Holy Land - Pilgrim Reflection No.1

 By Pilgrim Lauren Langrell

On the first day of the Pilgrimage, what struck me the most was the visit to Abu Serga Church where the Holy Family took refuge after fleeing from Jerusalem. After finally retrieving from all the Egyptians salesmen, loud train noises and busy crowds, the pilgrim group entered the peaceful and ancient Church.  Once entering, we were taken behind the covered altar to where the entrance of the crypt. Although unable to enter, we were still able to see down the stairs to where the Holy Family stayed. For me, just being in the presence of where Christ was over 2000 years ago, was a surreal experience where time seemed to come to a halt.

My faith has been built around the Church’s teachings and Scriptures, which were dated thousands of year’s ago and often I felt distant because there was such a significant time gap. But standing above where God incarnate walked, prayed, ate and lived was an experience I cannot truly comprehend, but I wanted to stay there for hours.  And I thought to myself – I wish I could access this everyday.

Suddenly I felt God speaking through to me, reminding me that I have this available to me everyday. That this presence of Christ in the Abu Serga Church 2000 years ago, is present NOW in the Eucharist! Our Lord is physically present here today, everyday, every moment – waiting for us to receive Him. I was falling more in love with the Eucharist, for even though Christ was physically present in the crypt 2000 years ago, He is physically present here in the Eucharist!! And we can receive the body and blood of Christ physically! How much our God loves us is so clearly evident and His continuous presence on earth is here. 

This beautiful moment of realization has lit a new fire within my heart for the Eucharist. That in every Catholic Church I enter, Jesus Christ is just as present as He was when He walked on the ground of this earth. And that even though the Scriptures and Church’s teachings were formed thousands of years ago, the Word made flesh is present and is here!  We can encounter Christ and enter into His covenant when we receive Him, just as our spiritual ancestors physically encounter Christ.  I thank God for this blessed experience on the first day and I eagerly look forward to the many more abundant blessings that will draw us pilgrims closer and more deeply in love with Christ, whom is present in the Eucharist now.

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Photos!

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Pilgrim Reflection No.1!

By Pilgrim Claire Devonport

In the days leading up to the Saturday night that we slept out, I was anxious to say the least. Anxious, nervous, restless and adamant that I would in no uncertain terms be sleeping out. I hadn't even packed to sleep out but during one of my minor protests and excuse secessions, a beloved friend informed me that she had in fact hauled 2 sleeping bags all the way to Madrid. As one sleeping bag was for me, and I saw all the Priests in their habits and the Young Order of Malta participants, some in wheelchairs, preparing to sleep out, I realized I was well and truly out of excuses.
We set off for the aerodrome where we were to sleep out in the hottest part of the day. Our bags bulked down with litres of water and supplies for the next 24 hours. All up I think it took about 2.5 hours of walking and catching stuffy trains to get to the aerodrome but the site of all of the pilgrims camped out, flags waving and fire trucks spraying the millions of pilgrims with their fire hoses suddenly made me feel excited. We finally found somewhere to set up camp and were fortunate that three Italians, who had taken enough room for 10 people, moved themselves into a smaller space and even donated some of their tarps to us.
It wasn’t long after we got set up that the rains came. Rain!? In Madrid!? Seriously!!?? The timing was poor but by grace alone we were blessed to have the 10-15 minutes that the Blessed Sacrament was exposed to be rain and wind free. After that however it continued to pour. There were 6 or more of us huddled under a tarp with a few more poking their heads in. The wind howled, lightning struck, thunder boomed, people said they wished their mothers were there, and it rained.
I’m sure the Italians were wishing they could have their tarps back, but they didn’t ask so we moved some barricades and made a tent out of mattresses and tarps. While it continued to rain, it was ironically quite fun. I even managed to get about 5 hours sleep.
It took a friend’s comment to make me realize the enormity of what I was a part of. She commented on how amazing it was that there were 2 million people all together praying. When I said that I couldn’t see anyone there praying, she reminded me that by being at the aerodrome, making a pilgrimage there, camping out in less than desirable circumstances, awaiting the Holy Father, we were praying, all together, all night.
We were a part of the biggest crowd ever to be drawn in Europe, perhaps the world, and it was all to see one man. To celebrate one faith. To show and spread one love.
Like the friends who still insist on photographic evidence that I did in fact sleep out, I am still trying to comprehend how the night that I had predicted to be one of the worst of my life, turned out to be the best. Sleeping on rocks, in the rain and the dirt, in scorching heat, was the best night of my life.

