Class Day

 

After a weekend of visiting more Holy sites throughout our pilgrimage, we continued with our classes today.  In our Prophets class, we are learning about the book of Isaiah where the prophet says, “Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good.  Make justice your aim: redress the wrong, hear the orphan’s plea, and defend the widow.  Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord” (1:16-18). 

            This passage is a great Lenten theme as we continue our journey of faith through the great city of Jerusalem.  Lent is a time of ‘self-denial’ so that we can grow closer to God and rely on His grace in all aspects of our lives.  The Lord is teaching many of us about the virtue of “humility” as we visit so many moving sites during Lent.  Additionally, we are learning about the ‘Bread of Life Discourse’ in our Johannine literature class.  Humility and Thanksgiving are two important virtues that are inseparable.  It is in the Eucharistic celebration that we experience our Lord’s greatest acts of humility (i.e., the Paschal Mystery), as such, we express thanksgiving for the divine life that we receive from Jesus every day as we contemplate the mysteries of God in new and profound ways.   

            As a class we are blessed to be in the Holy Land, and there is so much to be thankful for (our professors, benefactors, classmates, families, our future parishioners, etc.).  I can’t think of a better way to prepare for diaconate ordination than to be in the Holy Land, walking in the footsteps of Salvation History where so many great biblical figures modeled humility, service, and thanksgiving – all because of their love for God.