The following is an edited version of the journal entries of Peter Ross, originally intended for the Saint Margaret Mary Community. Peter’s full journal entries can be read in the Oscotian Magazine.
Day one
So here we go! Myself, 2 priests and 15 other seminarians have just said goodbye to Oscott College, Birmingham and are presently travelling down the M6 towards a hotel in Heathrow. Tomorrow morning, at 7:50am, we fly to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. This means it will be a very early wake up - 4:30am!
Prior to leaving Oscott, we had our departure Mass in the College Chapel. Father Andrew Robinson (Liverpool Priest and Scripture Lecturer at Oscott) presided and preached. He drew our attention to today’s Gospel (Mark 3:13-19), wherein Jesus calls the twelve disciples. The twelve were a complicated group! For example; Matthew had been a tax collector, Judas would go onto betray him, John was probably very young and Peter was… well he was Peter!
Interestingly, the Gospel begins; “Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted.” It seems to be the case that Jesus had given considerable thought as to who he would ‘summon’ to follow him. Let us never forget that, in a similar way, he has thought about us too and despite our many failings (like his disciples), he sees the best in us and wishes for us to be close to him. The only thing we have to do is to say ‘yes’.
Day three
Our first full day in Jerusalem. Many in antiquity regarded this city as the very centre of the universe. Despite what we know now, that ancient belief could almost be true - it feels like all the nations are here! First on the agenda was Sunday Mass with some local religious sisters - what a welcome they gave us.
We then headed over to the Holy Sepulchre, or as our guide called it, “the holiest place on Earth”. This remarkable church, shared by six different denominations, is built over the sites of the crucifixion and of the resurrection.
Both are separate but extremely close together (say the distance between the Altar and the Narthex in our Church). Some might doubt the veracity of these two shrines, however, in defending them, Fr Andrew Robinson drew our attention to John 19:41: “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid”. This means the Holy Sepulchre has a scriptural foundation in addition to numerous historical sources.
After lunch we began the Stations of the Cross - walking in the footsteps of Jesus to Calvary. The path or ‘Via Dolorosa’ starts at the Praetorium of Pontius Pilate and ends at Calvary. The trail is easy until you reach the 5th Station (Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus). Afterwards it begins to climb uphill.
Fr Andrew asked us to envisage the beaten Jesus, already exhausted and suffering - having to climb this hill. No wonder they drafted in Simon to help him! I also got to carry the cross. In the evening we walked back to the Holy Sepulchre to witness the closing of the doors (look this up yourself - fascinating). That’s all for today folks!
Day five
The Cenacle, which takes its name from the Latin word ‘cenaculum’ (meaning dining room), is by tradition the setting of the Last Supper and Pentecost. Thankfully we were able to pray in this space and concluded by singing ‘Veni Sancte Spiritus’ - a chant to the Holy Spirit. This was followed by Mass in a beautiful chapel next door. The Tabernacle within is held inside a bronze figure of Jesus and the door opens in the place of his heart (Jesus gives us the Eucharist out of love).
The Cenacle sits on Mount Zion. From Mount Zion we moved down to the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. ‘Gallicantu’ means ‘Singing Cockrell’ and as the name suggests, it is the place of Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus (as described in all four gospels). The Church sits over the ruins of the High Priest’s Palace.
Many think that a prison cell underneath the palace was used to hold Jesus on the night before his death (there are crosses and an image of a praying figure dating to the Byzantine period on the walls). At the time of Jesus, there was only one entrance to this cell, meaning that prisoners would have been lowered down by rope through a small hole in the ceiling.
Did Jesus spend his final night in this cell? I was privileged to pray Psalm 88 with the rest of the group while there. This Psalm speaks of abandonment and darkness. Now Jesus, like every good Jew, would have known the Psalms off by heart. Maybe he prayed the 88th while in prison? Give this psalm a read and picture Jesus alone in his cell - you may cry.
Day nine
Seven people were killed last night in Jerusalem.
