From September 6 to 12, I participated in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with a group of friends from Poland and Italy. I must admit that before leaving, I had doubts about whether it was a good decision to attend. But during the journey, those doubts completely disappeared. I am deeply convinced that it was a good decision, and I would very much like to return, even in a tense situation like the one on those days.

The group with Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

I was particularly struck by a walk through Jerusalem on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 10. For me, as a Catholic and a priest, the Holy Mass, recalling the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, is of vital importance. While walking through the city, in the area adjacent to the Western Wall (the so-called Wailing Wall), an idea came to me that allowed me to understand the Holy Mass more deeply.

It was an ordinary day, a workday, but around the Western Wall, the last remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, which Jesus had the opportunity to see, there was an atmosphere of celebration, great joy, and piety. At the wall, many Orthodox Jews were praying, some reciting the Holy Scriptures, others praying while leaning against the wall. The women’s section was even more crowded than the men’s. Shouts of joy and songs could be heard.

Currently, the Dome of the Rock, with its famous golden dome, stands where the Second Temple once was. This dome marks the rock on which Abraham was to sacrifice his son Isaac. For Muslims, this place is sacred because it was from here that Muhammad was taken up to heaven.

The group at the St. Saviour Monastry wih Fr. Alberto Pari

In the Jewish religion, the only place of worship to God, the place of sacrifice and, therefore, the connection between earth and Heaven, was the Temple of Jerusalem. When the temple was destroyed by Titus, it marked the end of the sacrifices and prayers in the temple of the Jewish religion as we know it from the pages of the Holy Scriptures.

The tearing of the temple veil at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross signifies the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New. The temple is no longer a building on earth, no matter how majestic and beautiful, but the Person of Jesus Christ, God and Man, in whom the perfect worship of the Father is fulfilled. However, this temple is not closed off to us. Every person, through the sacraments, each of us through participation in the Holy Mass, can join in this sacrifice and worship God with our whole life, in spirit and truth.

And if the Jews at the Western Wall are so joyful, so devout, before something that is only a memory of their temple, how much more should we rejoice in the opportunity to participate in the Holy Mass, and how much more should our lives be filled with joy.

Mass at the Church of Holy Sepulcher

This reflection relates to the observation of how many young people we met: families with small children, pregnant women, children, teenagers. And they were joyful people; you could tell they were not afraid of life. I connect this with my reflection on the temple and the Holy Mass. If they, who do not have our Christian faith, do not fear new life, which is something wonderful but also involves sacrifice, if they do not fear looking to the future with hope, how much more should we, who have discovered God’s love for us, not fear life, not fear giving ourselves, not fear giving generously of ourselves. This is a call to all to live their lives fully dedicated to God, which translates into concrete service to others. These thoughts came to me in connection with a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I recommend it to all Christians. It is a wonderful opportunity to deepen faith and share it in life.

By Stanislaw Urmanski, priest

I approached the church in the small coastal village where I would be staying for a few days, and suddenly, a boy rushed toward me. It was Nick, my friend from a short flight a little over two years ago. We embraced like old friends. He is taller now, but otherwise the same. Behind him appeared an older woman; I sensed she was his grandmother.

– “Are you still in Jerusalem?” He asked, with the air of a grown-up boy.

– “Of course! I’m only here on vacation.”

– “Listen” he said without preamble, as if we were back on the plane. – “Is the empty tomb of the Virgin in Jerusalem?”

I burst out laughing.

– “It’s just that on the 15th, they celebrate in the village the…” -— he hesitated, searching for the word, and his grandmother helped him: “the Assumption of Mary” — “That’s it! My grandmother told me that she also is in heaven with Jesus, body and soul. Is that true? Is her tomb too? Do lots of people go to see it?”

Faced with the barrage of questions, I interrupted with a smile:

– “Nick! one at a time. Yes, the Virgin Mary is the Mother of Jesus: she carried Him in her womb, raised Him, always accompanied Him, and stood at the foot of the cross, steadfast, watching Him die. And Jesus asked John, one of His dearest friends, to care for her…”

Dormition Abbey – Hagia María, Jerusalem- Empty Tomb

He interrupted impatiently:

– “But did she die and rise like Jesus? Is there an empty tomb, and do people line up to see it?”

I smiled: “Yes, Nick, she is in heaven, body and soul, forever! But” — I didn’t let him interrupt again — “it is not known whether she died or not! Some say she fell asleep, and the angels took her to heaven; others claim she truly died, and on the third day, Thomas, one of the disciples who had been traveling, arrived and wanted to see her one last time; but when they entered the tomb, it was empty.”

– “But in the end, everyone says the same thing: that Jesus took her to heaven with Him, body and soul!” Nick’s grandmother affirmed.

– “That is so; in Jerusalem, there are two churches to celebrate this: that of the Dormition, run by German Benedictines, and that of the Tomb of the Virgin, near Gethsemane, run by the Orthodox,” I clarified, addressing his grandmother.

– “Good for Jesus!” Nick said, accompanying his words with a triumphant, athletic gesture. “If I had powers, I would do the same!”

Dormition Abbey – Hagia María, Jerusalem. Empty Tomb

– “But also,” I added, taking advantage of the brief pause, “it was a great gift to us; we have the assurance that we too will rise. In Mary lies our hope, because in her the Promise of salvation, made by God from the beginning of the world, has been fulfilled.”

 – “That is why we pray to her,” his grandmother interjected again: “Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”

– “Listen,” Nick said to me, “are you staying longer? I have lots of questions…”

By Carmen Roriguez Eyré

Essential place to visit during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Federico and Mª Alicia, Honduras

I’m not a Christian, but I think it is a very good place, even for atheists, to learn a little of the history of the Holy Land

Thomas, Brazil

History here comes alive

Avelino, South Sudan

Thank you for the best tour about the steps of Jesus

Zeitoun family, Haifa