Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to one and all!

Soon we will leave Bethlehem for Galilee and then Jerusalem. It has become our home of sorts... it will be hard to leave the priests, brothers, and sisters of Bettharam House who have received us here and cared for us with such warmth and hospitality. Thank you Fr. Pietro! Thank you Sr. Mukta, Sr. Josepina, Sr. Mary! (I doubt they'll ever read this! ;)

Last night they let us have a little campfire out under the starry sky... the moon wasn't up yet, so we could really see Orion, and even a few shooting stars. We heard and saw a helicopter, and wondered a little if they were watching our fire. But it kept going. I bought a kilo of chestnuts in the market to roast. I've only had them a couple times, in Portugal once, and in Zurich on the way here. It worked - I was a little worried how they'd turn out, but they were perfect. Hot and ashy from the olive-wood coals. And such beautiful coals - we could have roasted anything in their aromatic heat! It was a beautiful way to bring the month here to a close.

This morning we made a quick trip into Jerusalem to have an audience with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Michel Sabbah. He received us warmly in an audience hall, spoke to us a little, and shared some refreshments with us. He asked us for our prayers for the Christians here in the Holy Land, and for all here. He especially asked us to pray for peace. I think there is some cautious hope that the process started at Annapolis will bear fruit, but people here have seen so many promises of peace, that I think they've grown a little weary.

So, family, friends, acquaintances, visitors... fellow pilgrims all! I wish you a very Happy New Year and a joyful celebration of Mary, Mother of God tomorrow! Know that you are in my prayers today when I visit the Church of the Nativity for the last time. Please pray for us, and for peace here. Peace begins in the heart, in the soul, in God's grace working within us. Without that it will not be. Without this, there may only for a little while be the absence of war, which is not by itself true peace. May the Good Lord grant us open hearts, so that we may receive the grace and strength and peace He offers us! Come Lord Jesus.

God Bless,

Ben

Bedouin Babies

Eleven of us took the morning to go with Sr. Sophie to a Bedouin tribe's village in the desert. The Bedouins have historically been a sort of wandering tribe of shepherd-nomads, following the rains I imagine. The current situation however is such that the many well-guarded political boundaries no longer allow for such movement- together with that and other factors, this tribe has a relatively permanent settlement now. The ride itself was quite an experience, as you can imagine that the roads through the mountainous Judean desert are narrow and without guard rails! Sister speaks French, Arabic and Hebrew, so with much effort we deduced that she has been living and serving in the Holy Land for 18 years! We followed a medical van which goes to the village every Thursday, primarily in order to offer checkups to the pregnant women there (Sister told me that every woman in the village is pregnant).
The village was a hillside with scattered random dwellings: some concrete, others tin, a few tents. The school was a low whitewashed building with beat up chalkboards and smiling kids. We gave the students shoes from the back of our van in a disorganized process, then handed out some candy. I noticed that some of the smallest children were barefoot: two and three year olds walking on the gravel, and very dirty! Obtaining tanks of water is a month-to-month kind of situation for this village, so we took up a collection among ourselves and gave it to Sister today when we got back. (enough for two years’ worth, I think)
We drove past Tekoa, the town from which the prophet Amos came. Amos had been a shepherd, and preached about social justice. He spoke about God’s anger at the sin of ‘trampling on the heads of the poor’ like dust, and of denying justice to the oppressed. (Am 2:7)

This afternoon some of us went to the orphanage which is a counterpart to the same ministry. We had gone there to put on a Christmas Party for the kids, and we were glad to return. I was very impressed with the caring staff, but as you can imagine these children don’t get very much one-on-one attention; and they’re so young! There was even an abandoned baby there only 10 days old. I held another little girl who was crying and she couldn’t have been more than two years old. Most of the kids appeared energetic and happy- but this particular baby was very weak and ill- she could barely hold her head up, and she had a very loose grip. I think she may have had a muscular disorder of some kind. It was difficult to visit for such a short time; I was able to hold that little girl and keep her from crying, but only for an hour!

