Jerusalem

I'm sorry I have not posted yet, but things have been very busy here. I hope to write more and post some pictures soon!.

I just wanted to say that EVERYONE needs to take a trip to the Holy Land. It is AMAZING here. So far my favorite place has been Bethlehem, more specifically, the Church of the Nativity.

God has been teaching me so much and speaking to my heart like crazy. I wish I could post it all here. You would be amazed at what He's saying. Here's a sampling:

* There is coming a day when you will neither worship here nor in Jerusalem but in Spirit and in truth." see Jn 4 -
* The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. God is working on me to free me from scrupulosity and to live in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
* "I want to be with you forever."
* I've learned to see the Eucharist in a whole new light. Sitting around eating falafel, hummus, etc. (amazing food here) with my friends, I was remembering the times I sat with my boyfriend and his family eating the same foods, and at that moment realized that I missed him terribly and wished he could be here with me! Sharing this meal made me long to be with him. The thought occurred to me - (perhaps it's an imperfect image, but it resonated with me deeply!) When we go to the Eucharist, we are united with Jesus - but it occured to me that this meal is a foretaste that also ought to make us long for something more- for heaven, where we will finally be reunitd with Jesus forever. Should not the sharing of the Eucharistic banquet make our hearts burn within us as it did for the disciples on the road to Emmaus?
* "For your sake he became poor so that you might become rich." see 2 Corinthians --> Seeing Bethlehem really makes this verse come alive.

more to come-  plus pictures! (i'm no sure when I'll get around to it, but i'm working on it! things are really busy here).

Please know that I am praying for you!

10 Days

10 Days until I leave for Jerusalem!

I'm working on crafting a pre-departure novena prayer to say up until the day I leave, starting tomorrow. I've searched high and low for one that's already written (a novena for pilgrimage to Jerusalem, that is), but have found none. What I have found, quite interestingly, is that traditionally Psalm 122 has been prayed by Jews and Christians as they approach the Holy City:

Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."

² Our feet are standing
in your gates, O Jerusalem.

³ Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.

⁴ That is where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
to praise the name of the LORD
according to the statute given to Israel.

⁵ There the thrones for judgment stand,

the thrones of the house of David.

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.

⁷ May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."

⁸For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."

⁹ For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your prosperity.

What I also found was Pope Benedict XVI's prayer that he left in the Wailing Wall after his trip to Jerusalem, which is also nice:

God of all the ages,
on my visit to Jerusalem, the "City of Peace",
spiritual home to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike,
I bring before you the joys, the hopes and the aspirations,
the trials, the suffering and the pain of all your people throughout the world.
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
hear the cry of the afflicted, the fearful, the bereft;
send your peace upon this Holy Land, upon the Middle East,
upon the entire human family;
stir the hearts of all who call upon your name,
to walk humbly in the path of justice and compassion.
"The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him!" (Lam 3:25)

Looking at these prayers, and some others I've found, I've realized that the Church and the whole People of God, first, the Jewish people, and then us Christians, have continually prayed for PEACE for Jerusalem. While I go on pilgrimage, I want to keep in mind my own intentions and those intentions which my friends and family have entrusted to me, but also, to pray for the wider intention of peace in the Holy Land. As I travel, I hope I will have the opportunity to visit local Christian communities - to visit communities of Christians that have weathered much persecution throughout the centuries and who still find themselves a minority in a hostile place. Meeting the local Christians in Jerusalem, I hope will inspire me to join them in praying for peace in their homeland. Their intention - and the Pope's intention - will be mine as well.

But at the same time, I want to craft a prayer that is deeply personal, and which also speaks to the great desires of my heart and the ways I want God to work in my life. Consequently, I've also been looking at a number of other prayers that really speak to me in my current situation, including this famous prayer by Thomas Merton:

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that my desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire
in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this
you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear
for you are with me,
and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.

I've got to find a way to combine all of these. Wish me luck!

All That You Have ...

So as I get ready to head to Jerusalem in a few weeks, I'm beginning to spend some time in quiet reflection in preparation for the pilgrimage / course ahead of me. I'm trying to come up with a prayer of sorts that I can say as a Novena before I leave, and while I am there.

Meanwhile, I'm gathering prayer requests from friends and family members, and trying to also think about the particular grace (or graces!) that I want to ask God for on this pilgrimage.

A few things come to mind, some big, some small - in no particular order:

* to be a saint
* for freedom from fear, anxiety
* for greater fervor, zeal
* for clarity in discernment, particularly regarding my future ministry and my current dating relationship
* for physical healing for a friend of mine
* ??
* ??

Even while I seek to identify what grace I ought to ask for on this pilgrimage, the thought occurred to me (as Fr. Juraj once said in a homily), that there are so many and different graces that the Lord wants to give me, and to try and name and pick one would simply not do it justice. I'm also reminded of a part from St. Faustina's Diary in which Jesus tells her how much it pains him that so often we come to receive Him in Holy Communion, and His hands are so full of graces which He wishes to lavish on us, and we don't even ask! In light of this, I always try to remember in my thanksgiving prayer after Holy Communion to sing in my heart to Jesus, "I want all that you have for me." I think too, that on this pilgrimage God wants to give me a great deal of graces - and I need to be sure I don't limit God by having too narrow a vision of what to ask for!

Soften My Heart - Andy Park

Soften my heart with oil,
open my eyes to see
fill me with understanding,
Soften my heart to receive

I want all that You have for me
Jesus, all that You have for me
Open my understanding
Soften my heart to receive
I want all that You have for me.

Don't let my heart be fallow
Don't let my heart be hard
Water me with Your Spirit
Soften the ground of my heart

What would you ask God for at this time?

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

I am going to Jerusalem!!!! (In šāʾ Allāh (إن شاء الله), of course!)
Just bought my plane tickets, and I'm so excited!!!

Now taking prayer requests for this pilgrimage. Let me know if there's anything you want me to pray for at any particular sites!