The subject of hope: generosity, and many young people.
The subject of reconciliation, forgiveness, treating others with humanity.
From September 6 to 12, I participated in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with a group of members of the Work 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 current one.
The group with Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latinpatriarch 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 wih Fr. Alberto Pari, at the Franciscan Convent
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 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: married couples 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 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