-Mike

New pictures are up!

Check out the new pictures on Picasa... the links at the left. Captions will be forthcoming. I'm letting Mike veto pictures of himself that he doesn't like, now!

Merry Christmas,

God Bless,
Ben

That all may be ONE!

Merry Christmas! Happy Feast of St. John the Evangelist!

I hope this finds each one of you, gentle readers, with a light heart and a joyful spirit in these days of Christmas! Christ is born in Bethlehem! In spite of the commercial and, sadly, cultural amnesia that begins on the morning of the 26th of December, Christmastime continues until January 13th, with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Certainly our long Advent waiting and making ready merit a full celebration, not to mention the deep and joyful tidings of the Incarnation! And these days are full of worthy celebrations: St. Stephen, martyr; St. John, evangelist, and the Holy Family, to name just three. Mike does a wonderful job of sharing the experience of being here in these days. Sing a joyful song unto the Lord!

In the midst of many glad tidings, this celebration here in Bethlehem also highlights a very difficult reality. There is perhaps no place in the world where the scandal of Christian Division is more evident than here in the Holy Land. It is not by accident that we are taking a course on Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue while on this trip. Certainly, here as elsewhere, we see the complicated and often violent difficulties between Muslims and Jews, and also involving Christians. These are not entirely religious, but they certainly have a religious component. Yet, at many of the holy sites, we see the scars of division even within our own ranks, between and among those who follow Christ.

Here in Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity, and the Cave of the Nativity underneath, are controlled by the Orthodox, especially the Greek Orthodox. The Syrian Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox have altars and some rights within the Church and Cave. Next door is the Church of St. Catherine, martyr. This is the Latin-rite or Roman Catholic Church. Nearby there are also Syrian Orthodox, Melkite Catholics (Arab Catholics using the Byzantine rite in Arabic), Lutheran, and Coptic churches. I am sure there are others. Relations between the different groups are at times amicable and warm, at other times they are not. There is a long and often bitter history to these divisions that is too extensive and complicated to address here. In some respects, the current situation does speak to the ability of Christians to coexist and cooperate across “denominational” lines: at many sites, pilgrims of all stripes enter and pray, at least in each other’s presences, at times together. However, here in this site that should unite us in wonder, awe, gratitude, and love, are found disturbing signs that all is not as Christ willed. The Apostle John whose feast we celebrate today tells us that before His Passion, Jesus prayed.

“And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me and that you loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:22-23, NAB)

Certainly Our Savior does not will a drab uniformity. We are called to a vibrant and joyful unity in diversity. However, while there are signs of this, we see all too often signs of division, bitterness, and even hatred. Our first, and in some sense primary, response must be the same as Christ’s – prayer! So, I invite each one of you to join me in praying for conversion and grace in each heart and mind.

May we all one day again be one as the Father, Son, and Spirit are perfectly One in the Holy Trinity!

St. John, Beloved Disciple, pray for us!

- Ben

Merry Christmas from Bethlehem!

Christmas Eve was exciting-! The narrow streets were crowded under suspended strings of garlands and lights, and people hung from balconies and rooftops to watch the parade wind its way to Manger Square. I came down through a narrow stairway and watched the parade pass by between buildings. I wanted to get to the Church of the Nativity before the Patriarch did so I could see him enter (or to see whatever it was that was going to happen, I wasn’t really sure), so I ran through adjacent streets and walkways- passing through the fruit market, down stairs and through alleyways, all to the music of bagpipes and drums the next street over! I managed to make it all the way up to the doorway of the Church, while confetti and fireworks were being shot off in the square, and I could see the high-twirling batons of the drum majors, the officers with their AK-47’s on top of the buildings, balloons being released, and the long line of monks waiting to greet the Patriarch. We were wearing our clerical shirts so that people would know that we were seminarians at mass that night (so I felt a bit older and very much like a priest as I wove through the crowds).
We went to midnight mass at Bethlehem University, and as Ben and I were both part of the choir we stood on the balcony platform tucked between the organ pipes. I’ve been loosely in charge of the Mundelein Choir, and we had been practicing diligently with Sister P’s university choir these last few days- they even taught us a beautiful Christmas song in Arabic! We felt like part of the Christian community here in working with the students and getting to know them, and Sister P has a special place in our hearts now. We clapped and cheered after the last song 'Joy to the World.'

