Holy Land pilgrimage - Day Four

Mass in the desert

What a difference a day makes! After two days of thunder and rain we woke up on Friday to glorious sunshine and balmy temperatures. After breakfast and prayers we were taken back to Jerusalem for a whistle stop tour of all the places on our programme we had missed the day before. Our first stop was the Last Supper Room - located above King's David's tomb. Tradition holds that this is the site where Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples before he was arrested and taken to trial. The present building is about 800 years old. Both St Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass here when they visited.

From there we saw a wonderful view of the Dormition Church, the old city walls and the Mount of Olives. Our guide also showed us an ancient stone stairway dating back to the time of Christ, located next to an Assumptionist convent. As we walked there, he said he believed all Catholic priests would benefit from a year in the Holy Land, to get a real understanding of the roots of our faith.

Our last stop in Jerusalem was the Tomb of Lazarus, in the place where Jesus raised his friend from the dead.

From here we travelled to Qumran in the Judean desert in the West Bank where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by two Bedouin shepherds in around 1948. On the way there, several of us noticed a worrying number of illegal settlements that have been built in the area in recent years. The settlements which break all international law are depleting water supplies for the indigenous Palestinians and also threatening the existence of nomadic Bedouins who have lived in the Judean desert for centuries.

Our next destination was the Dead Sea - the lowest place in the world - bordered by Jordan to the east and the West Bank and Israel to the west. In recent years the water level has declined by several metres.

The temperature was over 30C. While some people relaxed in the cafe, several of us got into our swimming gear and floated in the warm oily water. We also daubed ourselves in the brown mud - great fun.

Afterward there was a brief stop in Jericho - the oldest city in the world - where several pilgrims had a quick camel ride - while some of us went to a shop to buy dates - a delicious local speciality.

Our final appointment was Mass on a hillside in the Judean desert - overlooking the ancient Greek Orthodox Monastery of St George of Choziba which is built into the side of a ravine. Established around 500AD, this ancient place has a chapel and and gardens. The prophet Elijah is believed to have stayed here en route to Sinai. Saint Joachim, the father of Our Lady is said to have been been visited by an angel in this place, who told him the news of Mary's conception.

Fr Charles was the celebrant. Read Deacon Patrick's homily here: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/46956