9th TLIG Ecumenical Pilgrimage
in the Holy Land, 2013

Homepage
(Other reports of this pilgrimage:     Fr Theodore Kontidis       Canon John Twisleton)


Video of the pilgrimage


The Main Pilgrimage Report

The 9th True Life in God Pilgrimage was to the Holy Land. The Pilgrimage lasted exactly 1 week, from Monday 26th August until Sunday 1st September, 2013. Our first 5 nights were spent in Jerusalem in the big "Dan Jerusalem Hotel". The pilgrims were split up for the remaining 3 nights between 3 hotels in Nazareth, as that town had no single hotel where all of our group could be together, there were so many of us! We needed 16 buses in convoy to transport us every day! There were nearly 700 pilgrims from 60 countries representing 20 different church denominations.

In the True Life in God Messages, we gain an intimacy with Jesus. The pilgrimage is meant to be a physical manifestation of this intimacy through the talks we heard, through the friendships we made and rekindled, the prayerful worship services, and the experience of placing ourselves where Christ lived, preached, prayed, died and resurrected. The International Pilgrimages afford an opportunity for Christians and participants from other religions to come together as a living expression of the Lord's Message and desire for Unity.


Monday, August 26

We began our pilgrimage and then continued at the beginning of each day with singing "Our Father" in Aramaic. After prayers, Vassula welcomed everyone and thanked our Lord for the opportunity to have the pilgrimage in Jerusalem. She thanked all the organizers: Theodora, Ann Marie Peters, and the entire American group who helped so much to promote True Life in God through the new book: Heaven Is Real but So Is Hell. She thanked those from other countries as well who took part in promoting the book.

Vassula said that Jesus was our spiritual guide and spiritual travel agency. She mentioned sixty countries (Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin-Africa, Brazil, Bounin-Faso, Burundi, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Malawi, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad, Uganda, Uruguay, United States, Venezuela) represented. She added that we had an enormous wealth through the Holy Spirit. We see the Unity that Christ has in mind and it is God's approach: intimate way, approachable, reachable. He proclaims His Message of Love everywhere. Vassula reminded us that with any move to restore Unity, all Heaven and Earth rejoices and blessings are poured out on those meetings. The Father's wrath diminishes.

We were shown a video of Pope Francis speaking about the need for Church unity and where we heard that he and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch would meet in Jerusalem. The Pope asked everyone to pray and ask the Lord for Unity. Vassula then briefly outlined the major concerns and Pain of Jesus because His Body, the Church, is still divided on the dates of Easter. If we unify the dates the Sight of Many will be restored. Meanwhile, the Lord drinks the cup of our division and tells Vassula to drink what is bitter. He tells us that there will be a more severe sentence on the earth the longer we delay the unification of the Easter date.

As is now customary on TLIG pilgrimages, the attending clergy entered in a solemn procession. Each one introduced himself and his country of origin. There were over 100 clergy and spiritual leaders from 20 church denominations.


Cardinal Felix Toppo who could not be with us sent his heart-felt regards and was extremely happy to have the opportunity to convey his love, peace and joy in the Father. He wished us to grow in ever deeper faith and that the Spirit of the Lord would make us missionaries of love and faith as is the intention of the Father and the Church. The Buddhist monk, the Ven. Suddhananda, had come to five of our pilgrimages. Since he too could not be with us, he sent his congratulations on behalf of himself and the Buddhist monks. He wished all of us a safe completion of the pilgrimage and stated that we were with the Great Spirit of Christ in the Holy Land.

The warm welcome was imparted by the Armenian Archbishop Aris Shirvanian of from the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He welcomed us to the Holy Sights of Jerusalem and Galilee: the Holy Sepulchre, the place where the Lord was crucified and buried; Bethlehem, where love was born with peace to all; Galilee and all the places related to Christ's life. The Anglican retired Bishop Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal of Nazareth welcomed the pilgrims on behalf of the Christian community and the Palestinian Christians in the Land of the Holy One. He wished us a spiritual visit and wanted us to feel also the human condition of the people of this land. He asked us to pray for unity so that we might live according to the Mind of Christ.

