First Fruits of the Holy Land

This morning we awoke to the most stunning sunrise. The sky was filled with pastel pinks and blues…a most beautiful welcome to our first morning in the Holy Land. It was a very spring –like morning as we made our way to the sunlit streets of Bethlehem and to mass at St. Helena’s chapel at the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria (which is adjacent to the Basilica of the Nativity).

Arriving at St. Catherine’s, just before entering the chapel of St. Helena, you are greeted by an incredible, almost life-sized, wood carving of St. George mounted on his horse and slaying the serpent. St. Helena’s chapel is modest, seating roughly 40-50 pilgrims, and is, as one pilgrim commented, “very monastic.” During mass you really experienced what it feels like to sing with una voce, one voice. Forty men, united in Christ, easily filled the space with hymns of praise and thanksgiving.

After mass we were free to explore the treasures of Bethlehem. Highlights for any pilgrim include: the Grotto of the Nativity and the manger; St. Jerome’s cell located in the caves adjacent to the site of the Nativity where St. Jerome lived and worked on his Latin translation of the bible; and the Milk Grotto, where it is said that milk fell to the ground while Mary was feeding the Infant Jesus and miraculously turned the walls of the cave white!



We heard in today’s responsorial psalm “Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations!” These words had special meaning as we quietly meditated in the Grotto of the Nativity just a few feet away from the metallic star that is fitted to the white marble marking the spot of the Nativity. Our Lord’s most marvelous deed, the Incarnation, has inspired countless pilgrims from all the nations (of which we were witnesses today) to come and pray at the very site of our Lord’s birth.

We thank you Father for the gift of your Son, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.