A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY
FERNS DIOCESAN SPOKESMAN FR JOHN CARROLL TALKS ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE AS A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR ON A PILGRIMAGE OF SOLIDARITY WITH CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND, PART OF AN INITIATIVE HEADED BY ARCHBISHOP EAMON MARTIN OF ARMAGH
OVER the course of eight days, the pilgrimage took in the various sites associated with the life and ministry of Jesus – Galilee and Capernaum to Nazareth - Cana to Mount Tabor – Bethlehem to the Holy Sepulchre and Gallicantu to Emmaus – a retracing of the footsteps of Jesus as He sought to carry out the Father’s will in a land made Holy by his footsteps.
The pilgrimage group was 180 strong, drawn from all parts of the country.
It was decidedly Christian in its outreach emphasis, conceived of originally as an act of solidarity with fellow Christians who live in the Middle East whose numbers are continually reducing for a variety of reasons; lack of mobility due to political restrictions, violence and injustice, economic lack of opportunity and deprivation.
A brief look at the figures shows that the Christian presence is in marked decline in terms of numbers and of influence.
Not only are they dropping in terms of their percentage of the overall population which is growing, they are also declining in real terms as their numbers fall. Christians now make up 5 per cent of the population, down from 20 per cent in the early 20th century.
The number of Middle Eastern Christians is dropping due to such factors as low birth rates compared with Muslims, extensive emigration and ethnic and religious persecution.
In addition, political turmoil has been and continues to be a major contributor pressing indigenous Near Eastern Christians of various ethnicities towards seeking security and stability outside their homelands. Christian Palestinians face the same oppression as their Muslim compatriots
One very striking comment heard on the trip was that passed by the Christian Mayor of Bethlehem Vera Baboun with whom we met. She said that ‘we are minding these holy sites for you our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world. We need your help and your solidarity.’
She spoke of the barriers that surround Bethlehem in the West Bank and how at variance this was with the birthplace of Christ who came with an indiscriminate message of peace, salvation and shared fellowship and humanity.
In planning the trip a decision was taken to stay in Christian-run hotels and to support Christian-owned businesses. At no time was this an attempt not to respect the other sons and daughters of Abraham our shared Father in Faith (Jews, Christians and Muslims), it was moreover a clear sign to those who seek to keep the message of Jesus alive and strong that we appreciate their daily struggles, the sacrifices they make by choosing to continue to live in a place which has been marred by conflict and which, from all sides, is vulnerable.
Overall, there was a very warm welcome from all quarters and – despite the terrible difficulties which the nearby Syrian people experience – there was, at least for the little time we spent there on this trip – an air of calm and of peace. No doubt this is in many ways only surface deep in many instances, yet the temporary respite it affords to locals is very welcome indeed.
In considering the Holy Land, Christians are asked to make the preferential option for our fellow disciples who act as custodians of the Holy sites and places.
Consider staying in Bethlehem as we did.
Speak with the local Christian people – the ‘ living stones’ as they are called.
Not only does it afford us the opportunity to learn more of their daily life struggle, it heartens them to know that the wider world listens, it is willing to travel to see them and it is interested and supportive of the vocation and witness they live out each day in the land of Christ’s historic life.
On a personal level, it was a tremendous privilege to be afforded the opportunity to lead the liturgy at Nazareth, Bethlehem and Emmaus, biblical places whose names we have all known since childhood, but places where the Gospel becomes very visible and the enduring message of Jesus Christ more palpable