Last Autumn, my husband and I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Israel). We had always wanted to go, and really looked forward to the trip, but we were unprepared for the ways in which we would be irrevocably changed by the experience. (We were also unprepared for the sheer volume of walking, but that is another story)
We arrived in Tel Aviv after a very long flight. The airport was massive, but we managed to get through customs and collect our baggage with no hitches. Then, we met a man from the travel agency which was handling our trip, who introduced us to our tour guide for the duration. We were incredibly blessed to have as our tour guide, Makhoul, who was formerly an archaeologist for Israel's department of antiquities.
We arrived at our hotel, and the atmosphere was warm; we felt at home with the staff right away. During our stay, we had some thought-provoking conversations with the staff and learned much about the living situation for Israelis. People in the US cannot imagine the impact of racial/religious tension in Israel. It is simply an everyday struggle for many, one they would like to see come to a end. The more radical elements of each group complicate matters for those who desire peace. Peace is never taken for granted in this land, it is greatly desired and sought after.
Peace became the theme of our trip. Peace among men. Peace with God.
We went to Jerusalem and entered the palace (now underground and still being excavated) where Pilate tried Jesus and condemned Him to death; we stood in the very place they put His cross upon His back, the place Jesus began His walk to Golgatha. We saw many sights in Jerusalem, visited churches and chapels which had been erected hundreds (often more than 1,000) of years ago to commemorate the life of Jesus. We saw the pool where He healed the lame man, we walked the Via Dolorosa. We climbed to the place Jesus' cross was erected and saw the bedrock riven by the earthquake when He died. You cannot imagine the impact it has unless you have been there. Another day, we walked the Palm Sunday Road. We saw the place Jesus stood and wept over Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane where silent witnesses (the olive trees) still stand living, many 3,000 years old. We touched the rock where Jesus prayed in agony as He took on the world's sin. We stood in the cistern (next to a basement torture chamber) in Caiphus' house, where they lowered Jesus to spend a night in total darkness. We entered the Upper Room where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and tried to prepare his disciples for what was about to happen. Everywhere, we could smell the scent of olive trees, rosemary, and date palms. The fragrance of Bouganvilea mingled with those fragrances along with aloes and mustard and mints in many places.
The memory of these places, the sounds, the smells, came back so powerfully as I listened to the Gospel readings on Holy Week. I understand in a whole new way what Jesus went through during His Passion. Having seen and knowing as never before, I still cannot comprehend why God did what He did nearly 2,000 years ago. I know that I am more in awe of the sacrifice, amazed at the economy of His every word and action, deeply touched by the simplicity in which He conveyed deep things to the people He spoke with. Most of all, am grateful for the peace I experience in my soul. I am at peace with God as never before, and most of the time I am peace with all those around me. This is what it was all for. For each of us to experience peace with God, peace with ourselves. We are meant to understand our unique worth in the eyes of our maker and in the eyes of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are meant to grow and prosper in that peace. If there is any way in which I can repay a small portion of the love that has been given to me, I want to do that.
Many I know think that Catholics believe that we can somehow earn Heaven by the things we do. We do not. We know that Jesus did what only God could do for us. We also know that God considers every act of charity we offer other people to be an act of kindness toward Him. As we walk through this life, we seek to cooperate with the grace that can perfect us and make us exactly what God wants us to be.
Easter will never be the same. Peace has never been so perfect in me.
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