Father Nicholas from USA spoke about the array of the priests of God, a real bouquet and that all had the same commitment, and desire to sacrifice for unity. In continued celebration and retrospection, Father Gavin Ashenden from England spoke about the Church that was not fully the Church until it was seen as it was there. Intensity of our union was real, could be felt and was not normally experienced. He asked us to prepare ourselves to pray as if we prayed for the first time and in our hearts, in Jesus' Heart. Fr Gavin remarked how our prayers for unity helped to bring us to that moment where unity could be lived. In turn, Father Abba Gabriel welcomed the fathers, brothers and sisters. He reminded us that Jesus was with us and happy, as he himself was happy to be part of the gathering of God's people. Father Georgeos Kokonos from South Africa made an appeal to us to remember to pray for unity every Sunday, to pray to our Lady and seek unity.

Father Mouradian from Argentina emphasized that the work we were doing there was not enough. Each person needed to work in his own place for unity, by acting and looking for unity. In Buenos Aires there have been inter-religious encounters between Islam and Christian religions. We need a unity of the churches; a deep unity of love, understanding, acceptance. Father Mouradian explained that he was a friend of the pope and on his behalf, he asked all of us to pray for the Holy Father.

Lastly, Bishop Mourad of the Syrian Orthodox Church of the Holy Land and Jordan welcomed us to the Holy Land. He said that they were living through difficult times. In his church, he added, they pray the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic. He asked us to pray for unity with thirst in our hearts. He said that the Lord chose Vassula. We have to listen to the call of Jesus; the call to be one. (Chapter 17 of St. John's gospel) We are all servants of Heaven and are created to be in Unity. He encouraged us to say, "I Love You Holy Spirit". The strength is the Unity of the Trinity.


Monday 26th August (Bethlehem)


We went to Bethlehem (Mark 2:1-23), a mere 10 km from Jerusalem, now effectively a southern suburb but separated from Jerusalem by a high wall and a checkpoint gate. After our morning session which included a Roman Catholic Holy Mass, we visited the Basilica of the Nativity including the grotto where Jesus was born.

All 700 pilgrims waited two hours to walk through a narrow row of stairs going down, underground into the small space where Jesus was born. We each prayed at this Holy spot and could place our hand on the spot where our Lord was born. Although there were so many of us, the crowd remained silent, moved peacefully. The prayerfulness of the group reminded us that we were on sacred ground.

A surprise meeting took place with a group of 600 pilgrims led by Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard, Catholic primate of Belgium, in Saint Catherine's church in Bethlehem adjacent to the Church of the Nativity. The Archbishop's group included Vicka, one of the seers from Medjugorje, although she was not in the church when we met. That group of pilgrims had an ecumenical and even inter-religious dimension similar to True Life in God and together both groups prayed the rosary and to quote the Archbishop; there was a "fervent communion of hearts, and to everyone's satisfaction".


Tuesday, August 27 (Jericho, the Dead Sea and Bethany)

After praying the Our Father in Aramaic, speeches on Unity were given by Father Theodoros, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Jerusalem, Archbishop Shirvanian and Rabbi Alon.

Archbishop Theodoros thanked the Lord that we were together and that what united us was our love for Christ. We had different traditions and practices, but Christ united us all. Thank you to Christ! He complimented us that we had a rich program, but that was to be expected for everything happened in that Land and since we all had a love for Christ's Church, so as an Orthodox, he welcomed us. He thanked Vassula and the True Life in God team and gave Vassula an icon.

Archbishop Shirvanian spoke next. He said that our spirituality would be strengthened in the Holy Land, the birthplace of Christ. His church was established through Pentecost, when 3,000 people were baptized and received the Holy Ghost. Since then, the Holy Ghost has enabled the evangelization of the whole world. This was the Archbishop's fourth pilgrimage with True Life in God. He thanked Vassula for organizing these pilgrimages as they were following the gospel. The pilgrimage brought us to the Holy Land: Syriacs, Anglicans, Lutherans, Copts and others united in Christ and keeping the faith strong in spite of the challenges.

Rabbi Alon Goshen Gottstein recited a psalm in Hebrew: "Bless us Father that we all be one in the light of Your countenance". We all have a spiritual home in that Land: Jews, Moslems or Christians. In echoing the prophecy, "My house is a house of Prayer for many Nations," he said that Jerusalem was the Heart of Humanity. The world is looking to Jerusalem; what do we offer the world? We ignore each other and pray despite one another. We have no common prayer space. He said that a Space of Prayer would fulfill this biblical prophecy. Rabbi Alon said that "Hope House of Prayer and Education" would be built in Jerusalem as a place where all people could pray, function and work together. The ground has been purchased, a committee consisting of many different representatives of the major religions in the world set up (included in this is Cardinal Toppo, he told us) and they were progressing with the project. This vision of unity and peace inspired all of us.