After the reception (with caroling and a ‘Christmas Donkey’ of Ben’s invention) I walked outside and sat in the courtyard under the Christmas lights- through the trees the moon was full. 2:30 in the morning. I wondered what time Mary and Joseph came into Bethlehem? Was Mary already having birth pangs when they were turned out into the cold by the innkeepers? Walking the streets I realized how quiet it is in Bethlehem at night, even now (though maybe that’s because Palestinian officers aren’t allowed in the streets past a certain time). How still we see thee lie. They would have had to wake people up- and how cruel- the only hospitality they could find was for someone to let them stay in their stable with the animals. Can you imagine how Joseph must have felt? I tried to imagine the shepherds in their field and the angels breaking through the sky. The other day we went to a Bedouin orphanage and I held an abandoned baby that was only five days old- his little hands gripped onto my finger and I thought of how small Jesus became. Not like the Nativity Scenes where he looks like he’s three years old- but a newborn baby, wrapped up like a peanut or a papoose. The hope of the world! As I went to bed I thought of the Holy Family bundled up in the hay to sleep when the shepherds came.
Today outside of the Church of the Nativity the crowds whorled into a simple folk dance encircling a group of musicians singing Gloria’s and Alleluia’s- I joined in the celebration before meeting the rest of the seminarians for Christmas Dinner at a restaurant (where it was so crowded that one of us had to eat with his plate in his lap and I had to pretend to be left-handed). It was the first Christmas for many of us with no family- but be assured that you are held in our prayers here in this blessed place at this blessed time! Merry Christmas Pilgrims-!

Mike

Mount Tabor - Spiritual Refreshment

Just a couple days ago we spent the morning on Mount Tabor. This mountain is almost within sight of Nazareth, which was the base for our first venture into Galilee. That morning we came down out of Nazareth, which is up on a ridge above the Jezreel valley, one of the most fertile places in the whole region. We went briefly to Nain, where Jesus raised the widow's only son from the dead. From there we could look north across the valley and see the perfectly symmetrical shape of Mount Tabor.

"After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves." Mt 17.1

We drove part way up, then we changed into smaller microbuses because the road was too narrow for our tour bus. On top we walked into the compound around the Church of the Transfiguration! It was a bright sunny crisp morning, the Church was magnificent, and we had time! After one of the brothers gave a reflection and our guide explained a bit, we had a whole hour just to pray before Mass in the church. I could have spent a whole week!

I have a confession to make regarding the Transfiguration. As the rosary has become part of my life, starting in high school, this was always one of the mysteries that I found dry. I am always moved by the Annunciation... which Mike so eloquently describes in the previous post. How to say Yes so perfectly to God, especially as I've discerned and am now preparing for the priesthood, this resonates deeply. And so on with many of the other mysteries. But this one, when John Paul II offered the Church the Luminous mysteries, was a challenge. After some time, I settled on the expedient of always praying for my Mormon friends, as I had the impression that this event is especially important to them in their very different understanding of Christ. But I didn't often find inspiration or insight in it.

Then, this fall, I was blessed to sit in on Fr. Joseph Henchy, C.S.S. as he taught a course on the Transfiguration. This blessed 10 weeks really began to open up the mystery for me... how it is connected to the Baptism in the Jordan, how it prepared the Apostles for the struggles that lay ahead, how Moses representing the law and Elijah the prophets brought revelation all together with Christ, it's fullness and perfection. And Peter's bumbling... "Lord, let's set up tents and stay here!" It is always encouraging to see how the Lord worked through him in spite of his frequent misunderstanding... maybe He can do something even with me!

