As we celebrate the 7 weeks - 50 days - of the Easter season we also as a parish family celebrate with children who share in the Eucharist for the first time this year. Some people ask why we don't have separate celebrations for these First Communions. Really it boils down to what we believe - that the Eucharist is the center of our lives, and the the Liturgy is the source and summit of Christian living. Yeah but Father, really - they are sitting in my pew! I hear it all the time, and I try to communicate the importance of families celebrating at a regular Sunday Mass (which includes Saturday evening). Otherwise we are initiating them into a community that meets only once. Now that doesn't make any sense... Let us pray for these children and their families: that they may always know the nearness of God in the love celebrated in the Eucharistic Feast. Oh, yeah, and squeeze in - so that we will all fit... Peace
May 1-7 is Catholic Education Week in the Province of Ontario. This year’s theme, Catholic Education: Celebrating the Spirit comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans where he writes, “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” (Romans 8:14) St. Luke also refers to the Spirit when he writes, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” (Lk 4:18) During this week, our schools will be celebrating the gift of Catholic Education with special prayers and presentations. Each day during the week has its own "sub-theme":
The Spirit of Hospitality
The Spirit of Understanding
The Spirit of Wisdom
The Spirit of Justice
The Spirit of Gratitude
On Thursday morning, May 5th, Holy Family School will join us for Eucharist, and on Thursday afternoon we will have 2 Liturgies with the Students and Staff of Pope John Paul II School celebrating the Beatification of Pope John Paul II this Sunday - May 1st. We continue to pray for our Catholic schools, that they may be enlivened by God’s Spirit and help in the sacred work of “renewing the face of the earth.” (Psalm 104:30) Peace.
Within the Town of Caledon, ministers and priests from the different Christian Churches gather once per month for fellowship, to talk about common issues that face us in ministry, and to plan projects ecumenically within our town. I became aware of this regular monthly meeting early this year, and have been able to discuss some of the homelessness issues that I have learned about in the last year on the Caledon Community Services committee I have been a part of since May of 2010. I have to confess that it was being part of this group of ministers that has helped me to realize that Caledon is really a grouping of over 10 different "communities" and while Bolton is the largest - it is not the only one! It has meant that issues like homelessness take on different faces in different parts of our community. While I might think of homelessness in terms of couch surfing teens - who have been kicked out of home because of conflict with a new step-father or step-mother - or think of other cases where there is chronic homelessness due to mental health issues, the other ministers along the Highway #10 corridor talk of homeless people who are transients - who are looking for a handout to keep moving on out of town ... so after almost 4 years of living in Caledon - I just keep learning more and more about the community (or communities!) and its diversity.
On a completely separate note - the ministerial association has for the last 3 years organized a Mayor's prayer breakfast. This year the Prayer Breakfast is on Wednesday May 18th at 7:00 am, and is held at the Caledon Community Complex - 6215 Old Church Road, in Caledon East. The speaker this year will talk about the good work of Teen Challenge within our town, and the Gospel Choir from Mayfield Secondary School will perform. Along with scripture readings, and prayer for our governmental leaders, we will also have greetings from our Mayor. I would like to ask you to consider attending - the program ends by 8:30 am - so you can get to work, and the cost is free - covered by sponsors that the Ministerial Association finds. If you would like attend this breakfast - Call the Parish Office (905-857-1938) by May 8th and leave a message for me. Peace.
This coming Sunday - on the 2nd Sunday of Easter - also known as Divine Mercy Sunday - Pope John Paul II will be Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. This an historic day for our own Parish as we have an elementary School within our Community named after John Paul II.
It was in 2002 as World Youth Day was coming to Toronto that the WYD Cross travelled across the country and Across the Archdiocese. As part of that Pilgrimage the cross came to Bolton, and travelled from the Parish to Pope John Paul II school and back. Many parishioners still talk about the sight of seeing Hwy 50 closed to traffic as the cross made its way up and down the hills of Bolton - through the valley twice - with many following on foot.
To mark this occasion our Parish is publishing a Prayer card which we will be distributing this Sunday to all parishioners, and be handing a number to Student representatives from Pope John Paul II School to be distributed at a special Liturgy we will be celebrating with the School community next week.
