LINCOLN (SNR) – In late October, 32 parishioners from the Diocese of Lincoln, along with spiritual leader Father Christopher Eckrich, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Over the course of 10 days, they traveled throughout the Holy Land: in Jordan and Israel. Father Eckrich said the tour guide in Jordan explained that the “Holy Land” is two sections: Jordan, a.k.a., the Biblical Land; and Israel/Palestine, a.k.a., the Promised Land.
“It was a real blessing to start the trip in Jordan, the Biblical Land,” he said. “We were able to experience the final journey of the Ancient Israelites as they wandered from the Desert for 40 years into the Promised Land.”
Traveling to the ancient city of Petra, they saw Mount Hor, where tradition holds Aaron the prophet, the brother of Moses, died and was buried. Traveling into Madaba, they stopped at St. George’s Orthodox Church to see the ancient mosaic map of the Holy Land, crafted in the 6th century. From there they went to Mount Nebo and Father Eckrich celebrated Mass on the spot that Moses was taken prior to the Israelites’ entrance into the Promised Land, where God showed him all the land of their inheritance (c.f., Deut. 34).
The diocesan pilgrims descended the mountain and, like the ancestors in faith, crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land.
The final week was a whirlwind of biblical locations. The pilgrims saw Mount Carmel, where Elijah slew the false prophets of Ba’al, the desert Oasis of Ein Gedi, where David hid from the murderous jealousy of Saul, and the ancient Herodian fortress of Masada, where the Zealots hid out during the destruction of the Temple in the 70s AD.
“We dove headfirst into the biblical stories and let scripture come alive,” said Father Eckrich.
Ron and Robin Hruska, members of St. John the Apostle Parish in Lincoln said going to Mass is now more meaning, and the scriptures are more real for the pair, as scriptures speak of places they actually saw. They find themselves listening closer, looking forward each week to the readings, and looking up more information about them.
“Even the Old Testament now has so more interest to me now,” Ron said. “I didn’t use to appreciate the importance of it. But I find myself wanting to go back and study it more now. It has so much more relevance after being in the Holy Land.”
Much time was spent in Galilee, the area of Jesus’ public ministry. The pilgrims traveled to Nazareth, and Father Eckrich celebrated Mass in the Church of the Annunciation, where Jesus was made Incarnate. They traveled to the place where the Apostles were first called, as well as where Jesus called them after the Resurrection posing to Peter the question which broke his heart: “Simon, do you love me?”
Just a quarter-mile away, in Tabgha, they traveled to the site of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and from there went the equally short distance to the Mount of the Beatitudes. There they read the Sermon on the Mount from where it was first proclaimed.
As the pilgrims moved toward Jerusalem, they returned to the River Jordan to the site of Jesus’ baptism—the same location that the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land. God, in His providence, prefigured the Sacrament of Baptism there, where the baptized pass from old ways – from sin, represented by Egypt – to the new life of grace, represented by the Promised Land. The pilgrims renewed their baptismal promises to recommit themselves to Christ.
The journey continued to Jericho, the oldest City in the world, inhabited for more than 10,000 years, and saw from a distance the place where Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days, at the end of which He was tempted by Satan.
The final four days were spent in Jerusalem. Pilgrims saw the Pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed the paralytic, and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he sweat blood over his impending passion. Pilgrims traveled next to Bethlehem, where they reverenced the spot where Christ was born. They also saw Ein Karem, a village within the metropolitan area of Jerusalem, where the Visitation took place and where St. John the Baptist was born.
“The final day, we walked the Via Dolorosa and prayed the stations of the cross before climbing the Mountain of Calvary to pray at the spot where Jesus poured out his life for us,” Father Eckrich said. “We then made our way in quiet reflection to the tomb, and discovered the reality of our faith: that the tomb is empty!”
Joan Claire of St. John Parish in Lincoln said she really felt the Holy Spirit when walking the Via Dolorosa and praying the stations of the cross.
“I felt a very deep and strong connection to Him […] at His actual Tomb,” she said. “I can’t even explain how deeply it affected me.”
Shirley Yates, a member of St. James Parish in Cortland, reflected on the trip and said, “I would tell anyone even considering going to the Holy Land, ‘Go! Do not hesitate!’ You will not regret it! As a cradle Catholic, I knew it to be true but had always taken things for granted. But when you walk in the steps that He walked, it came alive for me and became even more real!”
Father Eckrich agreed.
“The Holy Land is a trip like none other,” he said, “one which everyone should make if possible. The way it makes these truths of our faith concrete is unlike anything else you can experience… unlike anything else I’ve experienced. Jesus is real. He truly walked this earth. He truly was here in time. We are not as divorced from the past as we think we are. We are not as disconnected from history as it might seem.
“While visiting the Holy Land is a dream for many—for many too, it is a dream which is difficult to realize. For this reason, I encourage everyone to pray the rosary this Advent season,” he continued. “Advent is a time where we reconnect to our faith’s ancient history. When we pray the rosary we are visiting – spiritually – these exact same sites that these pilgrims were able to visit. We can touch them with our faith and walk there in our heart with Mary as our tour guide. She will reveal the mysteries of her Son to us, as we meditate on the land where he journeyed and performed his greatest miracles. She will take us there, and teach us to love Him more and more, the way the land teaches pilgrims to love Him all the more when pilgrims set foot on that sacred soil.”
This Holy Land pilgrimage was organized by Executive Travel, which plans another such trip in the spring of 2024. They also plan another pilgrimage May 31-June 9, 2023 entitled “Greece – The Footsteps of St. Paul.” More information is available at executivetravel.com or by calling 402-435-8888.
