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Reflection by: Ivan Francis

Chronicles of a pilgrim – Day 14 – Masada, Dead Sea

#sequelachristi2022

Ein Karem

Our first stop was at Ein Karem (Hebrew: “Spring of the Vineyard”); it is a historic mountain village southwest of ancient Jerusalem, Israel, and now a neighborhood on the outskirts of the modern city, within Jerusalem District, Israel.. Ein Karem was an important Jewish village during the late Second Temple period during which it became important to Christianity. Tradition teaches that Ein Karem was the place where Mary visited Elizabeth during The Visitation, and the birthplace of John the Baptist – “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah” (Lk 1: 39). 

Latrun

Next, we stopped by a Trappist Monastery in Latrun, which was, according to tradition, the birthplace of the repentant thief that was crucified with Jesus. The Trappist monks of Latrun are Cistercian Monks, belonging to the great monastic family that lives according to the rule of Saint Benedict, namely “Ora et Labora”, which translates to “pray and work”. The first monastery was established in France and spread throughout Europe and the world through the efforts of Saint Bernard. 

Abu Gosh 

Our final stop was at  Abu Ghosh, an Arab-Israeli local council in Israel, located 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) west of Jerusalem on the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem highway. It is the location of one of the 2 crusader chapels that still remain in Israel, and is situated at the heart of Muslim territory. According to the New Testament, Emmaus was about 11 km away from Jerusalem. This led a few Crusader-era pilgrims to suggest locating Emmaus at the spring of Abu Ghosh.

Personal Reflection

Today was the last day of our trip and I felt a range of emotions as I reflected on this pilgrimage. At first, it was not my intention to come for this trip, as I didn’t like mixing around with new people, and my spiritual life for the past few months has been very dry. I had no motivation to pray daily, let alone go on a pilgrimage. I felt God was far away from me and I had many doubts, guilt, and shame that wounded my relationship with God. However, throughout this trip, there were surreal moments where God revealed his love and mercy for me, in the most personal way, through the other pilgrims, the eucharist, and the holy sites. Like John the baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb for joy, I find myself filled with Joy and gratitude that I managed to experience the gospels and Christ throughout this pilgrimage. Just as the disciples felt a burning sensation when Jesus spoke to them about the scriptures, I feel a desire within me to go back and tell everyone how Christ has touched me through this trip. However, I also am a bit worried that the ‘spiritual high’ will only last for a while, and I will return back to my sins and woundedness. I prayed about this during mass at the church of the visitation, and I got the message to trust and surrender in his providence, just as Mary did. At night, many pilgrims shared about how God has touched their wounded and broken lives throughout this pilgrimage, and I felt comforted that I am not the only one struggling in this faith journey. I hope and pray that the encounters we had and the community we built during this pilgrimage will be our source of strength as we carry our crosses in our lives, which is a pilgrimage itself.

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