{"id":12012,"date":"2023-06-19T04:19:56","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T04:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/?post_type=article&p=12012"},"modified":"2023-06-19T05:07:49","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T05:07:49","slug":"pilgrimage-to-the-holy-land-3","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/article\/pilgrimage-to-the-holy-land-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilgrimage to the Holy Land"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mt Nebo<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Unexpected torrential rain and wind gusts met us as we made our way to Mt Nebo, the mountain from which Moses was able to see the Promised Land even though he would never enter it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even through the rain, I could see the expanse of land which stretched to the horizon. These lands have been contested for the four millennia since Moses. <\/span>I stood, saturated to the bone despite my bright green raincoat, and looked out, trying to imagine looking at this sight through the eyes of Moses. <\/span><\/p>\n

I felt quite sad that while he could marvel at the view, he would not be able to enjoy the next chapter in the story of the Israelites. He had put up with the grumbling and whining of the Israelites for so long. I know that the scriptures are clear about why this was taken from him and given to Joshua (Joshua 1:6-9) because of his act of disobedience towards God (Numbers 20 7-8). Nevertheless, I stood,\u00a0 looking out, the wind whipping across my face, getting wetter and wetter, and felt sorry for him. I wondered if he had felt regret and disappointment. I wondered whether he was angry with God who meted out this punishment. I wondered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We visited a Franciscan church where ancient mosaics have been carefully restored. We were able to walk above them on carefully constructed walkways with newer mosaics covering the walls reminding all of the stories of Moses.\u00a0<\/span>Its been possible for archaeologists to identify this sanctuary, thanks to the records left by two pilgrim travellers to the region in the 4th and 5th centuries. One of the travellers was Egeria, the pilgrim nun. Prior to this, there was little information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

From ancient mosaics to a modern artisan workshop where artists work painstakingly using tiny pieces of cut tiles to produce beautiful works of art. This workshop is staffed by people with disabilities which provides them with meaningful and highly skilled employment.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bethany beyond the Jordan<\/strong><\/h6>\n

From here we continued to nearby Bethany Beyond the Jordan, one of the most recent\u00a0<\/span>archaeological and religious discoveries. The five springs here form a tributary of the Jordan River, believed to be the Baptismal site of Jesus by John the Baptist. So authentic is this site that Pope Francis chose this as an essential place to visit on his last pilgrimage to the Holy Land.\u00a0<\/span>Because of the rain earlier, the river was brown and muddy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Our mass was said in a half-finished church which will be no doubt beautiful when it is finished with its stained glass windows, etched doorways, and circular design. But today the ceiling was leaking and we had to make do with a makeshift altar in one of the alcoves.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n

In his homily, Archbishop Fisher op, recounting church father, Thomas Aquinas, suggested that we consider the baptism from a different perspective, to <\/span>focus not so much on what the waters of Baptism did for Jesus, as on what He did for the waters of Baptism:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Christ \u2018baptises\u2019 the waters, so they might mediate transforming grace to the recipients. Where once Baptism merely signified repentance, now it brings about continuing conversion. Rather than a moment in which Jesus was adopted as the Christ, it\u2019s the moment when <\/span>we are adopted<\/span> into God\u2019s family.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This site of Jesus\u2019s baptism, a choice he made, challenged me to think about the choices that I make and the pathways that I choose either through my actions or inactions. By way of affirming our choices as Catholics, instead of the creed, we renewed our Baptismal promises.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our journey in Jordan was coming to an end as we prepared to cross the border into the Holy Land of Israel. We were detained at the border for about an hour or so as the Israelis detained one of our party, Fr Lewi.\u00a0 This was to be the first of several experiences of Israeli control. We were grateful to see Fr Lewi emerge from the border control building.\u00a0 We were soon on our way to Bethlehem, the City of David.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I hope the <\/span>video<\/span><\/a> created by one of my fellow pilgrims whets your appetite for Bethlehem.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary Leask<\/strong><\/em><\/h6>\n
Principal<\/strong><\/em><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The next part of Mrs Leask’s pilgrimage took her to Mt Nebo and Bethany beyond the Jordan…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-12012","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/12012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}