Post on 28-Jun-2020
In the Footsteps of Christ: Holy Land Pilgrimage November 2019
By Benjamin Takavarasha
A pilgrimage to the Holy Land, is, as anyone who has been would tell you, an illuming and
many ways an indescribable event to someone who hasn’t been, leaving as it does an
indelible mark on pilgrims, whether as first time or repeat pilgrims, and the afterglow can
stay with one long after the pilgrim returns deriving from a deeper and experiential
knowledge of God. As a case in point on the latter, the late Fr Ignatius Zvarevashe SJ was
moved to write a book on his Holy Land experience after just one visit, his book in Shona
published in 2012 entitled: Zvandakaona kunyika Tsvene (Dudziro yakadzika yeBhaibheri)
[What I witnessed in the Holy Land – a deep unpacking of the Gospel narrative]
I was part of this pilgrimage having travelled with the main group from London to join with
the pilgrims travelling from Zimbabwe and one from South Africa. For me this was my
second and consecutive Holy Land pilgrimage and with the same Pilgrimage Tour group,
Image Travel.
But this was a Holy Land pilgrimage with a difference, not just by comparison with the
parallel pilgrimage the previous year or by many other Zimbabwean pilgrimages I had heard
of or reported on over the years: Firstly it was the size, 96 pilgrims, 25 flying from
Zimbabwe, 1 from South Africa, 70 travelling from the UK including 2 who had joined them
from Australia. Such was the size of the group that it necessitated the use of two coaches and
two guides to travel from our hotel to holy sites, potentially a logistical conundrum that I
personally had feared for prior to the pilgrimage. But thankfully, and credit to the organises,
it all went relatively well.
Secondly, the pilgrimage was led by two bishops, undoubtedly for the first time for a
Zimbabwean pilgrimage, Bishop Rudolf Nyandoro of Gokwe and Bishop Raymond
Mupandasekwa CSsR of Chinhoyi, incidentally ordained as bishops within a year of each
other, and light-heartedly dubbed ‘baby bishops’, the latter of course only relative to the
current and previous bishops in Zimbabwean Catholic history (my previous bishop in my
former diocese of Brentwood in England, now Bishop Emeritus Thomas McMahon, was
ordained as bishop at 36). The two bishops took turns to lead us at Masses where they were
supported by two priests, Fr James Allen of Chinhoyi and Fr Casper S Mukabva CSsR, who
is based in London. There were four religious sisters: Sr Wadzanayi Makonese, Sr Generosa
Foroma, both of Masvingo, Sr Esther Chinyani of Chinhoyi and Sr Martin Chikosha of the
archdiocese of Harare.
The two bishops 90-year old Jaison Gavure by the Sea of Galilee
Most Zimbabwean Holy Land pilgrimages tend to be one denomination which is quite
understandable. On the contrary, while this pilgrimage was predominantly Catholic, it was
somewhat ecumenical in having a few from other denominations, and of those I knew before
or managed to establish by chance, there were at least four other denominations, namely RCZ
(formerly Dutch Reformed), Methodist, Anglican and AFM, who between them from my
observations never appeared out of place, participation in evening reflections back at the
hotels, and outside Mass, singing their hymns and joined by the whole group either during the
coach drive or at the holy sites. And perhaps more significantly, some of them gave
testimonies to their congregations back home on their Holy Land experience, undoubtedly on
top of private testimonies to their acquaintances.
Last but not least, the pilgrimage was particularly unique in the age range of the pilgrims,
ranging from early 20s (judging by looks) and 90 as I know for certain, Mr Jaison Gavure
above in his RCZ regalia. On the latter, against the known challenges of walking in the Holy
Land, the 90-year old walked with no aid, and in fact occasionally walked faster than most of
us even along the slopes and highs around Jerusalem and the hill country of Judea, a
revelation and a major talking point throughout the pilgrimage, As we relived the miracles of
the Gospel narrative, we truly had at least the one in our very midst!
