If I made it this far in the pilgrimage without any decent prayer experiences, then it would be best to pack my things and come back home. Pilgrimages should bring us closer to the Lord, and that is my deepest hope for this pilgrimage. So far, He has not disappointed. I thought I’d talk about a few, just because I know you’re dying to know.

Yesterday, due to peaceful and political demonstrations near the Church of the Nativity, our teachers thought it would be good to stay on our “compound” at Betharram. Next to our lodging is a cloistered Carmelite convent. A few of us went over to their chapel for Mass. The chapel is a gorgeous Romanesque church with a bit of an Arabian flair to it. The Mass was a pretty cool experience, because it made it so clear just how universal the Church is, even here in the small town of Bethlehem. There was an Italian priest who said Mass in French, the language of the nuns. In the congregation there were local Palestinians; seminarians from Mexico, Peru, Vietnam, America, and Kansas; and novices from Central Africa and the Ivory Coast. At one point the guys from Africa led a hymn in French with an African drum. I just gazed around the chapel, closed my eyes, and felt like I was getting a taste of heaven. It was a great experience. Then, to top it off, we said the Our Father in Latin so that we could all join in. Isn’t the Church pretty cool?

One other story I’ll share happened on New Year’s Eve. A friend of my sister’s was in Bethlehem, so I tried to go find her at the Church of the Nativity. It was a needle-in-a-haystack sort of task, given that I couldn’t even remember what she looked like, but I figured that if God really wanted it to happen, I’d find her. I didn’t, but I took the chance to go into the Manger Chapel and pray that the Prince of Peace would bring some peace to the land of His earthly life. I also took the opportunity to pray for all of you, which I have been doing everyday, in all sorts of sites. It was just a peaceful experience, even as hundreds and hundreds of pilgrims from all over passed by the spot of the birth. Eventually, all the pilgrims were finished, and I was left as just one of two or three in the chapel. I went to the manger, where the statue of the baby Jesus is. I knelt there, staring at him, and I could feel Mary and Joseph with me, saying “isn’t He beautiful?” Beautiful indeed.

I have been able to go to several 5am Masses in the Manger Chapel, always offering my Masses for my many pregnant friends and family member. The Mass is in Italian, which I don’t mind, because it brings me back to the month I spent in Rome, getting to celebrate Mass in Italian at several churches. Again, universality is such a gift from Christ.

Alright, I should get going. We’ll chat again in a few days, after we start our Galilee adventure.