That day we visited the Mount of Temptation and the Dead Sea. The Mount of Temptation is 1,200 ft above sea level, whereas the Dead Sea is 1400 ft. below sea level. We headed on the Jordanian Road to Jericho, the road Jesus took, when He healed the blind man and told the story of the Good Samaritan. That road is mainly a desert and is the home of the Bedouins. The town of Jericho is a flower in the middle of the desert and is known in the Old Testament as the City of Palm Trees.

It takes about 60 million gallons of water to irrigate Jericho. Fresh water, called Elisha water, can be found in Jericho; people can drink from it. It also has other natural springs. Elisha founded this first ever city in the Biblical times, but settlements have been there that date back almost 11,000 years. Presently, Jericho is a Palestinian territory with only 900 Christians left there. Most have emigrated.

At the top of The Mount of Temptation where Jesus was tempted by the devil for 40 days there is a fifth century monastery. One Greek Orthodox hermit priest resides there. After getting transported by cable cars to the mountain, the pilgrims climbed the 118 steep steps in the blaring afternoon sun to reach the top where we prayed and venerated the monastery's icons.

Our next stop, the Dead Sea, was exceptionally refreshing after the heat and sun of the Judean desert and the the Mount of Temptation. The Dead Sea has minerals in the water's mud which are sold worldwide for skin and other health benefits. It is called the Dead Sea because no life exists in it; it is too salty to hold any life forms. Many of our pilgrims stepped into the heavily salted, very muddy water and spread the healthy mineral mud on our bodies, and wished we could stay longer but our schedule would not allow it. After our Dead Sea dip, we visited Bethany and the church and tomb of St. Lazarus whom Jesus brought back to life.


Wednesday, August 28 (Jerusalem)

After breakfast and singing in Aramaic, the "Our Father" prayer, three clergy spoke to us on Unity before we celebrated the Armenian Liturgy. First was Fr. Aljanian who asked us to be united and to grow in love. But this could only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit the only guide to the whole truth. We cannot find this truth all at once. It is very important to understand that growing in the Spirit is a process of faith. We must listen to the Holy Spirit and be guided by the Holy Spirit. Each person discovering the Truth alone is relative; we cannot see the whole truth. The Holy Spirit in Its fullness is shown through our gathering. At this pilgrimage we were coming together on a Spiritual road of progress in Unity between us. Fr. Aljanian said that he had been a priest for more than 50 years and could see that the Holy Spirit's work in our days for God's Unity was so important. We, however, cannot bring unity. It is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Father Rene Laurentin first heard about Vassula at the beginning of the 1990's. A Swiss Theologian brought her to his home. He was taken by her clarity and precision of thought, even though her vocabulary was limited. There was a sound foundation in everything she said. He asked her what was the most important part of the faith and she said the Holy Communion. Father Laurentin continued by saying that it was difficult to have a dialogue between the Christian Churches because the points of agreement were limited. Some impression was made on him as he noticed the positive side of the dialogue between Catholics and Anglicans. They were consciously in accordance with Luke 2. Father Laurentin added that yesterday we prayed the rosary. It wasn't normal for the Orthodox to pray the rosary, but ecumenism occurred in the sharing. The importance of our meetings was that where we were with Christ, in direct contact with Christ, there was ecumenism.

Father Petar from Medjugorje thanked Jesus and Mary. He said that he was very glad to say hello to all of the pilgrims. He was grateful for the Grace to be living in the Time of Grace. We could see that these days were full of crisis and that we were not there by chance. God was directing the days and those who knew this have always looked upon what was to come from God. People who are open to God's Will are open to transmit His words to others. As we are open to the True Life in God Messages, know then, we have God.

