Hello from the top of Mount Tabor!
The last few days have been such a gift. They’ve been filled with lots of walking, shawarma, prayer, and fraternity. We spent a day in prayer at the Basilica of the Annunciation, which was great. The walls of the cloister outside the basilica have beautiful mosaics of Our Lady, and the lower basilica has the cave where the Word Became Flesh.
In praying before the place of Mary’s fiat, it struck me how Christ’s sacramental presence in the Eucharist is so much like His time in the womb of Our Lady and His infancy. During Mary’s pregnancy, He awaits in silence as in the Eucharist, He awaits eagerly for my visit. He is hidden in the tabernacle as He is hidden in the womb of Mary, but no less present even though I can’t see Him. As a baby, He depends on His mother for everything, just as He depends on us in the Eucharist to move, even just from the tabernacle to the altar. I’m in awe of how humble God is and how vulnerable He becomes all out of love for me, my brothers, and each person ever created. It was also a great opportunity to pray for young couples and families at the place of Mary’s fiat and in St. Joseph’s Church, below which was the house of the Holy Family, where Christ lived for his first 30 years.
After prayer at the Basilica and Church of St. Joseph, we’ve had the opportunity each night in Nazareth to break bread, pray evening prayer, and share graces as a group. It has been beautiful to hear how God speaks to each of us uniquely.
Now we’re atop of Mount Tabor, where Christ was transfigured before Peter, James, and John. Tonight, we head to Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee. Thank you so much for praying for us and please know we’re praying for you and are grateful for you!
—John McFadden