As I walked around and prayed near the church, sitting in the sun and looking out over the valley below, I shared some of the sense of joy and wonder that the Apostles must have felt (mixed in with fear and awe in their case). Inside the church I went to confession, availing myself of the outpouring of grace. I gazed upon the striking mosaics of the Transfiguration. I thought a little about how the Gospel was being opened up bit by bit in my life. Truly, with Peter I could say, "Lord, it is good that we are here."

God Bless,

Ben

P.S. Make sure you check out the pictures at Picasa... there's a bunch of them up now, with captions!

Knowing Nazareth

Hey Pilgrims-!

We went up to Nazareth for a few days- it’s a big city now (about 100,000 people) but when Jesus lived there they suppose that there wouldn’t have been more than 500 living there- very small town! We had mass in the Basilica of the Annunciation- there is a sort of cave-like room there behind an ornate gate where the angel Gabriel visited Mary. (read Luke 1: 26-38) I went back later on at night and knelt in front of the grate to pray the first Joyful Mystery of the rosary- since I was exactly where it had taken place! Unexpectedly, one of the friars came and unlocked the gate and let four or five of us seminarians inside the cave. I can't even tell you- what an overwhelming experience-! I thought of how Mary must have felt when Gabriel came to her-
As I left the cave thinking “Did that just happen?” I wondered if Mary thought the same thing when Gabriel left her. How long was the conversation? Did it last just a minute or two? She must have been so stunned when the angel suddenly appeared to her in that little room (I wonder what he looked like?), saying “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women…”

Seeing the smallness of the room and how poor our Blessed Mother must’ve been on earth made me think of what she must have felt being crowned queen of heaven and earth! I realized how easy it is to think of her as a sort of storybook figure- but she’s a real person! Underneath the convent where we stayed (right next to the Basilica) was a new excavation of buildings and tombs from the time of Jesus. Walking through the doorways and under arches and next to crumbling stairs I realized that these would have been the neighbors of Mary and Joseph and Jesus. Though now underground, they would have seen these places everyday. (We imagined the boy Jesus running by with His friends, or Mary coming to the door to visit). From the time Jesus was 12 to about 30, there are 18 years of silence.

This is the town where he would have lived when he was working as a carpenter with Joseph. (actually we found that there aren’t as many trees here- so they build with stone as well as wood- Jesus would have been a mason working with stone just as much as he was a carpenter). There probably wouldn’t have been enough work in Nazareth alone to support them, so they most likely would have walked to jobs in other towns as well. As I trekked the steep maze of streets and alleys that night and climbed to the top of the hillside on which Nazareth is built, I realized that there was a time when Jesus was my age (26) and walked that very same hillside. Looking out over the valley I thought of what a familiar sight it would have been for Jesus- how many memories He must have of that hillside. I guess I've got a few myself now!

till next time,

-mike

Floating ON the Dead Sea...

It's about 10 pm here and I'm fighting with a bogged-down connection, but here's a few words on the experiences of a couple days ago....

We left bright and early for a long all-day field trip to four sites: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, and the Dead Sea. Just driving there was exciting because we got to go through Jerusalem in the daylight for the first time, and saw the Temple Mount from a distance! Then we drove through the desert hills down to Jericho and the Dead Sea. It's a pretty amazing sere landscape... steep gullies and sparse vegetation. Every 10 minutes or so we saw a camel standing next to a crossroads or gas station with an ornate saddle waiting for us to stop and take our pictures with him... for a fee!

We rode a cable car up to the old stronghold at Masada, then hiked down. (huff huff sweat sweat) Then we went to Ein Gedi, a nature preserve of sorts where there are several abundant springs in a valley. We hike some more and saw Ibex and Rock Hyrex. Then to Qumran for lunch and a look at the place where they found some of the dead sea scrolls.