After the liturgy we departed for Jerusalem where we visited the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the Paralytic and St. Anne's Basilica (The Birthplace of the Blessed Virgin Mary). From there we continued on foot along The Via Dolorosa: (The path Jesus took during His Passion.) We prayed in unison at each of the first nine stations. It was a somber, quiet and contemplative walk as we all prayed from our hearts in groups (based on our buses) and one priest led each group in contemplation. From the Via Dolorosa, we went to the Coenaculum where the Last Supper took place. After that, we visited the Church of the Dormition, (Aghia Maria Zion) and St. Peter in Gallinantu, where the cock crowed after Peter denied Christ three times.


Vassula speaks with Archbishop Ramon Arguelles


The day's excursions concluded with a reception at St. George's Cathedral hosted by Bishop Suheil S. Dawani of The Anglican Church. The bishop welcomed us all. This Holy City was a city of Peace, he said. Islam, Christianity and Judaism had within it cohesive relationships. The Anglican Church had a role in this mission, as the Divine and Human needs needed to be addressed in an equally important way. The education and the medical healthcare instituted by his church was a force for good and a rightful future. He continued by saying that one day a visible unity, not only by words, would surface. In Unity, we would have One Heart, we would see God's Hand with Us. Upon returning to our hotel, our day ended with a prayerful time of Adoration after dinner.


Thursday, August 29 (Gethsemane, and the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre)

After singing the Our Father in Aramaic, Father Nabil Nouanes and Father John Abberton spoke. Father Abberton followed with a Healing Prayer for all. Father Nabil proclaimed how great and beautiful our Lord was. He added that Unity of the church was nothing like what we were now doing. Israel, Palestine, the Holy Land and the ecumenical world would embrace everybody. Home would be in having everyone in one Spirit, one Body. These roots of unity were given by the Bible. They are given in the Maccabees and Zachariah. Since yesterday's excursion included entering the Old City of Jerusalem through the Lion's Gate, Father Nabil made reference to the Lion's Gate as the Gate where the Muslims put Lions so that Christians would not come into the Old City to walk the way of the Cross. It is also called St. Stephen's Gate. St. Stephen, the first martyr for Christ, when he saw his enemies infuriated, grinding their teeth like lions, he himself was filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up to Heaven and saw the Glory of God. For Father Nabil, this Glory of God is True Life in God. We are the Glory of God, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Vassula has received it. Father added that it is not enough that Vassula has received the messages; we need to read them. We are going to see the Glory of God. That is our mission. St. Stephen looked up and Heaven was open. We need to open more than our eyes; believing in our work opens Heaven. This is the way the Glory of God will come; Glory in Unity with the infusion of the Holy Spirit.

Father Abberton stated that healing was wide and deep in our pilgrimage. Unity is a form of healing to the whole world. A meeting will take place with Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew. At these meetings gifts are exchanged. It would be wonderful if the Pope offered to change the date of Easter as his gift. He asked us to pray for this. God is the root in our healing. He loves us and love is powerful. The Holy Spirit is in God's love. We need to open our hearts and accept the Love of God to come into us. For this we need to repent of our sins and forgive each other. Father Abberton asked us to pray for our healing and he led us to:
1) think of the people we need to forgive. We need to think of resentments and the people we don't speak to but with whom we need to be reconciled.
2) think of the things we needed to renounce such as evil works, things inside us that stop us from loving God, everything that stops the work of unity.
Father said that the Holy Spirit would lead us to other things we needed to renounce. The priest is the instrument of the Holy Spirit and through this instrument the people are healed and delivered. The Heart of Jesus in the priest does the work of healing. Jesus wants to heal us. Father Abberton prayed for us asking God to release us from our sins. Fr John's talk was followed by individual healing prayers said by many priests who lined up at the front. At this quiet, transforming session, many experienced blessings and graces.

After this very cathartic healing session, we all went by buses to the Old City, entering in through the Jaffa Gate. Our destination was to pray at the tomb of Christ, the Holy Sepulchre. We first meditated at the remaining Stations of the Cross: Stations 10-13 before we entered the Holy Sepulchre. It was a very special, prayerful walk. Each bus group walked through the remaining Stations of the Cross that led us to Christ's Tomb. The line leading to the Tomb was quite long. The wait was very long and very crowded. People were standing in line very close to one another while sweaty and hot, yet somber, contemplative, and reverent. This Holy experience brought tears to the eyes of many pilgrims. After this intense experience, we all chatted a bit during lunch before going to the Mount of Olives. At the Mount of Olives, we visited the Ascension Chapel, and the Pater Noster Church where Jesus first recited the ‘Our Father'. Together with our bus groups, we all recited the Our Father. From here, we walked into the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in agony before His Crucifixion. Here Christ prayed for the salvation of humanity and that His Father's Will to be done through Him. We visited the Greek Orthodox church at the place where the Virgin Mary was laid out before the Assumption and then congregated at the Church of all Nations where we celebrated the Roman Catholic Mass. The ‘Church of all Nations' is also known as the "Basilica of the Agony".