Because of the numbers, the pilgrims were split between two coaches, each with a guide, and
for spiritual guidance, each with a bishop and one of the priests. But invariably like all other
Holy Land pilgrimages, the itinerary can never be tailored to chronological follow the gospel
story as this depended on the timing of the availability of shrine slots in view of simultaneous
pilgrimages.
That said, we fortuitously started from where it all began: the place of Jesus birth not far from
our hotel. The excitement of especially first-time pilgrims was understandable, looking
forward to the salvific cradle heralded by the prophet Isaiah, the focus of Christmas carols
and beamed across the world from the Church of the Nativity, the very holy site we were
about to set foot. Indeed, it was a visit to Bethlehem that inspired Saint Francis of
Assisi to create the first Christmas crib in the year 1223, now such an integral part of
Christmas whereby the crib has become the 'replica Bethlehem' in Catholic churches and in
many homes during Christmastide. One RCZ first time pilgrim could not resist telling and
humming to me their flagship Christmas hymn, their hymn number 26, which goes in part:
‘Ngati’ndeivo kudanga/ Rushiye rurimo’ (Let us go to the cradle to behold the holy child). To
actually see the fulfilment of that hymn, was, he confessed, too good to be true.
Nativity Square
But come to the Nativity Square, we did not go straight to the spot of Jesus birth and manger,
but to the nearby Milk Grotto. This grotto is considered holy because, according to tradition,
this is the exact place where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus took refuge during the
slaughter of the infants by King Herod to assuage his fears (Matthew 2:13-18). The Holy
Family stayed here before their escape to Egypt. Tradition has it that while Mary was nursing
Jesus here, a drop of milk fell to the ground, turning it white. For ages, childless woman of
many religions have visited the Milk Grotto in order to ask for the gift of offspring. In
general, pilgrims usually take with them a piece of the Grotto’s white rock that is believed to
have magical powers, as indeed did some of our pilgrims. Incidentally this is one among
other stories about Our Lord not mentioned in the Bible, hence the Bible itself says:
“There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described
individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be
written”.(Jn 21: 25)
There was a long queue to visit the spot of Jesus birth and the manger, something like two
hours, but spirits still high from the expectation of the golden opportunity. And come the
moment, it was a ‘conveyor belt syndrome’ as there was only a very limited time to touch the
spot of our Saviour birth followed by the nearby spot of the manger, but surely no complaints
but only gratitude for the gracious opportunity.
So overwhelming was the experience in spite of its brevity that one first time pilgrim who
had joined from Zimbabwe said that even if they were to return without seeing any other holy
site, it would still be worth it. But of course, there was much more in the pipeline.
The Shepherds Field
Notwithstanding its proximity to both our hotel and the Nativity Square, visit to the
Shepherds field did not immediately follow the visit to the Nativity Square from logical
imperative, as the itinerary was driven by other factors. But it is only logical to slot it in this
article immediately after the nativity Square:
Apart from the nativity Square, the Shepherds Field is undoubtedly the next nearest focus of
the nativity of our Lord, as borne out by the fact that it is the focus of most of the traditional
carols by way of a verse or two, with at least one carol focussing entirely on the episode of
the shepherds’ encounter, namely: ‘While the Shepherds watched their flocks by Night’.
Shepherds Field Shrine Gloria in Excelsis Deo Chapel
Aside from the carols, the prayer/song of the angels has become an integral part of the
Catholic liturgy at Sunday Masses whereby the song of the angels is repeated at the
beginning of Mass in the Gloria: ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo et in terra . . .’, and in Shona and
Ndebele Masses (Mwari Ndaarumbidzwe/Udumo) while not in literal translations echo the
same in singing of God’s glory.
The biggest Protestant group on our pilgrimage, of RCZ, on their part boasted of one of their
hymns (hymn 25 in their hymnbook) as beautifully encapsulating the scene between the angel
and the shepherds: ’Tererea-I manzwi awa/anoimba ikweyo/Ko haazi avatumwa/Vanogara
ikweyo?’ (listen to the celestial voices, are they not of the angels that abide yonder there in
the beatific vision).