This card will include the official text of the prayer asking for John Paul's intercession in our lives:
O Blessed Trinity, we thank you
for having graced the church with Pope John Paul II
and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care,
the glory of the cross of Christ,
and the splendor of the Holy Spirit,
to shine through him.
Trusting fully in your infinite mercy
and in the maternal intercession of Mary,
he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd,
and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure
of ordinary Christian life
and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you.
Grant us, by his intercession,
and according to your will,
the graces we implore,
hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints.
Amen.
To be sure many will get up early to watch a wedding on Friday this week. Maybe we should remember this Pope, who could be credited with changing the face of the 20th century...
For many years when My family would go to Mass while at the cottage, we would get in the boat, cross to the marina, then drive to the local High School (a public school!) and attend Mass at 9:00 am during the summer months. We would often return to the cottage - where we had TV! - just in time to hear "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad - in it" from a US TV evangelist. My mom loved to hear that line, even if she did not want to hear anything else the preacher had to say!
To be sure - Easter Sunday is indeed the day the Lord has made, and the resurrection of Jesus is truely THE game changer. The resurrection is what defines us as a people of faith, and at the same time defines our relationship with the Father.
Christ is the Light which conquers darkness - is the Life which defeats death.
As I reflect on the busy Sunday we have had, right now I feel the Triduum most in my feet! Standing for long periods - and suffering from Plantar Fasciitis - perhaps this is just a small share for me in the passion of Christ...
Many talk about how people often only come to church at these high holy-days but my experience is not so... I would say that less than 10% of the people that I saw on Sunday were "New Faces" to me. Most were people who come 2 or 3 times per month - and yet all come on Easter Sunday.
For we know deep down, that beyond chocolates and eggs, beyond bunnies and roasts, this reality - that we share in a hope so great, and so profound, we can barely comprehend this defining moment in the history of salvation.
Enjoy some Popcorn. I will - because ever so dimly it reminds me of the liberation I have in Christ. In baptism, I am no longer a slave to sin, but am free in Christ Jesus - who is risen - risen indeed - Alleluia... I invite you to come share your experience of the Triduum on Tuesday Evening at 7:15 pm at the Church. In word and song we will reflect on our experience of the Triduum, and how we are changed - here and now - in Bolton in 2011.
Good Friday's Stations of the cross were compelling in both the drama and the reflections. The text we used is a recently released version of the stations from LifeTeen. There are 3 lines that struck me: Station 2: Jesus Carries the Cross - in reflecting on how each of us have crosses that we carry - and the realization that Jesus carries each of ours too - if we but ask Him "... prayer is where the cross changes shoulders..." Station 6: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus - Imagine this woman breaking through the mob and soldiers to wipe the blood stained, sweat soaked face of Jesus. Her courage and grace. "... in the same way that selfishness alienates us, acts of selflessness bring us into community and offer us hope..." Station 11: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross - and Jesus stays on the cross... and in doing so he sends us a message "...God would rather die than risk spending eternity without you." WOW. Do we really get how valuable we are to God?
As we gather at 12 noon today to anoint our Elect - Matthew, David and Andrew, who will share in the Sacraments tonight at the Great Easter Vigil. We will also bless our Easter Baskets - Baskets of food for the first meal of Easter. Chocolates, decorated Easter Eggs, Easter Bread, Kolbassa, and other fine foods are in these baskets - which are traditionally blessed on Holy Saturday in European countries.
Tonight at 9:00 p.m. we celebrate the Great Easter Vigil. St. Augustine called this the Mother of all Vigils. We begin with the blessing of the Easter Fire - and the new Paschal Candle (Easter Candle) is lit for the first time. After the procession into the Church, and the singing of the Exsultet we listen to God's Word (7 Old Testament readings, an Epistle from Paul, and the Gospel) hearing of God's magnificent deeds throughout all of history. Then we celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism with our 3 elect (plus one younger sibling), and Confirmation of these 3 Elect plus 2 adults who have been preparing for months. In Water and Oil we realize that God claims us as we are immersed in Christ's Death and Resurrection, to be witnesses for our world. After we have prayed for the needs of the Church and the World, we offer our most perfect prayer - the Eucharistic prayer - where God transforms our gift of bread and wine (our lives) into the Body and Blood of Christ, given for the forgiveness of sins and the life of the world. This is the Final Sacrament of Initiation. The repeatable Sacrament of Initiation. We are Baptized and Confirmed only once - yet we come to the table, to the Eucharist, each Sunday.