Finally, at the end of the day, we went to the shore of the Dead Sea for the obligatory float. This was the most purely touristy and least spiritual event of the day... and yet, here, it all came together for me. We changed and went down to the water in a hoard of sorts. We splashed in somewhat carefully, heeding warnings not to get any of the brine in our eyes. At first it didn't really feel all that different. However, by the time I got up to my waist, I could tell my body wanted to float. Finally I lay back, and I was half out of the water! As you can see from the picture, I even did the obligatory paper reading while floating... although in this case it was the National Park map of Masada. After a while I settled on the legs crossed at the ankles and my hands behind my head. I realized that with a floating pillow I could probably fall asleep like this! I let me ears go under water and closed my eyes and wondered at the peacefulness.

Now there was nothing about this experience that helped me to understand Jesus better, and it wasn't a holy site. But it did bring me a sense of wonder and awe... and that definitely has to do with God. As I've thought about it the last day or so, it seems to me that even the simple wonder one feels as you look across a new and strange vista, or taste a new food, can be of great service to one trying to be a pilgrim and not just a tourist. As our journey here continues, I hope to be more sensitive to the movements of my heart and mind towards wonder, and to give thanks to God! And, as the Pilgrim People of God... this applies to every day, wherever we are.

God Bless, pilgrims!
Ben

'oud you like to buy a lute?

Sister P. came by the other day to pick me up and take me to a music store- (she teaches music and plays organ) She’s lived here for more than twenty years, so it was definitely helpful to have a local with me! All the shopkeepers barter for prices here- and since the owner of the store had once been a student of hers I was, for once, pretty confident in fair prices!
Was a lot of fun driving with Sister since she knows how to weave and jostle through the traffic here! The streets here are oftentimes built up versions of roads made for horses, or even footpaths that have been used for thousands of years- and they’ve only been made [somewhat] suitable for cars since- well, since cars were invented. I guess that sounds like a long time ago for us- but history is longer here and a hundred years ago doesn’t seem so far back!

As was my hope, I ended up finding and buying a lute, or in Arabic: an ‘oud (pronounced like ‘rude’ without the letter ‘r’). It sounds very eastern- like a sitar only not metallic. A lot of fun! I was pretty giddy about it, to be honest, and you can see from the picture that it’s quite beautifully made. It cost me 650 shekel.
Anyway, the reason I got a lute: it’s an ancient instrument even mentioned in the Bible!
Psalm 81:
“Ring out your joy to God our strength, shout in triumph to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and sound the timbrel, the sweet-sounding harp and the lute, blow the trumpet at the new moon, when the moon is full, on our feast.”

It’s found in other scripture passages too. I’ve managed to pluck out a few songs so far- though I have yet to master the arabic sound and rhythm!
Till next time Pilgrims-!
mike

Housekeeping!

Greetings, pilgrims!

A couple new things on the blog... to the left are some links. The three that are there now will most likely stay, and should help enrich your experience of our pilgrimage, if you wish.

First, there is a link to the group journal and pictures that is put together by our class as a whole. There is a day by day journal entry, and links to some rather extensive photos. This is a little more impersonal, but also more extensive.

Second, there is a link to a pretty decent map of the Holy Land, which can be clicked to bring up a very detailed one. If you want to see where the places we talk about are, look at that map.

Third, there is a link straight to our pictures on Picasa. We are going to try to limit each post to 1 or 2 pictures, while more will be posted on Picasa. I'm still figuring out how that site works, so it should evolve fairly quickly, hopefully improving! As of right now, there are 22 pictures posted, some of them with captions.

Well, those who are reading, I hope you're enjoying this a little bit at least! Any feedback, comments, and questions are very much appreciated through the comments function below!

God Bless,

Ben

Come Lord Jesus!

(Only 11 days of Advent left to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Lord!)

** The image is a photo of the stained glass window above the sanctuary in St. Catherine Parish, right next to the Church of the Nativity.

Where Home is Found

Hey Pilgrims!

