It was late when my plane touched down in Tel Aviv, but after years of anticipation, I had finally made it – I was in the land of Jesus and the Gospels! It was dark as our bus worked its way through the hill country of Israel on its way to our first stop: Bethlehem. … Read More
When Mary Visits
The Old Testament shows the prefigurement of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. In 2 Samuel, Uzzah is struck dead for touching the ark of the covenant and David feels unworthy to bring the ark to Jerusalem. So, David takes the ark to the house of Obed-Edom where the ark remained for three months. While … Read More
Moses: Pilgrimage to the Promised Land
excerpted from “Great Pilgrims of the Old Testament” Many years after the death of Joseph, the new kings had no appreciation of how Joseph had saved Egypt from the great famine. The Hebrew people had become so numerous, that the pharaoh began to fear them and decreed that all male Hebrew babies must be drowned … Read More
Our Best Tour Guide is Found in Heaven
The life of St. Joseph must have been extremely interesting. In the words of St. John Paul the Great, “Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.” And from the viewpoint of St. Joseph, his life was quite literally an adventure with Christ. From being visited by angels in his sleep, to caring for a pregnant … Read More
How a Pilgrimage to My Ancestors’ Homeland Restored My Faith
My adult faith had never been lower than the first time I set my big, wide Irish feet on actual Irish soil. My beloved grandmother had passed away a few months before the trip. I’d inherited her rosary, the one on which each bead represented to her one member of her family of nine children … Read More
Why do the Five Stones Challenge for Lent?
It was about this time last year that I really started getting interested in Medjugorje. At that point, I had been working for Tekton about seven months. We had a few pilgrimages come and go to Medjugorje, and I had heard scattered conversations and stories around the office about Medjugorje, but did I really know … Read More
Three Essential Elements of Adoration
Every day in Medjugorje, seven to ten thousand people kneel together in Eucharistic Adoration. So, Fr. Leon Pereira, the chaplain to English-speaking pilgrims in Medjugorje, knows a thing or two about Adoration. Here are what he calls the three essential elements of Adoration: Fr. Leon believes that Adoration is one of greatest fruits of Medjugorje. … Read More
Pizza Sticks and Parish Priests
My youngest son was a picky eater. I packed his lunch almost every day until he was in the 8th grade. Then, they began selling “Bosco Sticks” in his school’s cafeteria. He couldn’t get enough of them. When I asked him why they were called “Bosco” sticks, he had no idea. Here’s what we discovered … Read More
Once a Pilgrim, Ordinary Time is Never Ordinary Again
Every pilgrim knows that once you’ve been to the Holy Land, “Ordinary Time” is never ordinary again. You can’t walk in the footsteps of Our Lord and not be affected when you hear the Gospel message. Ordinary Time, which begins this Sunday, is not called so because it is “not interesting.” The phrase is derived … Read More
5 Points to Ponder About the 3 Magi
Ask anyone about the Magi, also known as the Three Kings or Three Wise Men, and the first thing that typically comes to mind is either a familiar Christmas tune or the gifts they brought the Christ Child. The fact is, we don’t know a lot about them. They are mentioned only in the Gospel … Read More
From the Nativity to Calvary: Mary’s Faithful Journey
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. So, all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of … Read More
Got Grace? The Blessed Mother’s 15 Promises to Those Who Pray the Rosary
After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Rosary is the prayer most pleasing to Our Blessed Mother. Reigning as Queen of Heaven and sitting next to the King, her beloved son, Our Lady has been given the dispensation to grant God’s graces to her spiritual children, for whom she constantly intercedes. The Blessed … Read More
5 Ways to Keep the Spirit of Pilgrimage Alive When You Return
Pilgrimage changes people. It enriches their lives, brings them closer to each other, and – most importantly – closer to God. When they return home, it’s with a renewed sense of self, a renewed purpose, and a strong desire to grow Christ’s kingdom in their own communities. Having experienced God in such a profound and … Read More
The Upper Room: More Than Just a Renaissance Man Cave
When the Upper Room is mentioned, the first thing that might come to mind is Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. In his version it’s a room with a high ceiling, big enough to accommodate a table for thirteen diners (perhaps even more if they didn’t all have to sit on the same side of the … Read More
An Easter Egg Hunt for the Fruits of Lent
Christ is risen, Hallelujah! The forty days are over and we can finally rejoice! The Lord is so good, and in his goodness he desires to draw us nearer to him throughout the season of Lent. While we may have felt inconvenienced and slighted by the “sacrifices” that we decided to take on, we need to realize that God is calling on us to recognize that the things of this world are nothing compared to him, his awesome love, and the kingdom that he has waiting for us.