Easter Sunday we celebrate at 8:15, 10:00 and 12:00 noon At the 10:00 am Mass we will welcome a woman and her daughter into Full Communion with the Catholic Church. They were Baptized in another Christian church - and so share partial union with us. May our participation in the Paschal Mystery shape us as an Easter People who proclaim the new life of the that kingdom where Christ is Lord! Don't Know when I will post next...Peace
A friend of mine who works in the field of Initiation wrote to me today. He began his note with the following reflection: "We all know the stories. They are shared within our families, between friends, and even among those we work with. Those inescapable stories of brokenness, illness, and loss. The more time marches on ... the more these stories accumulate, and some days it can seem harder than it used to be to offset them with the stories of gain, of victory, and of hope.
These days of the Triduum we come that unique threshold through which we acknowledge the unspeakable costliness of ours and the world’s brokenness. Yet we do so in the light of a God whose very nature and sole purpose are life, generous & full. It is in Jesus Christ that this purpose is fully shown us, the Lord of the abyss and of the way through it. In our God made flesh we not only glimpse the promise of that first garden of life—we sample its fruits, get a hint of its fragrance, catch a glimpse of its incomparable shades and colors. And together we rediscover that we ourselves are that garden people capable of bearing the costly gift of this new life to others." Powerful words as we keep these Three Days...
At 7:30 this evening our youth will lead us once again into a dramatic presentation of the Stations of the Cross. In Word and in reflection, in Song and in drama we will be invited to ponder how the journey of Jesus almost 2,000 years ago is reflected in our lives here and now - in Bolton in 2011.
The money collected at the Stations helps to cover the cost of retreats for the different components of our Youth Ministry.
At the Heart of the Christian Year is the Triduum - the Three days: Holy Thursday Evening to Good Friday Evening
Good Friday evening to Holy Saturday Evening
And Holy Saturday Evening to Easter Sunday Evening.
These are three days to save - to Save Us:
We will Gather this evening - Holy Thursday at 8:00 for Mass
We ask people to bringing food and money for those who experience poverty. (I think that is a much more dignified way to express our giving - than to say "for the poor").
We come ready to have our feet washed - so that we might participate in this ritual action by which the Church and her ministers are reminded that as Christians we are called to servant leadership. And we will keep watch with the Lord – as if we are with him in the garden of Gethsemane – until Midnight.
I find that it is this Sunday that we experience a real turn in the Liturgy! We start with the Gospel account of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem - and then within 15 minutes we move to the proclamation of the Passion. This shift in liturgy reflects a shift that happened in Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago. Within a week of entering the holy city - Jesus is condemned to death. When we were in Israel last month, we walked down a pathway that is often considered the Palm Sunday route, and spent some time along the way at a site called Dominus Flevit - "The Lord Wept". The chapel there is shaped in the form of a Tear Drop, and the view of Jerusalem - and the Dome of the Rock - from inside the churchis quite impressive. Here in the Parish a number of Knight of Columbus have been here in the church hall preparing the palms for distribution at each of the Masses today and tomorrow. As we enter Holy week, may we realize that the Body of Christ suffers torment and torture today: in the homeless man shivering in the rain; in the elderly widow who is alone and unvisited; in the imprisoned woman abandoned by her family; in the infant child of drug addicted teenage parents; and the forty something daughter whose mother has Alzheimer disease and cancer. We pray for these people who know the cross of Christ in real and personal ways. Peace.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has produced a discussion paper on the upcoming Federal Election. It lists 5 Principles of Catholic thought that can direct our ways being engaged in the electoral process:
Respect for life and human dignity: from conception to natural death
Building a more just society
Promoting the integrity of the person and family
Canada in the world: providing leadership for justice and peace
A healthy country in a healthy environment
What do the political parties say about these issues?
What positions are the candidates taking?
Voting means using your judgment. Exercising the right to vote means making enlightened and well-thought-out judgments about the choices available. There are times, however, when these choices may prove very difficult. The Church reminds us that “in this context, it must be noted also that a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law in which the fundamental content of faith and morals is replaced by the introduction of proposals differing from this content or opposing it.”
