2007 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

A total of 100 of us participated in the pilgrimage. The whole journey was completed in a joyful and peaceful atmosphere; it was definitely a blessing from God.

Renewing Baptismal Vow The water in the river was not cold but still a bit chilly. Although the water was quite polluted, over 70 brothers and sisters renewed their baptismal pledge by dipping into the river. Many brothers and sisters had tears of thankfulness as they resurfaced the river.

Renewing Wedding Vows in the Church of the Wedding at Cana 21 couples renewed their wedding vows during the mass. One gentleman who participated in the ceremony said to me: “Even though I had been married for over 20 years, this is the first time I felt like I’m on a honey moon.” This feeling indeed is analogous to the effect when Jesus turned “water into wine”.

Valley of the Shadow of Death On our way from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, we passed through an arid valley that looked like the Valley of the Shadow of Death described in Psalm Chapter 23. However the sound of water was heard from the bottom of the valley and in the distance stood the Greek Eastern Orthodox St. George Monastery amid a green sea of jade cypress. The scenery conveyed a spirit of defiance and was quite captivating.

Masses Commemorating Jesus’ Life

Since every church in the Holy Land is allowed to hold special masses, therefore even during the time of Lent, we had a chance to participate in different mases, such as an Annunication mass at the Church of Annunciation in Nazareth, a Christmas mass in Bethlehem, a mass commemorating Jesus’ suffering in Select Mani Hill Church and finally a mass celebrating Jesus’ resurrection in the Holy Sepulchre Church. Within the short period of 10 days, we commemorated Jesus’ whole life. Indeed, isn’t our own life’s journey a brief sketch of Jesus’ life?