Read the first part of Fr. José Antonio’s testimony about his pilgrimage to the Holy Land here.
We will continue our pilgrimage through the Holy Land, bringing together geography and faith through memories centered on Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
About 150 kilometers south of Nazareth lies Bethlehem. From the approximately 300 inhabitants it may have had when Jesus was born, it has grown today to around 30,000. A centuries-old basilica—very different from the modern one we saw in Nazareth—marks the place that commemorates the Birth of Jesus. From a large forecourt, visitors enter through a very narrow doorway barely 1.30 meters high. The historical reason for such an unusual feature can be left for another occasion. Instead, I would like to highlight the symbolism of its name: it is known as the “Door of Humility.” It speaks to the pilgrim, reminding us of the need to set aside all pride in order to reach the hidden and humble place where the Son of God, made man, was born out of love for us.
The Grotto of the Nativity and the Door of Humility
Inside the basilica, in a small space beneath the church, pilgrims can visit the Grotto of the Nativity. There, beneath a modest altar, one can kiss a fourteen-point silver star marking the place of Christ’s birth. Around the star is an inscription in Latin that reads: “Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.” Once again, at this geographical point and almost effortlessly, as happened in Nazareth, the Holy Spirit awakens faith and love in the believer’s heart.
Grotto in the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
I have celebrated Mass twice in that basilica. The first time at an altar adjacent to the one I have just mentioned, inside the Grotto itself. The second time at another altar somewhat farther away, yet still within the basilica complex, in the grotto of the Chapel of Saint Catherine of Sinai. In the floor mosaic beside the altar there are two Latin inscriptions referring to the name Bethlehem, which, as is well known, means “House of Bread.” On the left side of the mosaic we read: Domus panis. On the right side: Panis vitae, that is, “Bread of Life.”
Once again, through this geographical window, the believer’s faith is rekindled. Reading those words transports us to another moment in time when Jesus, during His public ministry and in another place we also visited—the synagogue of Capernaum—proclaimed: “I am the bread of life (…) who came down from heaven” (Jn 6:35, 38). This connection between places and truths of faith now leads us to Jerusalem, where Jesus transformed ordinary bread into His Body and wine into His Blood before bringing His work of redemption to completion.
Jerusalem and the Final Steps of Jesus
As I mentioned in the first part, there were three places in Jerusalem that moved me most deeply. Jesus sanctified them in an extraordinary way during the final hours before His death. First, the Cenacle, where He instituted the Eucharist, located on Mount Zion. Then, about a half-hour walk away, following the same route Jesus took that night, we come to the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where the Basilica of the Agony stands. Inside, before the altar, lies a large natural rock surrounded by a crown of thorns made of wrought iron. It commemorates the place where, at the very beginning of His Passion, the Lord prayed and began to sweat what Saint Luke describes as drops of blood.
The Cenacle, Mount Zion
Finally, within the Old City of Jerusalem, we follow the path Jesus walked carrying the Cross to Calvary, where He died. It is a rocky outcrop located very close to the tomb where His body was laid. Both places are found inside the basilica appropriately known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Without any presumption, I believe that at this point the Apostle John himself might have readily embraced the expression “The Holy Land, a Window into the Life of Jesus,” which gives title to these reflections. His faith in the Resurrection of Jesus—above all a gift of divine grace—also sprang from this “geographical window,” close to the earth itself, as he saw the stone slab of the tomb empty and the linen cloths that had wrapped the Lord’s body.
When Jesus rose from the dead, those cloths remained gently flattened upon themselves, so to speak, once the physical presence of His body was no longer there. Their arrangement had no natural explanation unless the miracle of the Resurrection had taken place, shedding light on what John saw before him.
Saint John clearly recounts those moments. He writes that, running to the tomb with Peter, he arrived first: “He bent down and saw the linen cloths lying there, but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb (…). Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed” (Jn 20:4–8).
Faith in the Resurrection was born in a specific city: Jerusalem. In a precise place: the Holy Sepulcher. Before silent linen cloths.
Church of All Nations, Gethsemane
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: An Experience That Strengthens Faith
The Lord’s passage through our world has left indelible traces that continue to speak to us today. Saint John concludes his Gospel with these words: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have *Saint John concludes his Gospel with these words: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would
Faced with these words, what more could I possibly say as I bring these reflections to a close, reflections that barely manage to express a few thoughts about the five places we have contemplated? As far as possible, I would encourage those who have never been there to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. As I mentioned at the end of the previous article, the pilgrimage sites are not affected by the circumstances the country is currently experiencing, circumstances for which we once again pray to the Lord for a swift and lasting peace.
In light of everything I have written, and for anyone who may still hesitate about making such a journey, I can think of no better encouragement than Philip’s response to his friend Nathanael when he invited him to meet Jesus of Nazareth. Faced with Nathanael’s skeptical question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip simply replied with three words: “Come and see” (Jn 1:46). Nathanael accepted the invitation and was amazed by his encounter with Jesus.
I would say the same to every believer: “Yes, the Holy Land is worth it. Go there and see for yourself!”
By Fr. José Antonio García-Prieto