I was on dish duty this morning- always fun! We have three nuns and a head cook who kindly make our food and even do our laundry! There are two older sisters (from Sri Lanka, I think) and a younger one (who’s all business!). They’ve introduced to us to all sorts of Mid-Eastern food here: humus, cheeses, cucumbers and other vegetables for which Bethlehem is known, ‘rice pasta’, and very tasty soups. Back at Mundelein we don’t have a kitchen- but here with the schedule as it is everyone takes a turn doing dishes at a meal about once every three days. Laughing and talking over this simple household chore makes it feel a lot more like homey and domestic here, and makes the community feel a lot more like a family! We’re very grateful to the sisters for their ministry to us- without which we would be unable to have the time and energy to visit and experience the Holy Sites (in order that all of us seminarians might bring what we learn back with us to the people in each of our Dioceses across the States and the world: think of how many people these sisters are effecting just by cooking food!)
Life around the house is settling into a pattern- the streets here clear out come nightfall and most people [including us] stay at home. It’s not small here, though certainly tighter quarters than our seminary back in Chicago. There are usually a couple groups playing cards in the lounge by the classroom, a pot of mint tea being made, a group crowded in uncomfortable wicker chairs at my own end of the hall (trying to get Internet reception on their laptops), and other people scattered about: down the stairs, some of us praying or playing music in the chapel to the left, others tucked away in their rooms reading. Outside you might find a seminarian sitting in the courtyard patio between buildings (trying to make friends with the 2 rather elusive cats)- Into the next building you’d see tall arched ceilings and would walk past the dinner bell and the hallway to our dining room to get to the wide, stone spiral staircase on the left with plants on its steps. Upstairs it’s always dark and quiet- sometimes the doorway to the ornamented private chapel is open (for the 4 or 5 Italian speaking priests and brothers who live here). At the end of the hall is a small library mostly filled with French books- there’s a sort of balcony giving access to the highest bookshelves, and an angular staircase with cuts across to the door which goes to the rooftop. (I usually find my own hideaway sitting on those stairs) Through the door and up uneven narrow stairs, yet another seminarian sits on the roof and says his prayers while overlooking the city.
Christmas is coming soon! Weird not to have snow, but no complaints! We’ll be missing everyone back home. For many, including myself, it will be the first Christmas without family. Maybe that’s why it’s so important to us to try and make a home of sorts here!

Luke 9:57-60
Until next time-



mike

Pictures and the Immaculate Conception

Greetings, fellow Pilgrims! Annuntio vobis gaudiam magnam... habemus "pictures"! Do any of the students know when those words in Latin are used by the Church? I hope I spelled them right!

In any case, after much confusion on my part, I've finally got some more pictures posted on the web. We will continue to have a couple in each post, however, to keep it from loading too slowly, the rest will be at the following website:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/YooperPilgrims

At first it will just be the pictures, in time there should be more captions. Theoretically, Mike and I would have had this blog and pictures stuff all figured out ahead of time! So, we're learning on the fly with an often tortoise-like internet connection!

Recently we had a day of prayer for the Immaculate Conception. This title of Mary was made official Church dogma in 1854, but is has been believed and prayed down through the centuries. Mary the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States, and of Mundelein Seminary. So, all of us seminarians here in the Holy Land joined our brother seminarians at Mundelein with a day of prayer. We sang the Divine Office in common, we had a wonderful talk from our Pastor-in-Residence, Fr. Dan, we prayed the Rosary in 5 of the languages represented among us, and we had adoration all afternoon closing in Solemn Vespers and Benediction. A wonderful day of reflection. Even here it is easy to get busy and distracted!

I was signed up for the 4:30 pm slot for adoration, so before that I went over the the Church of the Nativity to pray in the cave below the main altar, the very spot where Jesus was born. As I kneeled and then sat on the marble floor, I thought about how God worked so wonderfully through the Blessed Mother. Her Immaculate Conception, that is, being conceived without original sin, set the stage for all that came after. Especially, this made it possible for her go give her Fiat, her Yes, to the Angel Gabriel, unloosing, as it were, the Incarnation. Her freedom from Original Sin still left her freedom, actually a truer freedom than any except Christ has experienced. This is where I felt myself drawn into the mystery... what might God do in and through and with me if my yes became just a little stronger, a little more complete? What might He do in You?