Holy Sites Not Covered
Having covered the nativity and Shepherds Field, and just a few other sites below, it still
leaves many others uncovered and by no means insignificant, among others: the site of Our
Lord’s baptism on the river Jordan, the birth place of St John the Baptist, the Pater Noster
Square in Jerusalem where the Lord’s Prayer was taught to the disciples, and significantly
with a plaque of the prayer in Shona, the Upper Room, the scene the Last Supper and the first
Pentecost, Church of the Annunciation, the Dead Sea . . . the Transfiguration. The of choice
of the remaining sites that were covered was largely subjective, although the immediately
following goes without saying:
Gethsemane and Calvary
Gethsemane is undoubtedly replete with memorabilia of the Lord’s Passion, and for space
constraints it would not be feasible to be exhaustive. I will however mention one which
particularly stood out for me, partly because I had never heard of it until I came to the Holy
Land. This is the pit below the Church of Galicanto commemorating Peter’s three-fold denial
(Mt.26:72 -74). This is the pit where Our Lord was placed to spend the rest of the night on
the eve of his trial and passion, a heart wrenching thought. Surprisingly enough it is not
mentioned in anyone of the four gospels, but then St John reminds us that not everything
about Our Lord is written (Jn 21:25).
Although this may not be recorded in the gospels, Christians have inferred that this is a
fulfilment of the words of the Psalmist without necessarily saying that Our Lord actually
vocalised the litany:
'My soul is surfaced with troubles... You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit... Upon
me your wreath is heavy... I am imprisoned and cannot escape... O Lord, I call upon you' (Ps.
88).
We then traced our Lord’s footsteps to Calvary, the Via Dolorosa, when groups of four by
whatever formation, took turns to carry the cross, staring with the clergy as below.
Those who have gone to other pilgrimage sites like Lourdes and Fatima, or some retreat
centres with ways of the cross where the devotion is a solemn occasion, would know them as
very solemn moments with no other activity apart from the stations, the experience of the Via
Dolorosa, the ‘real McCoy’(to borrow street language) would have come as a rude shock
because the route between stations is through busy and crowded streets, noisy and all. Indeed,
one of our pilgrims was moved to write a lamentation on this scenario in verse.
Undoubtedly the most poignant moments of
the pilgrimage were retracing the proximate
trail of Our Lord’s Passion, and space
allows me a only bird’s eye view. We had
Mass in the ‘Rock of Agony’. This was
followed by solemn moments of prayer as
people took turns to pray at the very spot (as
in the picture) Jesus made that heart
wrenching outcry: ‘My soul is sorrowful to
the point of death’ (Mt. 26:38). But for
having to take turns with other pilgrimage
groups, people would have liked to have
stayed to pray a lot longer
First go: the turn of the clergy A family unit: the man with a hat is 90
Finally, at Calvary, we entered the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. Like our experience in
Manger Square for the spot of Jesus birth, there was a long wait to see and touch the spot of
his burial. Because of the renovation, Golgotha came after, again with long queues, and once
there, a very brief moment allowed for each pilgrim at the spot of the crucifixion. Although
marked by an imitation cross, each pilgrim could place their hand in the hole where the actual
cross was placed, undoubtedly an experience to savour as one lives.
At Calvary, it was heartening to see about five Zimbabwean religious based in Israel and
attached to their respective orders. They all later visited us at our hotel in Bethlehem.