Upon our return to the hotel, Vassula spoke with passion about Christ's desire for Unity. Her talk can be read HERE


Friday, August 30 (Jacob's Well and Nazareth)

On this day, Friday, the pilgrims checked out of one hotel and moved to three other hotels situated in Nazareth. En route to Nazareth, we stopped at Mt. Precipice, and enjoyed the view of the Jezreel valley, stunningly beautiful wide open expanse almost as large as the eye can see. In the south west lies the ancient town of Megiddo associated with Armageddon. Jezebel, the biblical enemy of the Israelite prophets, is also associated with this valley as her village was located in this same valley. Viewing such incredible expanses steeped with biblical history filled everyone with awe. After lunch, we visited the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Gabriel with St. Mary's well, the Grotto of the Annunciation, and St. Joseph's Church (The Home of the Holy Family). At St. Mary's well, the Holy Water that flowed from a spout could be take by the pilgrims.

We celebrated Holy Mass at the Upper Basilica of the Annunciation before we transferred and checked into our respective hotels in Nazareth. At the main hotel in Nazareth, folk musicians from Nazareth performed for us. They played guitar like string instruments while singing songs of praise in Arabic which inspired many of us to dance to the music. At one point the whole auditorium was clapping to the music and dancing and some even seemed like those on the first Pentecost drunk with the Holy Spirit.


Saturday, August 31 (the Mount of Beatitudes, Galilee, Tabgha and Capernaum)

After singing the Aramaic Our Father we were fed words of wisdom through a few short speeches on the ever-present and imminent striving towards Unity. Father Gavin Ashenden, the Mayor of Nazareth, Father Theodoros, Father Rolf from Switzerland and another Fr Rolf who works a lot in Russia. Johann from South Africa and Father Nicholas from New York enlightened us as we began our day before embarking on our excursions. Father Gavin stated that even the best theologians produced nothing in the realm of unity, even after working on it for 1,000 years. The errors made were that they failed to recognize and fully understand that the heart was more important than the head. If we allow our hearts to be changed, the theological questions that divide us will also change. We need to see Jesus in the other clergy. There is a presence of Jesus inside each of us, so we need to take an interest in one another. Love exists in humility and we're not used to it.


The Mayor of Nazareth, Mr. Ramiz Jaraisi added that Unity was not a familiar walk. We are in need of hearts that are softened. From this city to the entire world, the desire of Jesus was to speak to the world. Mr. Jaraisi has been the mayor for almost 20 years. It is an Arab Palestinian city in Israel and it is not part of the occupied territories. For centuries, Nazareth has housed Arabs, Palestinians and Christians. There is a long tradition of people from different ethnic cultures and religions living together. Even in times of crisis, the citizens succeed to overcome them by creating a good, positive atmosphere. Mr. Jaraisi was elected mayor in spite of being a Christian. He was elected four times into this office by Muslims as well as Christians. He concluded by wishing us the best and by asking us to be good ambassadors for the city of Nazareth. Father Theodoros emphasized that Unity comes from Christ. He joins into Himself what is the mystery of God. He is God and His whole existence is an invitation. This invitation from Christ leads us to a pinnacle which is His cross. This invitation to join Christ is not just anything; it is the shedding of His Blood, His persistence.

Father Rolf who works in Russia reminded us that we were one church for a thousand years. Christ prayed for Unity in The Last Supper. All Christian churches are His, so the disunity that exists among us is an offense to Jesus. He asked us if we were ready to sacrifice for unity? We cannot be lukewarm. Lethargy is an act against God, so we need to desire and pray to be unified. As we go back to our lives, the Holy Spirit alone will keep our flame alive. Father Rolf spoke about his work in prisons and agreed that unity comes from loving all denominations. The Holy Spirit who loves us will Unite all human beings. Fr. Johann from South Africa stated that the TLIG pilgrimages are a privilege for him. He has developed friendships and feels part of the TLIG family. We are here to put out the fires that cause disunity. Let the Holy Spirit burn for Unity in our hearts.

