My Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Fr Cyriac C Mattathilanickal, is a Missionary of Our Lady of La Salette, born and raised in Kerala, India. Reconciliation is the charism of my community and I believe that God has called me to preach the good news and draw everyone closer to God through my life and ministry. Our Lady of La Salette, Reconciler of sinners, Pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to you.

Wearing the kippah at the Western Wall

My pilgrimage to the birth place of Jesus was one of the most memorable pilgrimages I have ever experienced. In the words of Fr. James Martin, SJ “Holy land is often called the “Fifth Gospel”, the gospel that explains the other four gospels”. Here we are able to meet Jesus in a new way. Walking on these holy grounds that Jesus himself walked, preached, did the miracles, healed the sick, suffered and died, and reading the Gospel again means everything takes on a new meaning. The gospels come alive for me. It was not only a very spiritual experience but very emotional one as well. Every place that I visited, prayed, offered mass and reflected on the stories in the Gospel is very much fresh in my memory. Whether it is preaching on the miracles of Jesus, sermon on the mount or beatitudes of Jesus, everything takes on a new light.

The Western Wall

Sign at the western wall.

The pilgrimage to the land of Jesus gives you a historic, cultural, economic and geographical ‘grounding’ and perspective. Your understanding of the cultural milieu and mindset of the people of Israel will dramatically help you deepen your appreciation for all that Jesus preached, worked and suffered. My first time in Israel was with a group of seven pilgrims and we began in Nazareth where Jesus grew up as a young boy. This is where you find the Church of Annunciation and the Church of Joseph right next to each other. At each of the sites that we visited, I would read the scripture passage that pertains to the place and reflect with the pilgrims about what it meant. We then realize that this is where all of it unfolded. One of the beautiful things and deep personal experiences for me was that I got to celebrate Holy Mass at the Church of St. Joseph, Church of Nativity, Tomb of Jesus, Mount of beatitudes, Church of Transfiguration, in the garden of Gethsemane, at the Church of Lazarus and Mount Nebo ( where Moses died).

We got to walk the way of the cross. Some of the pilgrims burst into tears overwhelmed by the experience. We walked all 14 stations of the cross at 7 am without the noise of the city of Jerusalem and reached Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. A very touching experience was at the tomb of Jesus and we were all huddled together, offering Mass and prayers. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the surrounding areas are so real that we realize how excruciating the journey of Jesus was from the garden of Gethsemane, to the Church of Sacred Pit where Jesus was stripped, flogged, kept in the dungeon, and eventually carried the cross all the way to Golgotha.

Walking on the seashore of the sea of Galilee is a very moving and peaceful experience. Peter after the crucifixion of Jesus and death, told his friends, “I am going fishing”! They tried all night and caught nothing and Jesus tells him “put out into the deep”. They were amazed at the large catch. You begin to realize the meaning and truthfulness of these events while taking the boat trip in the sea of Galilee in a boat called “Jesus boat”. We all sat in the boat quietly and took in the calm and peaceful waters of the sea of Galilee. At the sea shore you have a small chapel where Jesus made the charcoal and asked the disciples ‘bring some of the fish’ and he ate with them. All these moments are very inspiring for the pilgrims.

Travelling through the desert, through the oldest city of the world, Jericho, where Jesus met Zachaeus on the sycamore tree, and seeing the Mount of temptation of Jesus, and eating at the Temptation Restaurant, seeing the dirty and poor shepherds taking care of the sheep, and climbing Mount Nebo where Moses got the final glimpse of the Promised Land, leave lasting imprints on your soul. Your knowledge of the Scripture grows by leaps and bounds, and suddenly you recognize that Scripture is alive and well in your seeing and believing. The relationship that you developed with Jesus of Nazareth now becomes more personal and real that takes a new life of its own. More than anything else, the pilgrimage to the holy land helps you reach new heights of holiness, wisdom, love, faith and charity. For any Catholic, the best pilgrimage you can make is to visit the land of Jesus so that you will grow in faith, hope and love. I made a second pilgrimage with 23 pilgrims after two years of my first visit and this time, it was all the more better and I gained a fresh perspective.