By Pilgrim Madeleine Vella
This morning we battled with fatigue as we put out our bags and boarded Bus 3A around 8:10am. We began the short journey to the peaceful, serene Neocatechumenal Centre that had a Seminary attached to it. The ‘Neocats’ were established around 40 years ago in the slums of Madrid. Today there are over 1 million followers world wide. We all listened to an insightful explanation on the nature ‘Neocats’ by His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell. His Eminence explained that this ‘movement’ sends families on missions all around the world and referred to them as the “backbone of World Youth Day”, suggesting their influence is paramount for Catholicism. Many of us had the privilege of spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament which was a moving experience. The panoramic scenery of the Galiean shore enhanced the power and serenity of this place. As Pilgrims we passed through the ‘Narrow Gate’ to achieve our personal salvation. The abundance of community members is inspirational and motivating, encouraging the re-evaluation of our contribution to the world.
After about an hour we headed to the Chapel of Beatitudes on the Mountain. We all shared a spectacular Mass together outside the chapel. Despite the intense heat and humidity, this experience allowed us to reflect on how we, as the young Catholics of the world can enrich our lives by living out the Beatitudes. Father Simon enlightened us with his Homily, which discussed the Beatitudes and their significance to our lives in depth. This deconstruction of the Beatitudes was insightful and interesting as he explained the thought provoking concept that the opposite to beatified is misery. It was deeply moving to share mass at the exact place Jesus chose to reveal the Beatitudes.
Later that day, on the bus, Daniel; one of the seminaries travelling with us, shared his testimony with us. Daniel spoke to us of his personal vocation and gave us deep insight into how we can pray for our personal vocations.
It took about an hour and a half to drive to Mount Carmel at Muhraqa, overlooking the beautiful Jezreel Valley. On this mountain, Elijah went to the top of Carmel after confronting the priests of Baal in a contest of faith between his God and theirs. Here we visited the Carmelite Monastery which stands on the site of the early church. United, we all went up to the Chapel of Mount Carmel and prayed together the Carmelite prayer and offered up our intentions. After climbing up onto the roof we could see a beautiful view of Israel.
After a 10 minute drive we arrived at our lunch destination. Here we shared more traditional Israeli food. Further on we arrived at the Crusader point of Caesarea to see the maritime city build by King Herod the Great. This ancient city located on the Mediterranean was once the Roman capital of Israel. It was here that the centurion Cornelius was baptized by Peter, becoming the first gentile to convert to Christianity. We visited the impressive excavations, ruins, amphitheater and Herodian port. We were also able to see the grand aquaduct that was built to accommodate the city.
We continued onto our final destination, Jerusalem. On the bus, Lauren read spiritual reading concerning our personal crosses. This passage was reflective and encouraged us to accept and embrace the crosses we must bear, as followers of Christ. One quote from the passage that was deeply inspiring was; “The cross has to be part of our discipleship, so why is it such a surprise when it comes?” This question ignited a lot of reflection and contemplation.
Many of us caught up on our sleep as we drove two hours to our final destination of the Holy Land – Jerusalem, ‘The City of God’. Upon our arrival in this Holy city there was an immediate distinctiveness between the contrast in cultures as Christians, Jews and Muslims must share this city. Our first stop in Jerusalem was the ‘Wailing Wall’, nowadays more commonly referred to as the ‘Western Wall’. Jews come to this wall to pray, particularly on the Sabbath. The men and women had to go to different areas to pray. This was a very moving experience, to touch the remains of the Temple and pray alongside our Jewish brothers and sisters. It was incredible to see this wall that we had heard so much about and see that every crack was filled with years and years worth of petitions.
We then went to the hotel and checked in before boarding the bus again to go shopping in Bethlehem. Many of us bought some beautiful icons and crosses to take home. We then went back to the hotel and all went to bed.
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