Parish Bulletin Report

When someone asked me how was my trip, there was no way I could summarise the mixture of feelings and the highlights into one paragraph, let alone one sentence. I had a very intense experience and it seemed like two months had gone by instead of two weeks. But it is definitely one to look back on as an accomplishment for me in this Jubilee year.

The Holy Land pilgrimage took six days and didn’t appear to be in anyway connected with the World Youth Day. The Sydney Archdiocese has decided that it would be good preparation to go to Israel before the World Youth Day, but I was unsure as to how the two should fit together in one continuous pilgrimage.

The most obvious connection would be in the chronological connection of the two countries. The Holy Land was where Christianity all started. Starting with the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, we followed the story of Jesus into the inner city of Jerusalem right up to the Stations of the Cross, Via Dolorosa, ending at the Holy Sepulchre. The sites looked magnificent, with each denomination having their particular presentation of the story. The inside of the Catholic Church of the Garden of Gethsemane is pitched in darkness, with the ceiling painted with olive branches sparsely covering a night sky to represent the night Jesus prayed there, really setting the mood for the church.

Our journey also took us north to the Sea of Galilee where we went to the various sites of Jesus’ ministry and childhood – some of them being Nazareth, Capernaum, Cana, Mt Tabor (of the Transfiguration), Mt Beatitudes and the Sea of Galilee itself.

Halfway through the journey, another connection between the Holy Land and World Youth Day dawned on me. I've been involved in social justice in various ways when I entered uni. Participating in IMCSA (International Movement of Catholic Students Australia) and my local UTS Catholic Student Movement has presented me with an awareness of issues that are facing our society, in Australia as well as overseas. What I have not really ventured into is to learn how Christianity lives in an oppressed society.

That is until now. We are pretty grateful to be living in a multicultural society that is predominantly Christian. But in some places there is a struggle for Christians to practice their faith and to protect themselves from the physical violence that rages in their neighbourhood. Israel is a country that has never had any long-term stability. The land has been a battleground for many countries and many faiths since the Old Testament. There is now a sincere effort to make peace between both the Israeli and Palestinian sides, but for how long is the question.

Christianity, once dominating a quarter of the population, now number less than two and a half percent. Where did they go? Most left the country because of its instability, some left because they could get no protection from either side. Thankfully our tour guide is Christian, and Aramaic at that, belonging to the Syriac Orthodox Church. Apparently Syriac Orthodox history links back to the first Christians at Antioch. Through listening to him and learning about his country has made me aware of the social injustices that he faces everyday. He initially refused to talk about any politics of the area because he did not want to incriminate himself. I don't blame him, because anything that leaks back to the Israel tourism ministry will probably lead to the confiscation of his Israeli tourist license – his only “bread” for his family. He did emphasise one thing, which was why I made the connection in the first place—All Christians in Israel are Palestinian. It's not easy to make a living there, but he does because it is his home. Despite what everybody says he loves his home.

This where I believe it's the continual work of the Spirit in the Holy Land that has allowed these Christians to continue helping pilgrims like us experience the Land of the Bible. If it were not for them, it wouldn't be as easy to make a pilgrimage to Israel. I was told many times that in the first pilgrimages, not everybody returned home. Of course, that is a little extreme, it’s a very different story now, but even by ourselves we would not be able to be treated to the wealth of knowledge these people have of their land. They know so much about Jesus that I’d think He is like a really close friend to them.

Finally, I’d have to say the wonderful sites of the bible were only half of what the experience was. It’s one thing to see the sites on your own, it’s another thing to see them with a community. To me, that’s what made all the difference. The Holy Sepulchre, as impressive as it may seem, would not make much of a difference to me than any other church I’ve been to. However, our pilgrimage reflected on the last four Stations of the Cross in the church through some meditations, and talked about our experiences afterwards. This to me is the key of the pilgrimage. I am glad to be in the company of such wonderful friends throughout the Holy Land and the World Youth Day, and through the joys and struggles we have shared together I can honestly say that the Holy Land has helped me develop my spirituality.