Scenes from the Old Testament
By King David’s Tomb By the Dome of the Rock
While the focus of this article maybe retracing the footsteps of Christ as the title goes, a brief
sortie into the Old Testament is not amiss, partly because the Old and New Testament are
hardly inseparable, and partly and largely because the two sites I will feature are much more
directly relevant to the gospel narrative:
King David’s Tomb: There was heavy traffic of mainly Jewish pilgrims in and out and for
reasons that go without saying for either faith group. For Christians of course we know that
Christ was of David’s lineage in line with God’s promise to him, and indeed as the seers had
foretold, born in Bethlehem, the city of David – in ‘Royal David City’ as the famous
Christmas carol goes. King David’s direct link aside, his deathbed message to his son
Solomon speaks to all Abrahamic faiths:
“I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn” ~ 1 Kings 2: 1 - 3
Dome of the Rock/Mount Moriah: This is undoubtedly the iconic site of Jerusalem. This is a
profoundly sacred area to Christians, Jews and Moslems, and the volume of pilgrims and
discernible diversity attests to that fact. It’s Christian focus, along with Islam and Judaism,
derives from Genesis 22, whereby Abraham was to have sacrificed his son Isaac in obedience
to God, which prefigured God’s gift of his only begotten son (Jn 3:16) for our salvation. The
story is beautifully encapsulated in our interdenominational hymn in Shona:
‘Mwari wakatuma Abrahama, kuinda kugomo reMoriya. Vakatora mazuva matatu, gomo
ndokutanga kuvonekwa … ‘.
Those based in England, in particular from Liverpool, might have seen the beautiful mural to
this episode in the side walkways of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.
On the Sea of Galilee
Some scenes on the boat
Some of the more vibrant and memorable moments for us was the boat ride on the Sea of
Galilee. The Sea of Galilee carries some of the most salient scenes of the gospel narrative:
It was on the Sea of Galilee that Jesus called four of his disciples (Mk 1:14-20), the pair of
brothers Peter and Andrew and the sons of Zebedee James and John. Three of these disciples
Peter, James and John were to occupy a special place among the twelve, constituting what we
could call the high command in military parlance, summoned by Jesus to more special
occasions: they alone were privileged to be present at the Transfiguration, the raising of the
daughter of Jairus and the agony in Gethsemane (in Shona: pokamwa mbga!). Among others,
it was the scene of one of Jesus greatest miracles: the calming of the storm by his mere word
(Mk 4: 35 – 41) … ; it was the scene where Jesus appeared for the third time to his disciples
after his resurrection (Jn 21: 1 – 14). . . As such the boat ride was very special as it was
retracing salient episodes of the gospel.
With the Zimbabwean flag hemmed on the deck, the short round trip kickstarted with the
recorded national anthem and obviously with the pilgrims joining in. Then there followed
several pieces of music both Church and secular accompanied by drums (with Sr Esther
Chinyani, on the right picture on previous page, as the drummist par excellence - whistle and
all!) and the occasional ululation, and inevitably, dancing; on the whole a raucously joyous
occasion. But yes, still intrinsically a pilgrimage, if invoking the words of St Teresa of Avilla
when she famously quipped: ‘A sad saint is a bad saint.”
Cana in Galilee
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To some, Cana is more or less all about this! By one of the two remaining stone jars: Jn 2:6
In John chaper 2 is the story of Jesus at the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee with his mother
and his disciples where he changed water into wine at the behest of his mother, and held as
Jesus’ first miracle. Two of the six stone jars used have remained to this day, one of which is
shown above.
It is an episode of such significance that we celebrate it as the second luminous mystery of
the Holy Rosary. St John Paul II perceived as an event of great theological significance and
reflects on it comprehensively when he says in part:
‘Cana clearly outlines the new dimension, the new meaning of Mary’s motherhood…. It is a
new kind of motherhood according to the spirit and not just according to the flesh, that is to
say, Mary’s solitude for human beings, her coming to them in the wide variety of their wants
and needs. At Cana in Galilee there is shown only one concrete aspect of human need,
apparently a small one of little importance (“They have no wine”). But it has a
symbolic value: this coming to the aid of human needs means, at the same time, bringing
those needs within the radius of Christ’s messianic mission and salvific power. ….The
episode at Cana in Galilee offers us sort of first announcement of Mary’s mediation, wholly
oriented towards Christ and tending to the revelation of his salvific power.’
Theology aside, the episode at Cana, perhaps more than any other biblical passage, is cited by
those accused on whether partaking of ‘the waters of life’ is compatible with Christian living!