Father Nicholas from New York reminded us that we were called to be here on this pilgrimage. "Don't you think God spoke to you, removing barriers for you to be here?" Father said that as we reflect, we discover that we are, however, simply His servants. We are not special. We need to reach up to Him, as He is reaching down to us. Our prayers create a synergy with God. In silence, in complete silence, we hear Him speak to our heart and soul.

We began that day's travel to the Church of the Beatitudes. This beautiful church surrounded by palm trees reminded us about the pervasiveness and stead-fastness of Christ's love as He reveals it to us through his words of guidance, the Beatitudes. After our moments of contemplation, everyone seemed to feel emotionally and spiritually lifted when we reached the sea of Galilee. The weather was quite hot and a few pilgrims were tempted to step into the clear, fresh water where Jesus fished with his disciples and where He later miraculously walked. Some even managed to swim!

Christ's miracles were on our minds: from Galilee we traversed towards the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves. We knelt down at the pews of the Multiplication of the Loaves church and had the chance to praise God in gratitude for the spiritual food He has given us on this grace-filled pilgrimage towards Unity.

At the church of the Primacy of Peter, Jesus's words to Peter could be in our thoughts, "you are the rock upon which I will build my church." This primacy of Peter is very significant in our day; we see this when reading and meditating upon Christ's Messages of True Life in God. The Church of the Primacy of Peter is unique, as it is rounded. Its windows are not stained glass and are situated largely as part of the church walls. We spent a short time there praying for Unity to come between our Christian Churches. Peter's house was an archeological site situated next to and under the Primacy of Peter Church. Here we saw a glimpse of life as it was lived in Christ's day. Peter and his wife and his mother in law lived there.



We ended the day with a Maronite Liturgy. The Maronites graciously hosted us at their large, bright, simple, yet awe-inspiring church. Fortunately, there was enough space for 750 pilgrims. We utilized an upstairs balcony that extended the length of one side of the church, and the pews were completely filled. The epistle reading was said in more than one language.


Sunday, September 1 (the Jordan River and Mount Tabor)

We began our last day by visiting the Jordan river, the river where Jesus was baptized. Our group of True Life in God pilgrims couldn't wait to place our feet in the Jordan River, so as to be re-baptized with Christ. The pilgrimage priests anointed us with the water from the Jordan River. From the Jordan River, we headed towards Mount Tabor. Mount Tabor is the hill upon which the disciples saw the Transfiguration of Christ. Peter, James and John were the three disciples who witnessed this event. As a part of Christ's Transfiguration, they saw Moses and Elijah on either side of Christ. It was with great exertion and reverence that some walked onto Mount Tabor.

Our last stop was at the Church of Nain. Here Jesus healed the widow's son out of compassion and love. It is this same love and compassion that Jesus asks us to have and to extend to all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Humanity as a whole will be healed if we live our lives by offering our compassion to others.

We celebrated Holy Mass (Melkite Mass) at the Church of the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes were written on each step leading up to the church. Jesus gave us the Beatitudes so that we could remember the blue-print of humility and love.

After dinner, we all gathered by the pool area for a farewell meeting that included a few presentations. Father Abberton led us in Prayer, a Prayer to the Two Sacred Hearts. He stressed that each of us going home should remember to do something each day for Unity. It was the last chance for people to sign the petition for the Unity of the Dates of Easter. Vassula invited people to come forward and share briefly their pilgrimage experience. We heard from Papua New Guinea group, then individual testimonies and The Society of Nazareth Dance Group danced for Peace and Unity.

The profound experiences during our pilgrimage to the Holy Land cannot be fully revealed through this report. One of the pilgrims stated in his testimony that as Jesus tells us in the True Life in God Messages, that He will give us new eyesight, we now can truly say that by having engaged in this pilgrim experience, we are now wearing new spectacles. Jesus wants us to be saved through His love for us. The pilgrimage provided us with an opportunity to again fall in love with Jesus and celebrate the True Life in God Messages as the most noble work of God in our times.

Magdalene and Jonathan Kosoy

 
Monday, 14-Oct-2024 17:52:08 GMT