“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain He will destroy the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations; He will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face; the reproach of His people He will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said: "Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that He has saved us!" For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.” (Isaiah 25).

I’m still here! Due to the unfortunate circumstances of war in Israel, our trip was cancelled. We are very blessed that each person who was going to go on our trip is safe and sound. Please pray for all those in the Holy Land. Ask your guardian angel to bless and protect them. In this month of October, pray the Rosary for peace in all war-torn nations. Pray the Our Father that His kingdom can come and conquer all sin and division.

But I thought, with the remaining space I have, I would mention another favorite place to pray and visit in the Holy Land: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church was built over top of Calvary and the tomb where Jesus rose from the dead. You can literally approach an altar built above the place of Calvary, shown in this photo. Under the altar is a hole where you can put your hand where the cross of Jesus was raised. Underneath that floor is a cross section, where the ground literally was split in half due to the earthquake that happened during His death. It is a powerful place to visit.

One of my favorite memories when I went there was celebrating Mass on the place where Jesus was buried and rose from the dead. We all literally crammed into that place and celebrated Mass at 6:00am. While we were at the real place where Jesus died and rose, it is good to remember that at every celebration of the Eucharist, we arrive at that place of death and resurrection. It is awesome! It is powerful! That is why the Church is calling for revival! To remember the power of the Eucharist—at every Eucharist, God provides for us, destroys sin and wipes away the tears of our hearts so that we can rejoice and be glad that He has saved us and made us new!

Happy and blessed to be home with you,
Fr. Jeremy