As I prayed, I saw many different people from many different places come to visit the Birthplace: Spaniards, Italians, Indians, Muslims, etc. In particular, a guide came in with two people who might have been Korean, the man in a wheelchair. I think he had cerebral palsy. The guide wrestled him down the stairs, with the woman following dragging the big clunky wheelchair. As they settled him into the chair, his face split into a big grin! The guide pointed out the birthplace with the gold star, then the manger nearby. I felt like I could see his joy in his eyes, very evident. I was humbled and impressed by their resolve to get down into this little cave, and I felt united to them, in a way, by that joy.

Come Lord Jesus!

-Ben

The Hills near Mar Sabba

Hey Pilgrims!
We had classes this morning and a free afternoon after one very full week- a good chance to catch our breathe, reflect on our experiences thus far, and hopefully shake off this cold that’s been going around the house. I think most of us will be finding our own supper tonight (which could be anything from the shwarma meat wraps they sell on the street to the Oriental restaurant Sister found yesterday).
Yesterday we went to Mar Sabba (“St. Sabbas”)- an 8 mile bus ride. We quickly found ourselves out in the desert- our bus had curtained windows and swaying fringes and made some nervous on the steep and narrow switchbacks
Beautiful countryside- but beautiful in context, and not photogenic-! The low mountains look as though they were formed by giants trapped under bedsheets punching up with their fists and knees, and they aren't the barren beige that comes through in pictures but rather colored with arid cremes and tans- except for the slate shadows which lie cupped into the hollows or else slide over the landscape following under their swift moving clouds.
Mar Sabba ("Saint Sabbas") is an Orthodox monastary built into a mountainside (kudos for any student who can tell us who the Orthodox are!) - A maze of balconies and stairways and courtyards and domes cling to the cliffside many stories tall. Usually the disappointing thing about interesting places like that is that they're much too small- but you could've explored this place for weeks and days and still discovered new passages and niches. As is, we weren't even there for half an hour-! Looking across the ravine we could see the facing cliff wall honeycombed with hermitage caves where the monks would have lived. These caves are called “Lauras” which means “the narrow way.” At one point more than 500 monks lived in that stone hillside!
Walking into the dimlit church- much bigger than expected- every surface was covered with icons and paintings of the saints. In a glass coffin lay the embalmed body of St. Sabbas, wearing his priestly vestments.

-mike
p.s. One of the teachers in Menominee asked how to ask questions on this site: you can either e-mail Ben or myself, or leave a "Comment" (which is an option you can click on right below this entry- let me know if that works!)

Shepherd's Field and Back to Bethlehem

Hey Everyone-! I hear we left just before a big snowstorm hit and that the Chicago Airport was shut down the day after we left! Ben and I have made it here safely. Still kicking our jet-lag at this point as there is a 7 hour time difference (8 hours from Ironwood or Menominee or Chicago!) So if it’s 5 pm your time then it’s midnight for me! (Thus why I get really hungry or tired at weird times).
Bethlehem is quite a place. It’s [mostly] surrounded by a 24 foot concrete wall due to the complicated political situation here. Five times a day the mysterious warble and drone of the Muslim call to prayer reverberates throughout the city- I think we’re used to all of them except the first (which is sometime before 5 a.m., though I haven’t yet had the heart to actually look at my alarm clock)- In Arabic, I’m told, they proclaim: “Arise! Come to salvation at Dawn- prayer is better than sleep!”

Yesterday Ben and I walked to ‘Shepherd’s Field’- the place where the angels appeared to the shepherds the night that Jesus was born. (See Luke 2:8-20) There was a little round church there and some low-ceiling caves made into chapels. In the time of Christ shepherds would have kept their animals in caves and slept sitting up in the doorways (with their backs to one doorpost and their feet to the other)- this way they could keep their sheep or cattle in and wild animals and thieves out. I imagine that the shepherds would have been doing just that when they looked up and heard the angels singing. King David was also a shepherd in Bethlehem- who knows? Maybe he tended sheep there too.
Not having a star to guide us, we got a bit lost on the way back into Bethlehem (it was daytime anyway- and sporadically rainy). It takes about a half an hour to walk back to the Church of the Nativity where Christ was born- though I bet it takes less time if you know your way. Or if you’re an excited Shepherd who has just seen a multitude of angels telling you the Savior has just been born (Luke tells us that “they came in haste”!)

