Author Archives: John Schroeder

…at which I praise the Lord, on the sixth anniversary of my blog of ‘found spirituality’…

The queues to venerate the Calvary grotto have been impressive each time we’ve visited Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

But they couldn’t hold a candle to the line of people we encountered today in Bethlehem…waiting to see and touch the star that marks the place of Jesus’ birth.

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Wandering about Gethsemane today put “agony” into a whole new perspective for me.

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For thousands of years, pilgrims have spoken of their desire to “go up” to Jerusalem.

They weren’t kidding.

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You didn’t want to pick the wrong elevator at our hotel today, particularly if your room’s on one of the upper floors.

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Our witty and intrepid guide, Nasser, has witnessed a lot through the years…as he’s shepherded various groups and pilgrimages throughout Israel.

Even he was surprised, however, to see the water level in the River Jordan today.

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For lunch today, I had my eye on a delicious fish from the Sea of Galilee.

And it had its eye on me.

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Judging by the flood of pilgrims we encountered on the town’s exceedingly narrow streets today, more than a few couples have renewed their wedding vows at Cana in Galilee through the years.

Still, something tells me our blessing was unique.

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Our pilgrimage leader bumped into an old friend today…atop the Mount of Beatitudes — best-selling author James Martin SJ.

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We broke bread with a Druze gentleman at lunchtime, and we were blessed indeed. Continue reading →