Pilgrimage to the Holy Land - October 9, 2023

We will take a morning drive to the top of the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem and visit two churches located on the mount: the Church of Pater Noster, where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray the “Our Father,” and the Ascension Chapel, the site where Jesus ascended into Heaven. Descend the Mount on the path Christ walked on the “Palm Sunday Road” to Dominus Flevit, where Christ wept over Jerusalem and her future destruction. Then enter into the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ had His agony and was betrayed. Here we have Mass in the Church of All Nations at the Rock of Agony, the very rock Christ prayed at and sweated blood before He was to be crucified. In the afternoon, we drive to Ein Karem, one of the most beautiful sites in the New City of Jerusalem where St. John the Baptist was born. Pray at the Visitation Church where Mary proclaimed her service to God in her Magnificat prayer. (B, D)

An exciting and full-packed day awaits us as we explore Jerusalem further. We enter the Old City of Jerusalem through St. Stephen’s Gate to visit the Church of St. Anne, where the Blessed Virgin Mary was born. Afterwards, is the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the paralytic man. We will continue to see Pilate’s Judgement Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation, the Arch of Ecce Homo, where Pilate said, “Behold the man,” with Jesus standing before the crowds wearing His crown of thorns with His body torn after the scourging. Prayerfully, we will walk the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and have the opportunity to climb the steps up to Mt. Calvary and pray at the site of the Crucifixion. Venerate the site where Jesus’ body was anointed, the tomb where He was buried and rose from the dead and the Chapel of St. Helena where she found the true cross. This afternoon, we journey to Mt. Zion, where Christ celebrated the Last Supper in the Upper Room. Together we will journey to pray the Rosary at the Church of the Dormition, the traditional site where Mary was assumed into heaven. Our final stop is at one of the most striking churches in Jerusalem –St. Peter in Gallicantu– commemorating the place where Peter denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26). (B, D)

This morning, we drive to Bethany to see the House of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and the Tomb of Lazarus where Jesus raised him from the dead. This is where Jesus declared to Martha that he is “the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). We will then visit Abu Ghosh (Emmaus) where Jesus appeared following His Resurrection. End our day at the Dead Sea to float and swim in its salty, mineral-laden waters before returning to Jerusalem. (B, D)

We rise early today to celebrate an early morning Mass at the Tomb of Our Lord in the Holy Sepulchre Church. After a late breakfast at our hotel, we depart for Jericho, the oldest known city in the Western world. In 1250 B.C., Joshua encircled the city, trumpets blasting, and the walls came tumbling down (Joshua 6). Jesus passed through Jericho many times on His way to Jerusalem. We will continue our journey to the traditional baptismal site of Jesus in the Jordan River. Renew your baptismal vows in the very river where Christ was baptized by John the Baptist (Mark 1:9). Ponder how the children of Israel crossed the River Jordan opposite Jericho when they came to the Promised Land. These are the waters the prophet Elijah divided and crossed with Elisha and which Naaman the Syrian dipped in seven times to cure his leprosy. Pilgrims come every year to immerse themselves in these holy waters. Continue our drive north though the Judean wilderness and the Jordan River Valley to Tiberias for check-in at our hotel located on the Sea of Galilee – our home for the next 4 nights. (B, D)

Enjoy a scenic morning boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, the setting of so many moments in Christ’s life. We will visit the Church of Peter’s Primacy on the shores of Galilee. A rock at the center of the church is believed to be the actual table where the apostles ate breakfast with Christ after His Resurrection. It is where Peter’s role as the Vicar of Christ was further established as Christ asked him to “Feed my sheep” (John 21:16). We continue to Capernaum, the center of Jesus’s three-year public ministry, where He called His first disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew. Here, Christ healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever, brought a child back to life, cured a leper, healed the centurion’s servant and cast out a demon from a young boy. After Mass we visit the synagogue where Jesus taught. At Tabgha, we ponder the site where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed more than 5,000 people (Luke 9:13). Finally, in Bethsaida we visit the home of Andrew and Peter and marvel at the humble beginnings of two of the greatest disciples, and then end our day on the Mount of Beatitudes where Christ gave his famous Sermon on the Mount. (B, D)

Begin our day in Magdala, birthplace of Mary Magdalene, known as “the Apostle to the Apostles” where we will visit the chapel and surrounding ruins. We then drive to Cana in Galilee to pray where Jesus performed his first miracle, at the request of his mother, Mary, turning the water into wine. The Catholic Church points to this miracle as establishing the Sacrament of Marriage. If you wish, you may renew your wedding vows here as a lasting remembrance of this holy site. Afterwards, travel a short distance to Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus. Pray in the Church of the Annunciation that holds the Cave of the Annunciation, the actual room where Gabriel appeared to Mary and “The Word was made flesh” (John 1:14.). See St. Joseph’s Carpentry Shop, where the foster father of Jesus worked, and Mary’s Well, where the Virgin Mary drew water with her Son for their daily living. We will take our last excursion of the day to the summit of Mt. Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration and the culminating point of Christ’s public life. Christ revealed His divinity here to three of his apostles as He spoke with the prophets Moses and Elijah. It is also the second time and place where God told people from Heaven that Christ was His beloved Son to whom they should listen (Matthew 17:5). (B, D)

Drive around the Sea of Galilee to our final stop in this region – Kursi, where Jesus met a possessed man and miraculously cast out a legion of demons into the herd of swine (Luke 8:26). Continue around the sea and then head west to the sparkling port city of Haifa where we will ascend Mt. Carmel, the sacred mountain home of Elijah and Elisha. Visit the world center of the Carmelite order at their monastery and see the cave in which Elijah lived. Venerate the site where the Prophet Elijah contested 450 prophets of Baal proclaiming, “The Lord, He is God” (1 Kings 18). Then drive south to Tel Aviv for our last night in the Holy Land. (B, D)

Our time pondering the wonder and awe of the Holy Land comes to an end. We catch our return flight home from Tel Aviv. (B)