It is good to be back home REJUVENATED! The 21 pilgrims of our parish who went to the Holy Land truly experienced the HOLY SPIRIT AND THE JOY of THE RISEN LORD!

The pilgrimage was a great celebration of the JOY OF THE EASTER SEASON! We left Waldorf tired and worried on EASTER Tuesday ....but as soon as we arrived in the Holy Land within the beautiful Octave of Easter, the HOLY SPIRIT took over and YES we became OVERJOYED!

We celebrated Mass together every day and many times the readings of the day referred to the exact places we were visiting! WOW!!! Every day we were truly " OVERCOME WITH PASCHAL JOY" as concluded in every one of the five Prefaces of the Easter Season: "Therefore, OVERCOME WITH PASCHAL JOY, every land, every people EXULTS IN YOUR PRAISE ..."

Upon our return, I discovered that many of you followed us on OLHOC Facebook day by day. I never go to any social media and believe that the best communication remains face to face. As suggested by many of you, our pilgrims plan to organize a special meeting to share their experiences with you face to face! STAY TUNED!

Today, I would like to simply, share one of the most memorable mornings we had: it was TUESDAY APRIL 26. We all had a wake-up call at 3:30 AM!!! We were staying within 10 minutes' walk of the HOLY SEPULCHER CHURCH which includes the exact site where Jesus was crucified and also the tomb where his body stayed for 3 days before his resurrection.

The early morning departure in the middle of the night allowed us to walk in silence and pray each of the Stations of the Cross: the VIA DOLOROSA! The narrow streets of Jerusalem usually overcrowded were empty: SILENCE! We could encounter Jesus in that silence as we carried Jesus' Cross walking with HIM following His own footsteps to Calvary.

Then we entered the magnificent Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where we prayed the last Stations of the Cross at the exact place where Jesus was crucified. The highlight of the morning was the MASS we celebrated INSIDE THE TOMB where the body of Jesus was laid. The 21 of us could barely fit within the tomb. The Gospel of the day was the encounter at night between Nicodemus and Jesus (John 3:7b-15) when Jesus spoke of the need for all of us to be born again in WATER AND HOLY SPIRIT: "AMEN, AMEN! I say to you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and SPIRIT ." ( John 3:5).

To allow another group to celebrate the Mass inside the tomb, we were limited to 25-minutes inside the tomb!!! This allowed us to have a 2-minute homily (!!!!). I simply referred to the amazing graces we receive every day from the HOLY SPIRIT and said that every day is a new day, every day we can be born again through the HOLY SPIRIT (and enter the Kingdom of God on earth, our own encounter with the Risen Lord).

You can imagine my surprise when we returned for breakfast to our pilgrims' lodging, and I found a WHITE DOVE RESTING GENTLY on my room’s window on the third floor with a spectacular view of Jerusalem (see picture below).

The White Dove was a gentle reminder that the HOLY SPIRIT IS ALWAYS PRESENT and that HE CAN TRANSFORM OUR LIVES every day.

COME HOLY SPIRIT! INVADE OUR HEARTS WITH THE FIRE OF YOUR LOVE!

COME HOLY SPIRIT! GUIDE EVERY STEP OF OUR LIVES!

May God help each one of us to walk with HIS SON in this Glorious and Joyful Easter Season. As we celebrate Mothers' Day and Good Shepherd Sunday this weekend, we are just 4 weeks away from the culmination and end of the Easter Season with the DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AT PENTECOST ON JUNE 5.

May GOD keep blessing all our Mothers and Grandmothers!

One in Christ,
 

Father Alain