My first day here I had walked to the Church of the Nativity- sitting in Manger Square two Palestinian kids sat next to me tried to teach me some Arabic words (one of them knew some English and wanted to learn more). The main languages spoken here in Israel are Arabic, then Hebrew, and then English.
I’ll tell you more about the Church of the Nativity after we get our official tour-! Hope all is going well back home.

-Mike

Greetings from Bethlehem!

Greetings, one and all! I'm sitting in an internet cafe just 50 yards from the Church of the Nativity, the spot of Jesus' birth! It is a great joy to be here in the Holy Land!

We arrived in Bethelehm about 5:00 am on Saturday, December 1st after 28 hours or so of travel. We had a 10 hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland as part of that, so we spent a little time downtown poking around a little. Once we got here, most of us spent the next 24 hours or so just recovering a little from the two long flights. Today we had our first classes, on the Spirituality of Pilgrimage, and one on Ecumenism. Both look promising.

Well, I just wanted to say hi, and let everyone know we got here safely. Soon I hope to have some pictures and links posted! In a few moments I will walk over the the Church of the Nativity to pray! I will remember you and your intentions.

God Bless,
Ben

Useful Holy Land Links...

Here's some links you can use to learn more about Israel:

First, maps:

http://www.mideastweb.org/misrael.htm
click into the detailed map - very nice topographical detail

http://www.eyeonisrael.com/
an interactive map with tourist info.

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/il.htm
maps, plus basic outline info

http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ancient-israel/israel-first-century.html
ancient israel

If you want to get oriented, try clicking on a couple of those! Then, as Mike and I travel around, you can put the different places in perspective. One of the things that strikes me as I've looked at these maps is how small Israel is! It's probably a little smaller than the Upper Peninsula in total area!

-Ben

Out and about in da U.P.!

Greetings, pilgrims!

Well, Mike and I have been drumming up a little excitement for the pilgrimage! We've visited 3 of our lovely Catholic Schools this past week. Hopefully the youth, especially the middle-schoolers, will be able to plug into our experience.

Here are a few pictures of the mini-tour. Because we only had a few days on our break, we weren't able to visit all the schools. If we didn't visit yours, write us an email, and we can start the conversation!

Mike had his guitar along... We say a song based on Psalm 122: "Let us go unto the house of the Lord."

The Holy City... this panorama shot shows the Old City and the Temple Mount, looking across the Kidron Valley.

I talked about what it means to be a pilgrim. This exterior journey is sacramental. Like a sacrament, the exterior reality of journey and travel points to the interior reality of spiritual growth and conversion. Even if you can't go on the pilgrimage with us, you can definitely participate in this part of it. We're all on a journey towards God - heaven is the target and purpose of our lives.
He also sang a beautiful song based on Psalm 137. The psalm tells of how much the Israelites longed for Zion when they were exiled in Babylon as slaves.
This is a little oil lamp... like in Psalm 119: Thy Word, O Lord, is a lamp unto my feed, and a light unto my path!

Finally, Mike spoke of his first visit to the Holy Land, when he went with his dad for 10 days. Even that short journey was rich in learning and growth. I can't imagine what 11 weeks is going to be like!

Welcome to Yooper Pilgrims!

Welcome one and all to Yooper Pilgrims! Soon, Mike and I will be departing for the Holy Land for a full quarter of pilgrimage. Less than a year from ordination to the diaconate, this will be an opportunity for study and prayer in the place where it all started. I look forward to sharing the experience with you in some small way via this blog.

-Ben

Yeeeeehaw-! Hey Everyone- we're pretty excited to be taking off here. We especially want to welcome the teachers and students of UP Catholic schools to our site- don't forget to send us questions-! We'll be praying for you at the Holy Sites.

-Mike