Mary, Our Comfort in Our Sorrow

Many people come to the Holy Land as a tourist but everyone leaves as a pilgrim. We learned that some of these pilgrims are so poor that they spend their entire lives putting money to the side just so that they can make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And here I am, twenty-three years old and I get to walk in this land for a whole month because of the generosity of so many benefactors and donors. Thank you.

I had a really hard time at the beginning of this week. At 60 years old, my uncle Johnny passed away and there was nothing I wanted more than to be with my family, especially with my aunt Iman, during this difficult time. Uncle Johnny was the uncle at family gatherings you could find ready to challenge someone to a ping pong game, making an entire room laugh, or cooking up some mean ribs on the grill. I looked forward to every summer because they were filled with Sunday barbecues and vacations with him and his family, my second family. Before coming on this pilgrimage, one of the graces I asked for was the gift of tears. I didn't think it would come this way but God's ways are not our ways. I had some good cry sessions with Jesus which were really healing.

One of the beautiful things this week has been offering Mass for my uncle and his family at the amazing holy sites we have visited. The most memorable was this morning in Nazareth. Nazareth is the home of the Holy Family. We stayed with the Sisters of Nazareth which is a convent built above what is believed to be the original home of the Holy Family. I realized if I can't be with my family what better place to be than in the arms of the Holy Family! This entire week has been filled with spiritual desolation and heavy crosses but today there was light resting in the arms of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We offered Mass for uncle Johnny in the Basilica of the Annunciation where Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Many Churches we have visited have various altars designated to the different rites and religious authorities. You can clearly see the competition and sense the hatred. This was the first Church we've been to in the Holy Land where there was no division. There was a deep reverence for Christ in the Church of the Annunciation. It was comforting and peaceful.

We were able to pray a holy hour here. I went over to the lower chapel where the Eucharist was exposed. I felt the Lord's joy flood into my heart during that hour as I pondered the mystery of the love that surrounded the Holy Family. The Lord continued to fill me with his joy throughout the day and the next stop we made was in Cana. We prayed in the Church built over the place of the Wedding at Cana where the first miracle of Jesus occurred. We even saw an original jar that was used at the wedding where water was turned into wine. We also crashed an Ethiopian wedding which I found amusing as I turned to my brother seminarians and said, "We just crashed a wedding at Cana!"

Today really was a great day. Life will not be the same without my uncle Johnny but I have hope in the resurrection. I also received the gift that the love that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph shared will be poured out upon the soul of my uncle. What more could I ask for? When Mary gave her yes this yes was not only that she would carry the Son of God but also all of creation which belonged to her Son. My brothers and sisters, that means that Mary carries me and you. She carries us in our afflictions, in our struggles, in our sufferings. We need to turn to her more often. Mary is necessary for every Christian. In her we find light, meaning, and purpose to any situation.

Please join me in prayer for my uncle Johnny's soul and for the peace and comfort of his family: his wife Iman and his children Joseph and Amanda (Georges) Atto and Jamie, Jonathan, and Alina Georges. Know of my prayers for you all as we spend the next four days on the Mount of Beatitudes. God is good...praise Him all you peoples!