Our Father...

Today, our group went to St. Catherine parish to celebrate Mass with the local people who belong to that parish. For the first time, many of us had a chance to hear Mass being said in Arabic, and even though I don’t speak Arabic, the way the people sang the Lord’s prayer touched my heart. As soon as the Choir started singing, I couldn’t stop thinking about the words that were being said.

Mass at St. Catherine

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” 

As we invoke God as our Father, we also profess that those around us are our brothers and sisters. Therefore, it was a beautiful experience for all of us to gather and pray together as He taught us. Thus, today we gave thanks to our Father for having revealed his name to us, for the gift of believing in it, and for the indwelling of his Presence in us.  

After Mass, the day was free and everyone could use that time on his own. Some of us went hiking on the nearby mountains. Others played soccer with a group of seminarians who also study here in the Holy Land to become future priests. 

In short, it was a beautiful day!