Coming on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land was already an experience to remember, but to be able to do it with my wife was truly a life changing experience. In this land, I felt I could touch the bible every step of the way. But maybe the moment that made everything more clear was the fact that my wife and ...read more

During our S+L Pilgrimage, one of our visiting sites was Peter’s Primacy. This is the place where after Jesus’ resurrection, He met with His disciples and asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” and told him “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:9) When I looked at the rock where the conversation took place, it seemed to me that scene was ...read more

Men carry a statue of “El Nazareno,” the Black Nazarene, during a procession to mark the second Sunday of Lent in the streets of Guatemala City March 4, 2012. (CNS photo/Jorge Dan Lopez, Reuters)     ...read more

Last week, we began by looking at sin and the difference between venial and mortal sin. Even though we’ve all been cleansed from Original Sin at Baptism, we are all still wounded by Original Sin. Because of this, we still suffer the effects of Original Sin, which is why we have a tendency to sin. This ...read more

Among the many beautiful and significant places of Jerusalem is undoubtedly the Via Dolorosa, or Way of the Cross, the way that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, and headed for Golgotha, the place of his crucifixion. This route starts from the Fortress Antonia, a building that once stood at the north side of the Temple of Jerusalem, considered ...read more

Pilgrims walk across a tidal causeway while carrying crosses during the final leg of the Northern Cross pilgrimage to Holy Island in northern England. For more than 30 years Christians have taken part in the pilgrimage to Holy Island, walking through Northumberland and along the Scottish border during Holy Week. (CNS photo/David Moir, Reuters) (March ...read more

In 2011 we asked the same question. That time it was about Iraqi Christians. Today the world’s attention is on Syria. It’s very hard to keep track of numbers, but in Syria alone, since the beginning of the war, more than half the Christians have been directly affected. On the one hand, why shouldn’t they ...read more

Every step of our pilgrimage in the Holy Land has left us in awe not only because of the historical and spiritual dimensions of the holy places we visit and which commemorate the life of Jesus but also because of the beauty of the landscape that surrounds us. On March 1, 2016, after having navigated the ...read more

On Saturday, February 27, 2016, we drove to Nazareth from our residence on the Mount of Beatitudes to visit the site of Mary’s home and where Jesus lived as a child. But first we stopped off at Nazareth Village, a complete replica of what the small Nazarene village would have been looked like over two thousand years ago. We ...read more

Inmates hold a “pabasa” inside a jail in the Makati financial district in Manila, Philippines. The pabasa is a rendition of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus through songs and chants and is widely practiced during Lent in the largely Catholic nation. (CNS photo/Romeo Ranoco, Reuters) ...read more