We were eating our supper in Bethlehem when it happened. From about 9 till midnight, cars full of people (including children) drove past our hotel - sounding their horns and cheering. Many were waving Palestinian flags and playing music loudly too. This morning, our guide told us that they were celebrating the deaths of the seven people in Jerusalem.
Now, I mention this, not to make a political point, but rather to illustrate the complex nature of affairs here in the Holy Land - attacks like this are not infrequent and people’s responses to them are varied. We must pray for peace.
This morning, we visited the Basilica of the Nativity of the Lord, the place where the Prince of Peace was born. Anyone entering this church must pass through a low door. You have to bow. The ‘Door of Humility’ forces everyone to humble themselves like our God who humbled himself. In reality, this door was made low to prevent men on horseback, from riding in and looting the Basilica. So in typical Christian fashion, we have attached spiritual meaning to a door that keeps horses out!
Our celebration of Mass took place within Saint Jerome’s Cave. We enriched the celebration with a few Christmas carols too. Saint Jerome translated the scriptures into Latin (a big deal back then). We have an awful lot to thank him for. He also had a terrible temper … so maybe we can ask him to help us when we’re feeling a little ‘hot under the collar’.
Day twelve
A day in the life of Jesus: early lakeside walk, call first disciples, teach in the synagogue, cast out an evil spirit, heal Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, cast out more evil spirits, heal more sick, sleep and get up early for some quiet time (Mark 1:16-39).
The events of that day took place in and around the town of Capernaum - ‘the town of Jesus’ - our first stop in Galilee. According to Mark, Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew had a house in Capernaum. It is also the likely setting for the calling of Matthew (Mark 2:13-17). At the time of Jesus, the town was one of largest settlements in Galilee.
Our celebration of Mass in Capernaum took place in a modern church called ‘The Memorial’, which stands above the family home of Peter. A few yards from the church stands a partially ruined fourth century synagogue, beneath which lies further ruins of an older synagogue, the synagogue that Jesus certainly knew and taught in. I now know that when Jesus left the same synagogue to cure Peter’s mother-in-law, he would have taken just a short walk down the street, perhaps lasting a minute at the most. Capernaum is tiny!
A tour to Tabgha then followed, the place where Jesus fed the 5000. A Benedictine Monastery now encloses an ancient depiction of two fish and four loaves (only four as the fifth loaf is the Eucharist). I think I’ll return to Tabgha on my free days. It was then a short walk to the ‘Primacy of Peter’ - the place where Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples and gave Peter the first place among the others.
After lunch, I got my sea legs on and stood aboard a wooden boat called ‘King David’. A choppy trip on Lake Galilee then followed! We had a great time, laughing and praying. That was the day! The pace is a bit slower in Galile … quite a change from Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Day sixteen
The Prophet Elijah defeated the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. Today we ascended said mount to visit the Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris. The Monastery Church stands above a cave believed to have been occupied by Elijah on two occasions. Firstly, when he prayed before defeating the pagan priests and secondly when he hid to evade the forces of evil Queen Jezebel. Mount Carmel is of course the place where the Carmelites hail from. Indeed, hermits have made the slopes of Carmel their home since the time of the Elijah.
From Mount Carmel to the skies!
We’ve just touched down at Heathrow and will be making our way back to Oscott shortly. Needless to say, the last few weeks have been truly life changing and I’ve gained so much. I do hope these updates have expressed something of the awe and wonder of the Holy Land.
Before ‘signing off’ - I have one last reflection. We could be standing on Calvary, praying in the empty tomb, kneeling at the manger in Bethlehem, walking along Galilee’s shore, stopping at Jordan’s edge or climbing the Temple Mount - it doesn’t compare.
Let me tell you that none of it compares to that highest privilege, the privilege bestowed on us frequently - the Eucharist. Our beautiful saviour walked the streets of Jerusalem for a moment but he chooses to take his rest at Saint Margaret Mary’s and all other churches around the world. So… go to Mass! Amen.