School of Joy, a school that teaches children and young adults who find learning difficult for a variety of reasons. These children would ordinarily be left without an
As Bishop Nicholas reflected afterwards, we saw the face of Christ in the young boys and girls at the School of Joy. Not only because they are the same descent as Jesus, but because Jesus held those on the margins of society particularly close to his heart. education. In addition to lessons in Arabic, English and Maths, they are taught crafts such as olive wood carving, sewing and embroidery that they can use to earn a living.
There are three sites in Bethlehem that claim to be the site where the angels appeared to shepherds in the fields to announce the birth of Christ. We visited one of these sites and entered an ancient, natural cave, much like the one Jesus was born in. The site overlooks the division between Palestine and Israel where a temporary electric fence has been erected until the definitive route of the separation wall is agreed and erected in that area.
The second project that we visited was St Martha’s House, a place where vulnerable, elderly ladies can come to spend time together, doing crafts and playing games. For most of them, this is the only time when they can socialise with other people and we particularly enjoyed singing songs from our own cultures with them, although their singing in Arabic was far more beautiful than our muddled verses of Away in a Manger! St Martha’s House also supports these women with basic medical care as there is no social provision for them from the government. This project left a deep impression on the group, knowing that we will each reach old age (God willing) and all need care and support such as this.
Following lunch at Qumran, the site where the Essenes lived and the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, we headed to the Dead Sea for a relaxing afternoon of ‘floating’ on the sea before our final evening together.
We ended our pilgrimage with a wonderful evening together, joined by Laila and other staff from Laila Tours, a local company in Bethlehem who organised this pilgrimage. They wanted to thank us for coming to the Holy Land and witnessing what life is like for them. We expressed our gratitude to them, and to Bishop Nicholas, Fr John and Fr Paul for their guidance and care on this pilgrimage.
Speaking to pilgrims throughout this trip, it is clear that what they have seen and experienced on this pilgrimage will stay with them for the rest of their lives. For many, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip that they have dreamt of for many years. Others have been to the Holy Land in the past, but hoped to connect with it on a deeper, more spiritual level during this pilgrimage. Some people have been given this pilgrimage as a gift from their children, including one couple for who it was a 40th wedding anniversary present from their son. For all, it has brought them closer to God and to his Son in a more concrete and profound way through walking in his footsteps in the past week.
