will you join me in Nazareth?

Church of St. Joseph

Nazareth, Israel

On my first visit to Mary’s hometown of Nazareth and to the Church of the Annunciation, built on the traditional site of Mary’s first encounter with the archangel Gabriel, I parted from my tour group to look for a Mass.

It should not be difficult, I reasoned, in this amalgamation of churches and chapels, to find a place where Mass is being celebrated. I confidently strolled down Pilgrims’ Way, and in no time I was able to join a community of believers gathered in the main sanctuary of the Church of St. Joseph, next to the Church of the Annunciation.

St. Joseph's Church

Nazareth

As I “listened”––in Italian!––to the long homily that cool spring day, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the awareness that here, two thousand years before, in this unimportant village in Lower Galilee, an unimportant young woman had allowed God to be born within her. It was here that Mary said that first incredible, wondrous, and world-changing yes, not knowing exactly what her yes meant or where it would take her, but fully trusting in a God whose presence was obviously central in her life.

This became a vivid and concrete reality for me, and in what St. Anthony of the Desert describes as “real prayer”––one that we do not understand––I heard the words “be born in me” leap out from my own heart as tears surprised my eyes.

There are no words to aptly describe that type of spiritual experience. I simply and clearly recognized the Word’s presence within me. I felt, in a spiritual sense, pregnant with God’s reality. And like the young teenager Mary of Nazareth, I too said yes to God in my life that day in a unique and real way.

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This November I will return to Nazareth, 

and I would like to invite you to join me!

There is nothing comparable to standing where Mother Mary stood, or walking the paths and towns where Jesus walked. The Gospels will come to life for you in unimaginable and surprising ways.

That’s why from November 4 to November 16, Fr. Bruce Nieli and I will be leading a pilgrimage following Mary’s life from Israel to Ephesus, Turkey—and I hope you will prayerfully consider joining me. 

Here's a full brochure of our pilgrimage: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MOTHER MARY

The Annunciation, a reflection

The Annunciation by Dorothy Webster Hawksley

The Annunciation by Bartolome Esteban Murillo

In the sixth month,

the angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin's name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."

The Annunciation by John Collier

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

"Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

The Annunciation by John William Waterhouse

Annunciation Icon

But Mary said to the angel,

"How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply,

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God."

The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word."

Then the angel departed from her.

[Luke 1:26-38]

The Annunciation by Fra Angelico

The Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci