REFLECTIONS OF A PILGRIM

Reflections of a Pilgrim

Joe Yamamoto

As  CFC celebrates its 30th (Pearl) anniversary, the community embarks on  a new period that steers the whole community towards its Golden stage. At this period of our community history, the focus on the mission has become clearer and more intense while anchored on a community life of deep prayer and scriptural grounding.  We are actively promoting contemplative prayer (taught by Sister Mary Niere) hand in hand with the Great Adventure Bible study course (of Jeff Cavins) for the spiritual deepening of the CFC members.

On this our Pearl Anniversary, we have also organized a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  The November pilgrimage will be not just a regular pilgrimage but one that will reflect the spirit of community life.  The Pilgrimage will allow an inspirational and collective experience that will enable the pilgrims to better appreciate the love story that God offered to His people.

When the community decided to organize this pilgrimage, I eagerly accepted the task of being Council overseer for the event.  I wanted to have the chance to promote the blessings of a pilgrimage, particularly one whose schedule and itinerary is focused on the kind of deep reflection and prayer that our community aspires for.  I wanted many of our brethren to experience that wonder and awe that Mila and I experienced last November 2010, when we went on our first ever pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

When we came home from that pilgrimage, we resolved to share the wonderful and moving experience with the community starting with the Council brethren. By passionately sharing the intense feelings, thoughts and realizations brought by our own pilgrimage, we were able to excite our co-leaders in CFC to espouse the Pearl anniversary Holy Land pilgrimage. 

Just like in many personal spiritual experiences and journeys, each one of us forms reflections and insights as to how we had been moved or touched. In our community especially, we advocate journal writing so that the insights are not lost and we are able to share them accurately in our households and assemblies.

The beauty of our Holy Land experience moved me to journal writing.  I share these experiences with you now, by way of a series of reflections.  My own set of experiences will follow the schedules generally followed by pilgrimage organizers. As best as possible, the biblical and historical backgrounds are provided  so as to give the would-be traveller a sense of familiarity and comforting feel even if he has yet to set foot in the Holy Land.

A Pilgrim’s Yearning

At the root of the journey is the yearning to be in the very land where the Old Testament patriarchs, the prophets, the kings and the judges lived and experienced God. Consider as well the awe and wonder of finally being able to connect to Jesus, the apostles and the early Christian disciples not only in prayers and scriptures but also physically by being in the very places where they lived and walked, worked and preached. It is an incomparable feeling to actually set foot in the very places where our Lord proclaimed the Good News, taught in the synagogues and performed His many miracles (Matt. 4:23). While different people will have their own appreciation of the pilgrimage, the majority will be touched by experiences that are sure to be intense, profound, intimate and even life changing. 

Today, whenever I read the Bible in my daily prayer time, I experience so much joy and gratitude because the Lord has touched me in a manner that is profound and intense during the pilgrimage.

The Pilgrimage Route

The pilgrimage generally starts in Jordan.  This is also where the CFC pilgrims will converge from the many countries where they are currently residing. The present day kingdom of Jordan was known in biblical times as the land of the Canaanites, Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites. These people belonged to tribes who were consistently characterized as being inimical to the ancient Israelites. Jordan likewise was a cradle of early civilization, endowed with notable archaelogical sites attesting to its ancient importance.

Undoubtedly, one of the most recognized, and accepted as one of the greatest if not the greatest of the  spiritual giants of the Old Testament, was Moses. After serving the Lord through a long and fulfilled life, Moses stood on the slopes of Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 32 and 34) in the present day kingdom of Jordan, beholding the beauty and promised bounty of Canaan as the Promised Land.  Knowing he was not to be allowed to enter it, he longingly scanned the mountains and valleys of the Promised Land with eyes grown old with age and with the responsibility of leading His people for 40 years in the desert.  The land had been foretold and promised to the Israelites since time immemorial as proof of God’s covenant with His people, but Moses was not to partake of the promise.

The role played by Moses was unique because he was especially picked by the Lord to liberate his people from 400 years of slavery and bondage in Egypt under extremely difficult circumstances. As the chosen prophet, he received the two tablets of the law and was conferred the extraordinary privilege of speaking directly to God regularly during their desert sojourn.

All throughout the desert wanderings, Moses was the go-between with God and the Israelites. Given that his achievements were phenomenal and extraordinary among men then and since, the Lord was able to fully use him according to the divine plan because Moses was the paragon of humility and obedience. And yet his one instance of display of temper and annoyance with the Lord cost him big-he was forbidden from entering the Promised Land and to lead the people of God in what would have been a monumental feat.

As I stood on the slopes of Mt. Nebo one sun-drenched afternoon, looking west and north towards Israel, somehow I felt a certain sense of sadness.  This was perhaps much like what Moses might have experienced at being unable to complete the work he started. But precisely because he was humble and submitted to the Lord, he was very likely comforted by divine grace at having done what no one has ever achieved- liberating a great multitude of Israelites from the clutches of an oppressive Pharaoh and being able to stand before the presence of God in a face to face conversation, regularly. In the name of the Chosen People, he received the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. To this day, the laws handed to him continue to define the Jewish and Christain morality and spirituality.

Mila and I standing on the observation deck on Mt. Nebo. In the background is Israel, towards the east of Nebo

Right then, I recalled the line of the song that goes..." only by grace can you enter.”  This rings true for the entry of the people of Israel into Canaan.  This is also true of our own entry into the heavenly Kingdom.

The Jews have experienced countless wars, in both ancient and modern times.The long history of continuing violence in the Holy Land is a paradox. That fact was not lost on me as I stood on the slopes of Mt. Nebo while peering into Israel. As the late afternoon sun cast a shadow upon the distant Judean hills, I could not help but wonder and marvel at the sight of the land that the prophets of old longed to see.

Today a tourist can travel in and out of the many sites in the Holy Land with so much ease and convenience. But if one thinks he need have only the attitude of a tourist, he would be sadly mistaken and the benefits of the journey would be wasted on him.  A strong spiritual grounding is a requisite to making the most of that journey.

In our community, we read scripture mainly and initially out of obedience to a covenant. It took a lot of prayers for us to develop the sense of seeing with the eyes of faith. But now that I have a strong physical connection to the land of our faith, reading and studying the Word of God means relishing the journey with the satisfaction and the happiness of a child enjoying every moment of stay in his spiritual home. Scripture has become alive and movingly personal to me.

Getting to know more about Mt. Nebo and Jordan

Moses died in Mt. Nebo, located in the Moab region of Jordan. Eventually, Joshua as successor to Moses, led the Isarelites in crossing the Jordan river into the Promised Land. Under Joshua, the Israelites did not experience long lasting peace either as they were almost constantly in battle with the hostile tribes living then in Canaan, most notably the battle of Jericho. Another notable battle was the one fought by Joshua in Rabbath Ammon, the site of present day Amman.

Centuries later, David defeated the Ammonites and allowed his army to kill the entire population. Even later, Herod the Great left his mark in Jordan at Machaerus, one of the fortresses he built, where John the Baptist was later beheaded on orders of Herod Antipas.

During the New Testament period, another place in Jordan was mentioned prominently- Gadara, a largely heathen city. It was in Gadara that Jesus encountered the man possessed by evil spirits (Legion) and caused the spirits to be driven out and enter the herd of swine (2,000 in number) that eventually drowned after falling from the cliff (Mark 5:9, Matt.8:28-34) into the Sea of Galilee.

Exciting Facts about Mt. Nebo

Mila and Joe at the marker for Mount Nebo as a site for Christian pilgrims

Located at 817 meters above sea level in what is now western Jordan, Mt. Nebo commands a breathtaking view and on a clear day, the Judean hills, the Dead Sea , the west bank city of Jericho, and Jerusalem are visible. In a more limited view, the valley of the River Jordan can be seen to its north.

View of the Judean hills, looking to the northeast of Mt. Nebo

On March 20, 2000, Pope John Paul II visited the site during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Mount Nebo being one of the most important Christian sites in Jordan). During his visit he planted an olive tree beside the Byzantine chapel as a symbol of peace.

Comemorarive marker of the visit of John Paul II in 2000

Pope Benedict XVI visited the site on May 9, 2009, gave a speech, and looked out from the top of the mountain in the direction of Jerusalem.

The serpentine cross sculpture (the Brazen Serpent Monument) atop Mount Nebo was created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14).

The Comemorative sculpture representing the Bronze Saraph serpent made by Moses

The pilgrimage kicks off on November 20 and ends on December 2.  Mila and I will be there, eager once again to experience the wonderful blessings, not just of being where the Lord lived and walked, but also of being one with community in prayer, reflection and fellowship.  It promises to be a great trip.  It is our fervent hope that you too can share in this awesome experience.