Page 27 - Discover Israel Magazine - Philippines Edition 2019
P. 27

Bringing the milestones of
Catholic faith to life and
infusing them with meaning
through tangible encounters
with history

By Jill Daly

f the Cross                                                                                         Via Dolorosa, Station 6

                                                   Igrew up in a strong Catholic family; the        For me, it was a living testament of the journey
                                                           church was a very central part of my     that marked the end of Jesus’ earthly time. It
                                                           upbringing. We attended church every     brought me closer to my Catholic faith and
                                                           Sunday, Catechism classes during         closer to understanding the joy, anguish and
                                                   the week, and celebrated the important           sacrifice that was made for me. It made it
                                                   milestones of our faith with the sacraments      come alive more than I could have imagined
                                                   of Baptism, Confession, Communion, and           looking at those beautiful carvings that hung
                                                   Confirmation. My mother volunteered in           in the church.
                                                   the church, taught Catechism classes, and
                                                   encouraged me to volunteer and help as well.     Many years later I had the opportunity to visit
                                                                                                    Israel. It was a true journey of faith, a journey
                                                   Each Sunday our family of five would file into   that fortified my relationship with my Christian
                                                   our pew at mass. As mass began, I would          belief and upbringing. I actually walked in
                                                   be wrapped in the comforting sense of            the footsteps of Jesus, His ministry, His life.
                                                   familiarity of the rituals that I had known all  I stood on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
                                                   my life. I would study the walls of the church
                                                   seeing the carvings depicting the Stations of    I walked down the hillside where He delivered
                                                   the Cross. These beautiful wooden works of       the Sermon on the Mount. I visited the Church
                                                   art told the story of Jesus’ encounters with     in Cana where He performed His first miracle.
                                                   Pontius Pilate and depicted His crucifixion on   And I wept in the Garden of Gethsemane
                                                   the cross, recounting in stunning detail and     where He wept, where He prayed in anguish
                                                   mastery, His last days on earth.                 to His Heavenly Father. These are the stories
                                                                                                    remembered from childhood, stories I’ve
                                                   As a freshman entering high school, I really     cherished from my parents’ teaching, stories
                                                   began to understand these works of art.          I’ve applied from my church’s teaching, and
                                                   Each Lenten season, my church performed          stories I’ve garnered from my own study.
                                                   a passion play "Stations of the Cross."
                                                   The Youth Group would travel to churches         On my first trip to Jerusalem, I was reconnected
                                                   throughout our area and present the story        to the journey and understanding that I first
                                                   of Christ’s crucifixion. It was a dramatic       truly began experiencing with the "Stations
                                                   reenactment, starting on Palm Sunday and         of the Cross" passion play from my years in
                                                   concluding with Christ dying on the cross        high school. Entering the Old City from the
                                                   on Good Friday. For weeks leading up to          Lion’s gate, I began the procession of the
                                                   the celebration of Easter, we dedicated          Via Dolorosa. In Latin, Via Dolorosa means
                                                   Fridays and Sundays to rehearsals and            the “Way of Grief.” It is at the start of this site
                                                   performances. We brought a vibrant and           where Jesus was tried and convicted and
                                                   real enactment of this story to churches in      the street ends at the place of His crucifixion,
                                                   the area.                                        Golgotha, where the Church of the Holy
                                                                                                    Sepulchre is located.

Via Dolorosa, Station 2. Photos: www.goisrael.com                                                   D I S C O V E R I S R A E L 27
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