It is a sign of a healthy community when informed and responsible citizens engage in an ongoing dialogue on major social issues with their political leaders. This is precisely the kind of community we should strive to support and develop.
No less is expected of us, since we are all called to be truly responsible for one another.
Today at the 5:00 Mass - the Knights of Columbus - Holy Family Bolton Council - celebrate their 20th Anniversary. There will be many members of the Knights of Columbus present as we celebrate the Good work that the Knights of Columbus do in our Parish and in the greater church community. The Knights are a powerful force for good in our world, as these men live out their Baptismal commitment to witness to the death and resurrection of Christ in their lives, their homes and their work places. A prayer for the Knights: Blessed are you, Lord God, ruler of all creation: you know our hearts and our plans, and guide all that we do for your glory. Bless these Charter Members of the Knights of Columbus Holy Family Parish, Bolton Council. as they continue to serve you and the Church. Help each of the Knights of Columbus to carry out their activities for your honour and glory and the salvation of all your people. Guide us in all that we do; help us to build up your kingdom and extend your reign and come to our great reward. We parise your name for ever and ever. AMEN
Everyone is invited into the Hall after mass to enjoy some Substantial Refreshments... Peace
As we continue our Lenten journey of prayer, fasting, and alms giving, we once again embark upon our ShareLife campaign. Each year Catholic Parishes, Schools and Businesses within the Archdiocese of Toronto raise over $13 million for Catholic Agencies that help the whole community. Last Sunday we heard a speakerfrom Covenant House - a youth shelter in downtown Toronto. The Sunday before we had a speaker from Catholic Family Services of Peel-Dufferin. Sharelife is the way the Catholic Community funds over 30 different Catholic agencies - including St. Augustine's Seminary and missions in the developing world. These agencies make a difference locally (counselling services in Bolton) and internationally (Development and Peace).
Our Catholic Schools in Bolton are also strong participants in Sharelife Fundraising efforts. Yesterday St. John the Baptist School held its annual ShareLife Staff/Student Hockey game. I was supposd to play - but was still under the weather with my cold and congested lungs - but maybe that was the charm - the teachers won 7 - 4! It was a terrific afternoon and we all had fun cheering for both teams!
The Parish Hall has been abuzz with activity since 8:00 this morning in preparation for our annual Youth Ministry Pasta Night fundraiser. The sauce has been simmering and the salad is being tossed, and veggies cut and tomatoes chopped and liquefied! Tables are set for a sell out crowd at 6:30 and a full but not sold out house at 8:00. You can still get tickets this afternoon for the 2nd seating!(I hear that good things come to those who wait!) All of this work allows us to offer special events, retreats, and outings for both The Edge and LifeTeen programs at the parish. A special thank you to Garden Foods for the donation of so much of the raw ingredients, and one of their staff who came over to assemble the sauce early this morning. Peace
Wednesday was our last full day of touring in Jerusalem and Fr. Scott was feeling bad with a cold that was going to his chest and so stayed at the Hotel. We started by entering the Lion's gate and walking to the Church of St. Ann. This crusader church has beautiful accoustics and so another group was singing amazing grace when we entered - and we then sang How great though art, and some of the others joined in with harmony. It was electrifying. We then walked the stations of the cross - the Via Delarosa. It makes it hard - praying as you walk through streets full of markets with merchants calling you to stop and shop. On top of that I was without Fr. Scott to keep people together - and my own voice was beginning to suffer from the effects of my cold! The new thing for me - was that the 3rd and 4th station chapels were open for the first time in 7 trips to the holy Land! The end of the Stations of the Cross is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was here that we had our group Photo taken and celebrated Mass. Often you celebrate the Mass of the site when you are in the holy Land - but since it was Lent we decided to celebrate the daily Mass. During the Eucharistic Prayer I invited people to name those who had died that they wanted to pray for - that they would experience the Resurrection fully! This was our final Mass and so the sign of peace took the longest! Peace can be quite noisy Fr. Scott is known to say - for it is when we are silent - and when we are not talking to each other that we are not at peace! The line for the Tomb was quite long when we came out of Mass - so Jacob, our Guide, offered to walk over from the hotel the next morning at 5:00 am with any who wanted to see inside the tomb. (I understand many did - I did not - The tomb is empty - "I am not here"). After Lunch we made our way through the Jewish Quarter of the old city - seeing the Cardo - the former "Heart" of the city. Then we slowly made our way to the Western Wall. This is the wall of the 2nd Temple and dates from before the time of Jesus. It is one of the holiest sites for Jewish people, and when you approach Men and Women have to be on separate sides of a barrier. Most (if not all in our group) brought prayers on small slips of paper which we rolled up and stuck into the crevices of the wall. It is always a moving thing to watch people praying at the wall. To see old Jewish Gentlmen in Blak Hats, and young teenagers in shorts and sandals. To see the most orthodox and the most secular looking people standing side by side, praying to our One God. To see the powerful prayer of the man who has survived cancer, and the woman with MS. To see the parent who has buried a child and the widow who has lost her husband recently. To see the single woman and the mother of 4 children each praying in a very reverent time. This was personal and public prayer at the same time.
