Scottish Catholic Observer

Such powerful messages were conveyed, especially by Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, at the civic reception last night held by Bethlehem Municipality for those on this national pilgrimage to the Holy Land that it will merit a news article in next week’s SCO.

For now let the record show that His Grace spoke openly from the heart about how he felt after his first ever 48 hours in the Holy Land.

The hospitality last night from the first female mayor of Bethlehem-a city twinned with Glasgow thanks to pilgrimage orgainser Former Lord Provost Alex Mosson-was surpaseed only by the entertainment from the Diyar Dance Theatre and the Syrian Orthodox Scout pipe band. The dignity of our gracious Palestinian hosts in spite of their difficult circumstances was moving.

In keeping with the pilgrimage itself, however, this blog will now break from the chronology of events to skip ahead to today’s highs and lows.

Many pilgrimgs, including those ‘shuggling their shekels’ on the yellow bus, had been anticipating and dreading our visit to Gethsemane in equal parts. Few if any were left unmoved by the visit to the garden of Jesus’s agony ahead of his arrest, trial and crucifixion. The open air Mass celebrated by the Archbishop, Fr Reynolds and the deacons came closest to how many imagined a Holy Land pilgrimage would be before they saw first-hand that churches have been built over most of the Holy sites.

In the afternoon this feeling of walking in Jesus’ footsteps on Holy Ground in the blazing heat was painfully brought home as we entered the Old City of Jerusalem on foot and carried a cross along the First Good Friday Stations of the Cross route to the Holy Sepulchre. Some of our pilgrims were derided for their efforts in the bustling market place in a way that drew a sharp parallel with what Our Lord would have endured.

After Mass tomorrow at Shepherd’s field, some of us go to Masada and the Dead Sea, others back to Jerusalem and a third group with remain in Bethlehem. We have a day and a half left before we return home but many of use feel we are home already. It may be 74 days until Christmas but we are back tonight in Bethlehem, which makes all our Christmas wishes come true.