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October 12, 2023Written: Saturday, October 7th, 2023.
Hello all,
This is coming from the airport, the
airplane, Tel Aviv, and areas around the
Holy Land. It is early in the afternoon
and we have arrived in Istanbul, Turkey
on the way to Tel Aviv.
We all successfully made it to the
airport, through the gates, and onto the
plane. As it was an overnight flight, we
had a quick snack and then lights out.
We are now in Istanbul, Turkey, and
getting ready for the flight to Tel Aviv
and then on to Nazareth. It is a long
day of flights, airports, and buses, but it
is exciting to think about where we will
end up. Our first group business is to
celebrate mass and thank God for safe
trips and for the opportunity to walk
where Jesus walked and see some of
what he saw, i.e., Jerusalem,
Bethlehem, Nazareth, and other places
mentioned in the Gospels. Unlike Jesus,
our trip organizer has found us lodging
close by, so we will have access to lots
of amenities.
At each place we go, we will celebrate
mass using the Gospels of that area.
So, we will celebrate the Mass at
Bethlehem using the Christmas
readings. We also will use the readings
for the transfiguration on Mt. Tabor
and then the beginning of Mark at the
Jordan River and the place of the
Baptism of Jesus.
It is Saturday and today we celebrated
mass at the chapel at the Garden of
Gethsemane. It was very nice but
marred by the sound of bombs going
off in the Gaza Strip. What we realized
when we got here is that there is so
much geography intertwined and the
politics and violence that have been
part of this area sadly continue. It was
beautiful to see the garden where Jesus
wept for his fate and to walk down the
street it is believed he used that we
celebrate on Palm Sunday. It is very
steep and leads to the garden. The
guide told us that some of the olive
trees and other trees date back to
2,000 years, so it is possible that these
were the same trees, or maybe the
roots of the trees Jesus saw. From the
garden, you can see the wall where he
entered the city for the last time.
We visited the church of St. Peter and
saw where Jesus was kept before his
trial. We also saw some uncovered
stairs that archaeologists believe Jesus
could have walked on. It is very moving
and startling to see it all. We visited a
church that is believed to be one of the
places Mary was when she died. (She is
also thought to have died in Ephesus at
the house of John the beloved disciple.)
I am sending this on Saturday night, so
this is all for now. I hope to report
more in the following weeks.
Building news: We continue to do
some work on the outside of the
buildings. This week the tree company
returned to advise us of another tree
that needs removal. We also are
prepping the boilers in all the buildings
for the winter heating season. We have
a snow removal person lined up and
we are also doing well with the parking
lots in the early part of the season.
Father Murray presided over mass at
Gethsemane on Saturday. The mass was
said as air raid sirens, bombing, and
gunfire could be heard in the
background. We continue to pray for
peace and for the victims of all violence.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so
much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal
life. Amen
Peace, Father Murray
