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

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

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

Cana is a Galilean town five miles northeast of Nazareth. Its population of around 8,500 includes both Muslims and Christians. “The wedding at Cana” is a bible reading to tell us about the first miracle of Jesus, the water into wine. There are many symbolic meanings in this reading. Let us focus on some of them ...read more

The Sea of Galilee is located in the east side of the Galilee, in the north of Israel. There are many stories related to Jesus along the Sea of Galilee. For instance, he called his first disciples by the sea, preaching the parable of the sower, the walking on the water, the calming of a ...read more

I love it when we hear something we’ve heard many time as if it was the first time. Last year, I heard something that I had never heard before: “If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only ...read more

Pope Francis released his 2016 Lenten Message based on the verse ” I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13). Read the full text of his message, titled ‘The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee,’ below: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13). The works of mercy on the road of ...read more

Pope Francis asked for ‘mercy and forgiveness’ for the way Christians have behaved towards each other, saying we cannot let the weight of past faults continue to contaminate our relationships. The Pope’s words came in his homily at an ecumenical celebration of Vespers on Monday evening in the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls ...read more