Together

One of the great things about pilgrimages is that you make them together. There is something deeply human about journeying to a special place, an anointed spot, a meeting place of the everyday and the extraordinary. And to do so with others, especially those close to you, adds yet another profound dimension.

So here we are at the Church of the Annunciation at Nazareth. In the background is the cave believed to be part of the house of Our Lady, and the remains of the Byzantine basilica have been incorporated into the twentieth century church. Here a young woman made her decision, gave her consent - and the Word was made flesh, the Son became one of us. Here we are, as one, praying the prayer that Son taught us, at the place where he entered into an eternal oneness with the human race. Here Mary started her mothering, which he asked her to continue past his crucifixion and on into her mothering of us, his Church.

ps Thanks to Paul for the photo.