We finished our Pilgrimage with a visit to the Holocaust Memorial / Museum - Yad Veshem. This is a very hard - yet necessary place to visit - if only so that we learn - and this never happens again. We had a sopecial guide from Yad Veshem walk us through the museum - and we learned about the many Righteous non-Jews who sacrificed to save the lives of those who would have otherwise been killed. There is an avenue of the Righteous and a whole forest in the valley below the Museum. We also visited the Children's Memorial - which has simply 5 candles burning in a darkened room, with many mirrors - the effect is that of Stars in the sky - Millions of Stars... I think of the promise to Abraham that he will be father to a multitude more numerous than the stars in the sky or the sand on the shore...
Each time I travel to the Holy Land - there are some things that are new - yet most is the same - these people want to see all the sights important to our faith. Yet each time the newness is in the pilgrims that I accompany - some very good friends - one my Dad - the first time I was able to journey here with a family member. It is the people and the privilege of journeying with them in faith that makes this such an attractive - if exhausting undertaking.
All of our days in Jerusalem were busy - and we rarely got to our Hotel before 5 pm. It was because of this that I did not arrange for internet access and did not update the Blog... After leaving Bethlehem we went to the Mount of Olives and walked down the traditional Palm Sunday Procession - from the the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane. We made our way by many Jewish Cemeteries - which are on this hill side. It is considered a blessing to be able to be buried here - since according to the Prophet Ezekiel - it is here that the Messiah will raise the dead to life in the resurrection. There are even some non Jewish people and some famous people including Oscar Schindler (Schindler's List). Along this road is the Church Dominus Flevit - "the Lord Wept" which is shaped like a tear drop! In the Garden of Gethsemane we had a prayer service and invited the pilgrims to place their burdens at the rock in the the Church of All Nations - believed to be the rock where Jesus experienced the agony in the Garden before his arrest. I know that this was an emotional time for many - as they were anointed by Fr. Scott before regrouping outside the church to conclude our prayer - by the time we finished the prayer - the church doors had closed (talk about precise timing)! We are staying in the Leonardo Plaza Hotel (which used to be the Sheraton Plaza Hotel) in Downtown Jerusalem - within a 10 minute walk of the old city's Jaffa Gate. Each of the Gates in the city of Jerusalem are named - and often the name has to do with the city/town that the road goes to - so the Jaffa gate is at the beginning of the road that used to go to Jaffa (the port city we saw on our 2nd day in Israel). Fr. Scott and I left the group on their own for dinner in the hotel Monday evening, so that we could visit with our guide on previous trips - Bonnie Sheffa. Bonnie is a delightful woman who has had some back problems and underwent surgery in November. She was supposed to be ready to lead our group but she is still in some pain and cannot stand for long periods. Fr. Scott and I offered to pay for dinner but Bonnie and her husband Ruben would have nothing of this! We enjoyed an wonderful dinner in a restaurant near the hotel and caught up on each other's lives. We start Tuesday in the Upper Room - probably not the real upper room (what with destruction and rebuilding over the centuries) - but one that has ancient carvings of a Lamb and Pelican in the cornices and joints of the ceiling vaults. We celebrated Mass in the nearby church - and included the washing of feet in the celebration. It is so interesting that all of the pilgrims have their feet washed, yet when we offer to wash everyone's feet on Holy Thursday in the parish - only 60-70 % come forward. Everyone had their feet washed at the last supper! Peter was chastised for not wanting to allow the Lord to do this! We then went to the Church of the Dormition of Mary. We believe that Mary did not Die- but was Assumed - Body and Soul - into heaven. This has been the long tradition of the Church. Even to this day - when so many places want to claim some special status in the Holy Land - there is not now, nor has there ever been, a place that claimed to be the burial site of Mary! In the lower chapel of this church - we prayed together