Our first few days in the Holy Land granted us full and beautiful access to the Mount of the Beatitudes Church, the guest house located on the property and the incredible landscape. For each of the days we stayed at the guest house, Lou-Kevin and Jay -- the cameramen -- and myself would get up at 5:00 am in order to capture shots of the sun rising from the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It was a majestic vista, providing an incredible view of one the most ordinary things in world: the dawn of a new day. Of course, it is cliche to mention now how we don't take nearly enough advantage of enjoying God's creation (especially at that ungodly hour!), but the cliche holds true: it is usually in the most ordinary, simple things where we find the splendour, the wonder and the sheer magnificence of being human. The joy of being made in the image and likeness of God as a steward of His created, natural world.
Perhaps the most arresting thing of being atop the hill at that time was the sound of the animals. Birds, mostly, but it was as if a whole exotic zoo were laid out in front of us; invisible, but allowing us a privileged audience to their impromptu symphony. There were so many individual calls that I had never heard before -- shrills and caws and tweets -- that I will probably never hear again, yet the echo of which resonates in my memory. Moreover, it helps to hear Jesus' words from the Gospel alongside the soundtrack of those birds and animals in the background, since this helps me realize that there is no difference, really, from the time Jesus walked the earth to now. In truth, there is no difference in the lessons and the people who surrounded Jesus, yearning to hear Him amongst the flora and fauna of that time, then there is in the people who live to hear His message today, wherever they may reside.
Mount of the Beatitudes - View of the Church of the Beatitudes
Every time I visit my relatives in France, I devote a day to visiting Notre Dame de Lourdes in the Pau region. It's an essential pilgrimage, one that gives me spiritual strength. The pilgrimage allows ...read more
Christmas says a lot about what God is really like. We can sometimes be tempted to think of God as a harsh judge or annoying referee. But the way that God comes to us reveals who He truly is. ...read more
Last week, we heard the Virgin Mary sing of her blessedness enduring through "all generations" (Luke 1:48). This week, we hear that her ancestor David is also blessed through "all generations" (Psalm ...read more
Do we have a sense of eternity? If we're honest with ourselves, not really. Yes, we believe in the resurrection of the dead, the reception of the saints to eternal blessedness, and the time of purging ...read more
We use cookies and similar technologies to run this website and to help us understand how you use it. Read our Privacy Policy here to learn how we use cookies.