Go Back To Where You Came From

In September/October of this year, I was fortunate to have been awarded a scholarship to participate in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This was made possible through the generous support and assistance from the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office.

This 4-week residential program ‘In the Footsteps of Jesus’ was held at The Centre for Biblical Formation, part of the Ecce Homo Convent in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Tasmanian group comprised of Drasko Dizdar, Christine Edwards, Maureen Fontyn, Karen Giudici, Eammon Pollard, Leanne Prichard, Fr Richard Ross and myself.

A pilgrimage is a journey of spiritual significance. For me, this was a chance to stop, focus, renew and move out of my comfort zone and to be confronted with many new experiences and interactions with people of varying faiths and cultures in such a confined space. The old city of Jerusalem, which is one huge market, is only one square kilometre with approximately 40,000 residents!

The historical aspect to this trip was one that I really valued. To walk the ancient streets, some still with first century markings, was humbling. Many of the ancient sites, although now far from their original condition, nonetheless were remarkable. Whether all of them were authentic or not, was not important, but rather to know that for two thousand years, pilgrims have trod these same paths and venerated these site was special. The range of experiences varied greatly from visiting Palestinian settlements, Bethlehem, the wilderness of the Judean desert, floating in the Dead Sea, the desert-dwelling Bedouin tribes, a Jewish synagogue service, the Jewish holocaust memorial - Yad Vashem, to name but a few.

People ask what the highlight was. This is always difficult to answer, as different parts of the pilgrimage stand out for different reasons. Perhaps one that was special for a number of reasons was the four-day visit to Galilee. This area of northern Israel is rather lush (complete with Eucalyptus trees!) in comparison to the arid surrounds of Jerusalem. To be able to sit by the lake and reflect, escape the heat with a swim, ride a fishing boat out to the centre of the lake, appreciate creation with the sound of waves lapping at the shore was priceless.

Not such much a ‘highlight’, but rather a realisation was the need for more ‘sabbath’ in our lives. The Jewish people still observe the Sabbath, most in a strict manner, which limits all work, to focus on family time. This extends to cooking, driving and even using the telephone! Perhaps in our hectic lives, we too can observe some more ‘sabbath’ by foregoing activities that detract from nurturing our relationships with our loved ones.

At our ‘sending forth’ ceremony at the conclusion of this remarkable pilgrimage, the Gospel reading was from Matthew 28 about the Resurrection. “…You are looking for Jesus… he is not here…he is going to Galilee ahead of you; there you will see him”. When Fr Richard unpacked these passages for us, it was an ‘Aha’ moment.

We can visit places of historical significance expecting to connect with the physical past, and to a certain extent you may. But as a pilgrim, you soon learn “He is not here; he has been raised”. Just as in Matthew 28, the disciples were told to ‘go home’ to Galilee, where it all began, and live the Gospel in their community. We too, are all called to do the same. This can be through our work, actions, interactions and relationships with others, and above all by loving one another. This is where we meet the risen Jesus. This is when we truly alive.