reflecting on the women of Scripture who have had a significant impact over the centuries: Eve, Miriam, Jael, Judith, Ruth and Ester. Then we walked to St. Peter's in GALLICANTU (Gallo = Rooster, Cantu = Crowing) - the Rooster Crowed after Peter had denied knowing Jesus3 times. It is quite an emotional thing to see this site - with the ancient cistern - which would have been used to hold Jesus overnight for the trial on the day we now call Good Friday. We also see steps woutside the church - which archeologists say are 2,000 years old! These are steps Jesus would have walked on! After Lunch we went to Ein Karem - the Birth place of John the Baptist. It is a steep climb up to the Church of the Visitation - but nothing compared to the journey Mary would have made from Nazareth to this tiny village near Jerusalem to visit her cousin Elizabeth - who was the mother of John the Baptist. We prayed Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) remembering that our God is a god of Surprises: turning things upside down and using the most ordinary of people in His grace filled plan of salvation. On the way back to the Bus we stopped for a Gelatto - my Dad treated for everyone who made the climb - 31 of the 34 of us. This resulted in everyone loving him and wondering why I was not more like him!!! What had gone wrong they asked! After visiting the Church built to comemorate the Birth of John the Baptist - as the precursor to the Lord - we returned to our hotel and once again enjoyed some refreshments before dinner.
Greetings to all! We have all returned safe and sound - but I will make a number of short blog entries to cover the time since my last update. This should make it easier to read. We made our way down from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea on Sunday (March 27th). Our first stop was Qumran - the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a shepherd boy in the middle of the last century. The arid environment and the fact that these scrolls were in sealed pottery jars helped to ensure that there were well preserved. The site has ruins from what is believed to be a first century Essene Community - a Jewish group that emphasized the need for ritual purity and believed they were preparing for the battle of good vs. evil - Light vs. Darkness. We celebrated Mass here - outside under a tent awning with the plate and chalices we had purchased in Tabgha - the site of the feeding of 5,000. We made our way next to Masada - an impressive Desert Mountain Fortress built by King Herod (the same one who met the wise men from the East!) This was the final place of rebellion in the years 70-73 A.D. after Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans and almost 1,000 men women and children retreated here and lasted 3 years fighting the Roman Army. On the last day they killed themselves rather than be held as slaves and abused by the Roman Legion. 2 women and 3 children survived - to tell the story. We then made our way to a Hotel on the dead sea - where went for a float in the waters and enjoyed the warm mineral baths in the Hotel Spa... The next morning we were up before the Porters could make it in - so I was collecting luggage and many were bringing it down to the Bus themselves as we prepared for our trip to Bethlehem. This town is really almost a suburb of Jerusalem, but since it is in the Palestinian Authority Territory, we had to go through a check point - and our Israeli Guide and Driver had to be swapped out for a Palestinian Driver and Guide. We never left the Bus and had no Issues going in to Bethlehem, it was a little longer coming out - and the Isaeli Security Forces boarded the Bus and did a walk through just to make sure we all "looked Canadian". The Mass we celebrated in Bethlehem was Midnight Mass - and this was a little weird - the day before in the desert we were on the 3rd Sunday in Lent! None the less it was a highlight for me - since we were in the grotto of St. Jerome - the one who translated the scriptures into Latin - and the name of my first parish assignment after ordination in 1993. We had a stop at a store that sells olive wood carvings and so much more - and our Israeli Guide had asked us to "Fertilize the soil" (spend money!) for these Christians are suffering as a result of the conflicts in the past few years that caused erection of the 15 foot security wall in this area of the "West Bank". Spend money we did! I purchased small wooden carvings of the Holy Family that I will give to the priests who help us with confessions this year in Lent.
