On a holy trail

Jesus said, "Come away, all by yourselves and rest awhile." How could anyone refuse His invitation? Even then, I was careful not to be swept away by great expectations. But guess what? This one fell quickly into place as if urging me to "Grab it and do it now."

Two things were clear from the start: I had to be old (don’t ask) to grasp the value of this tour and, yes, it was all right to leave family, deadlines and worries behind. I was in safe hands.

As spiritual chaplain, Fr. Rene José Lopez celebrated Mass in the sites we visited virtually walking us through the pages of the Bible and world history. His homilies stirred our senses to relate the past to the present, bringing it all closer to home. We prayed, sang and meditated with time left over to indulge our incorrigible need to eat, shop and take lots of pictures. It was a perfect blend of faith and fun.

In Egypt, we stayed overnight in Sinai. (Don’t expect much from the local hotels in Sinai with their Spartan and threadbare facilities.) Because of extreme weather, we cancelled our climb to the peak of Mount Sinai but the view of Mount Sinai and a visit to St. Catherine’s Monastery for the site of the burning bush made up for our aborted climb.

Seeing the burning bush left me feeling ambiguous and awestruck. It was lush and healthy. According to our Egyptian guide, many have tried to get a sample of the bush to bring back home but here is something for the books: the bush cannot be transplanted anywhere else because unlike other plants, it will not germinate and grow in foreign soil; if you light a match to burn any part of the bush, it will not catch fire either. Our guide also pointed out a dark pink boulder that was abundant in Mt. Sinai. When the rock was split open, it showed clear drawings of tiny leaves of the burning bush. How that came about was another amazing thing.

Food in Egypt was Mediterranean fare — olives, figs, cheese, chickpea hummus and other dips and fresh garden salad, grilled lamb or chicken and a variety of citrus fruits, not to mention fresh dates. Dessert was honey-smothered baklava (with pistachio nuts), sometimes too syrupy and sweet.

The following day, we boarded a bus that dropped us at the Taba border for a short walk across to the Israel side. (The border terminal does not provide decent luggage trolleys, so it’s wise to travel light if not bring luggage with built-in wheels and straps.)

In Israel, we visited several places mentioned in the Bible, such as the Dead Sea, where we soaked our feet in its medicinal waters. It is appropriately named because its high mineral content allows nothing to live in its waters.

In Nazareth, I realized that some of the most important places in the life of Jesus have not been preserved the way we first learned about them. The cities have grown around them. The best that one can do is visit the most recent churches built over these holy sites. Even these can cause confusion because after a time, all churches can look alike. I decided to use the mysteries of the Rosary as my guide.

The first was the site of the Annunciation. A basilica now stands on the spot where the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, with a white embossed circle to mark the area. As I knelt before the altar, I thought of Mary accepting with faith and trust God’s plans for her. I remembered someone saying that "The moment we decided to obey the will of God, our task was already half done." The power of God comes alive in us, making it easy to do His will.

For Renita Tongco, the impact of the Annunciation brought home the truth that without Mary’s obedience to the plan of God, Jesus would not have entered the history of mankind. She said, "Just imagine, the salvation of mankind started with Mary saying ‘Yes!’"

For a glimpse of the daily life during the time of Jesus, we visited "Nazareth Village." It was recreated like a typical town during the first century.

Local people played the parts of ancient farmers, carpenters and weavers, demonstrating and explaining their crafts including the typical meals served during that time.

Fr. Rene published a book entitled Were Not Our Hearts Burning with prayers and reflections for each sacred site. On page 24, Fr. Rene writes, "The reign of God is not to be found in the spectacular. It is more to be sought in the normality of day-to-day life." God does work wonders in our ordinary lives.

In Cana, three couples in our group — Arlina and Willie Onglao, Ed and Mira Obiniana, and David and Lisa Joson — renewed their wedding vows. The church is maintained by the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate and a Filipina nun, Sister Cecil, was happy to send a message to all couples: "Come to Cana to renew your wedding vows."

At the Mount of the Beatitudes, Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying loaves of bread and fish. Lunch that day was — you guessed it — fish (tilapia, deep-fried) and pita bread with lots of Mediterranean dips and freshly squeezed lemonade. Imagine: our humble tilapia was the "miracle" fish (also called St. Peter’s fish in this land of name-dropping).

According to Elsie Romero: "The site of the Nativity gave me goosebumps. I didn’t know whether to greet Christ with a Merry Christmas or thank Him again for the faith that I was born to. It was a very poignant moment for me."

At the Garden of Gethsemane, the holy rock where Jesus prayed is now located inside the Basilica of the Agony. It was here that Jesus prayed to God as His Father. He did not put on any airs or pretenses — Jesus is said to have been so afraid that He sweated blood. Showing His human side, Jesus begged to be rescued and yet at the same time He kept on praying until He found that place of surrender to accept the will of His Father.

As my tour mate Vicky Alcanzare said: "I felt that Gethsemane captured the gentle presence of God. I felt Jesus praying with me. That’s when I lifted all my fears, my worries and sadness to God. It gave me a deep sense of peace and gratitude."

To Renita Tongco: "Gethsemane was just outside the gates of Jerusalem. What thoughts ran through Jesus’ mind? He knew that He was giving up His life for mankind and yet He also knew that mankind would reject Him. It was a gripping moment to recall."

The highlight of our tour was to be the "Way of the Cross" Via Dolorosa, but be prepared to be disappointed. The route is now crowded with tourists, and every corner is crammed with souvenir shops. Nevertheless, we prayed as we retraced the 14 Stations of the Cross. Young boys darted across our path selling goods while a freelance photographer took photos of our group. It was just another day in the life for those who make a living off of Via Dolorosa. Sadly, the message of the Cross has long been lost here.

According to Mitos Araneta: "The site of Golgotha filled me with a deep sense of sorrow and joy. Christ was crucified here and His death opened the gates of heaven to me; I was most unworthy. It moved me to tears."

And says Maurita Arce: "I could not believe that I was touching the tomb (Holy Sepulchre) of Jesus. This was where His body was buried and where He rose in triumph. Paradise is ours again."

Fr. Rene said there are two areas in our lives where we can encounter Jesus Christ: through the company of saints when we study and draw lessons from their lives of love and charity and through the beauty produced by faith. When we bless the bounty of nature, when we create and preserve works of art in music, architecture, painting, performing arts, literature, etc., there would Christ be. I kept a greeting card with the picture of a fading sunset in the horizon. It read: "I saw something beautiful today. Wish you were here to share it."

A generous heart. There, I believe, Christ would be, too. His invitation remains open to everyone.

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Contact Arlina and Rona Onglao of Journeys of Faith Inc. at 929-0144, 929-0155 or 0917-8148127.