Day 9 Pilgrim Blog - Holy Land! Jerusalem, ‘The City of God’

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.

Good night J

Day 8 - Photos!

Day 8 Pilgrim Blog - Mt Tabor & Cana!

By Pilgrim Lauren Langrell

Struggling to pull myself out of bed after a long intense night of the classic game Mafia, playing with pilgrims from around Australia. You know it’s a Catholic pilgrimage when a player asks “Guys...I think this games immoral because we are lying!” After rushing out the door in the early hours of the morning, sprinting past the empty breakfast room and just making it through the bus doors, we began our pilgrimage for day eight in the Promised Land of our spiritual ancestors.

With a beautiful beginning to the morning, our first stop was at the Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. It was on this mountain, that Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself in all His glory and divinity to His apostles St John, St Peter and James the brother of John.  Our coaches dropped us off at the bottom of the Mountain and all the pilgrims split into smaller groups to enter mini buses that would drive us up the windy roads to the peak of the Mountain where the Church was situated. Apparently, the road we were travelling on was a two way road...and somehow the driver’s eccentric moustache didn’t ease my nerves! 

At each sharp turn, we took a deep breath and closed our eyes because one small crash would send us rolling down the hill. After surprisingly reaching the top in one piece, all the Exodus pilgrims walked towards the magnificent, stone Church which was lighted by the radiant glow of the sun above. It was breathtaking upon entering this Church, two main altars were visible once entering, the altar below consisted of beautiful mosaics of Christ and on the floor were two openings that traditional says which revealed the real stone floor where Our Saviour transfigured. At this altar, the Sacrifice of the mass was celebrated. The altar above was equally as beautiful but was personally more moving, as there was an astounding vast mosaic of the Transfiguration, displaying Christ lifted above the ground and looking up to His Father. On either side of Jesus were two elevated figures, Moses holding the Ten Commandments and the prophet Elijah.

Before entering this Church, we had meditated on the words of Archbishop Dolan, on the Transfiguration in his “Lessons from the Apostle Peter”. It was through this reading that we not only came to a deeper understanding of the event which took place, but that when in the presence of the divine Christ we should often have silence and listen to Him. We should not always focus on doing talking which is often unnecessary (evident through St Peter in this passage), but set aside time where we should remain silent and gaze upon the Christ in all his glory. We must learn to listen to Him.  And so when praying in this Church, I learned to listen more because I often become discouraged in prayer when I find I run out of things to tell Christ. But Christ is not there to be a garbage dump where we give him all our problems to deal with, but rather He is a source of healing, advice, peace, steadfast direction and unwavering strength. He is the One who to do the talking.

After a solemn and reverent Mass celebrated by His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell and three assisting Priests, it was time to begin our next exciting visit!! The Church from the Wedding in Cana! This was definitely a special one for all the lady pilgrims! For the guys, it was a looonggg and painful bus trip as all the girls couldn’t stop talking about how sweet and romantic it would be to be married there. Once arriving at the destination, the Church was small in size but large in beauty. This was where Our Lord’s first miracle took place, it was here where Our Lady ordered the servants to do as He tells. And the water was miraculously turned into wine, and the Apostles proclaimed “Truly, He is the Son of God!” We were able to descend beneath the Church to view the remains of the original Church which held the marriage that Mary and Jesus were present.

I must admit, my heart did melt for a moment or so, as the traditional wedding entrance song was played throughout the Church. Kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, we prayed for the vocation of Marriage whether that is to be the Spouse of Christ or the spouse of another.  

Following this visit, lunch was served at a nearby restaurant and next door was a souvenir shop, where most pilgrims bought the Wine from Cana. We then boarded onto the buses and headed back to our hostel for a relaxing afternoon of rest and swimming in the Sea of Galilee. Most pilgrims choose to sleep in order to catch up from the lack of rest, while a few others and I headed to the Sea for a swim and lie on the sand, feeling the warmth of the Israel summer sun.

After dinner, all pilgrims were welcomed to listen to the informative and intriguing talk on the Order of Malta by His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell. We are so blessed to have him with us on this journey!  All the pilgrims here love him and it’s a fight on the back seat to sit next to him every bus ride! 

Now as the day is coming to a close, my body is saying sleeeeppppppp...but my mind is saying maaafffffiiiaaaa.

So good bye everyone back home! Know of our prayers and please keep us pilgrims in your prayers that we remain firm in the faith and built up in Jesus Christ.

God bless!

Day 7 - Photos!