Nice day in Bethlehem, particularly at Bethlehem University and at our Mass in Shepherd's field. We were a bit rushed through the Church of the Nativity, which is currently covered in scaffolding for renovations. We had more time in the nearby Franciscan Church of St. Catherine. We also had the wonderful opportunity to tour Bethlehem University and interact with several Palestinian students during our visit; a few students joined us for great food and conversation during the lunch hour. May God continue to bless the ministry of the De LaSalle Christian Brothers and the lives of their students, faculty and staff at this excellent institution.... read more

Our tour guide, Jared, shared the following story with us yesterday...According to a Jewish rabbinical tradition, the city of Jerusalem is named because of two Genesis stories associated with the city. The binding of Isaac takes place on Mount Moriah, which Abraham renames Yahweh-yireh, meaning God will provide (Gen 22:14). The Jerusalem Temple Mount is believed to stand atop Mt. Moriah. The second story is in reference to King Melchizedek of Salem--also believed to be the current city of Jerusalem. "Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of the Most High. He blessed Abram with these words..." (Gen 14:18-19a); bread and wine sounds a bit familiar doesn't it? In order to honor these two stories, God named the city Yireh-salem, Jerusalem in English. Jared also offered some insight into the ... read more

...so begins, Luke's description of Mary's journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation. Today, we had the opportunity to travel just outside Jerusalem to the hill country of Judah and visit the Church of the Visitation and the Church of John the Baptist. The Church of the Visitation was an incredibly serene and beautiful church, definitely my favorite so far here in Israel. As part of the daily office of our Catholic Church, we are invited to pray the Benedictus and the Magnificat as part of our morning and evening prayers, respectively. The Benedictus, or Canticle of Zechariah, celebrates the moment when John is presented and named; Zechariah is freed from his mute state and speaks the following words, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,... read more

The majority of today’s blog entry includes excerpts from a paper written by a 2015 graduate of St. Norbert College. In her paper, she writes about the presence of the Norbertines (Premonstratensians) in the Holy Land. Today, I had the opportunity to visit the ruins of one of our three locations in the Holy Land; the ruins of St. Samuel Church built over the tomb of the Prophet Samuel are located a few miles northwest of Jerusalem. Overcome by the beauty of this location upon their arrival in 1099, the first crusaders named this spot Mountain of Joy. Corrina explains, In 1099 the crusaders got their first glimpse of Jerusalem from the mountain on which Nabi Samwil is built; this they named Mont de Joie ("Mountain of Joy"). The Order of Prémontré ... read more

As our wheels touched down today in Tel Aviv, the young Jewish toddler sitting on her daddy’s lap playfully cried out, “Abba, Abba!” I was overcome with emotion. As the tears trickled down my smiling face, I thought of Jesus teaching his followers the words of the Our Father. They must have been joyfully, yet fearfully astonished by the affection Jesus demonstrated for Adonai. This is the name the Hebrew people would spoke aloud out of respect for the God Almighty. And here is Jesus, calling our heavenly father, “Abba, Daddy, Our Father…” Can you imagine the variety of emotions that must have overcome the crowd that first witnessed this prayer? I will never forget this moment, when I first heard a child’s voice playfully lovingly utter, “Abba, Abba!” Today's blog and title reflect my landing ... read more