We celebrated Mass at the Franciscan Wedding Church which incorporated the blessing of
couples after renewing their wedding vows. Bishop Mupandasekwa gave a moving homily:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19mrFdDiVY5Ho_dZ74TgeeUnanX_z1TRn/view?usp=sharing
After Mass there was a shopping spree, inevitably mostly for Cana wine to take home.
Mount of the Beatitudes
By one of the beatitudes Commemoration of the vist by Pope Paul VI
The Mount of the Beatitudes is the tradtional location of the sermon on the Mount (Mathew
5:3-11), one of the gospel’s most significant addresses, or with poetic licence (at the risk of
presumption!), the core message of the gospel, the rest is commentary. There are eight
beatitudes and each one of them is featured on the stone engraving in the garden like the one
above.
The choice of the location was logistical in an age before microphones as our guide Louis
Michel explained, whereby the gradual incline formed an ideal amphitheatre to better reach
all his hearers. The mount is conveniently located in close proximity to the Church of the
Multiplication where Jesus is believed to have performed the miracle of the multiplication of
the fish and bread to feed the 5,000 reported in all four gospels.
It goes without saying that the Mount of the Beatitudes is one of the most popular Christian
pilgrimage site. Pope Paul VI visited the site in January 1964 in a first ever visit to the Holy
Land by a reighning pontif, and a commemmorative plaque in the garden as above celebrates
the historic visit, while his cloak still hangs in the church. And in March 2000 Pope John Paul
II held Mass on the site.
The Church of the Beatitudes
The church of the Beatitudes, a Roman Catholic Franciscan church, has an octagonal shape
representing the eight beatitudes, an asthetic and awesome sight, in particular the inner dome.
Site and Statue of St Peter’s Commissioning
By the statue od St Peter’s Commissioning
This statue is a scene of popular photocalls of which the above are just two among others , no
doubt because it commemmorates a significant event, especially for Catholics as it marked
the inauguration of the Petrine office. As Pope Leo XIIIcommented in Satis Cognitum:
“Nothing was conferred to the apostles from Peter, but several things were conferred upon
Peter apart from the apostles”. Nearer home, we have at least one Shona hymn
commemorating the event:’Mambo Jesu Musoro WeKirike’ by A Gumbo of Gokwe
Diocese, which was sung at the day’s Mass in line with the gospel reading.
Mass, which was our penultimate Mass on the eve of our departure, was held in the
Courtyard of the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, where after His resurrection, Jesus met
with His disciples and told Peter to “feed my lambs; feed my sheep” (Jn. 21:15-25), the latter
being our gospel reading. The Mass was unique in two ways: it was our only open air during
our pilgrimage reminiscent of some of our Masses back home, as we sat in a built-up
stepwise amphitheatre. Secondly, and for me more significantly, it was the first time I had
heard a shared homily: Bishop Mupandasekwe started the homily and then it some
deliberately sticky point, invited his fellow Bishop, Bishop Nyandoro, to respond, who would
after unpacking the point, in turn, did the same, and the seesaw ‘theological gymnastics’
continued, and I am sure would have continued a while longer but for the time constraint as
the site was to close soon. The question it left was whether we had seen a brand-new chapter
in homiletics for concelebrated Masses.
Concluding Remarks
Paul Claudel, prominent French Poet, famously
quipped: “Joy is the most infallible sign of the
presence of God.” (emphasis added). On the latter
I can confidently say joy underscored the
pilgrimage group, transcending age, gender or
denominational affiliation, not just the palpable
scenes of joy on the boat on the Sea of Galilee as
described above, but throughout the pilgrimage as
borne out by the joyful interactions, whether on
the coach, mingling at the holy sites, in shops, at
dinner or in lounge back at the hotel; and if
according to the old adage, a picture is worth more
than a thousand words as the one beside , and by
no means the only scene, depicting tender and
loving care to the elderly and less able as need
arose, and what a joy to behold. As such, invoking
the poet’s adage, the abiding presence of God was
indeed truly manifest throughout this pilgrimage