Monday, December 19, 2011
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Dec. 4, 2011
Dear Friends,
On Sunday, December 4, 2011, we got up at 5:00 a.m., washed and had our breakfast, and then we brought our entire luggage to the bus and the driver piled them in the luggage department and at 7:00 a.m. we left for Mount Tabor, the mountain of the Transfiguration. This is a tall mountain and the bus driver drove us only a short distance up the mountain and then we had to take a van to reach the top. Once arrived I went immediately to the sacristy to prepare for Holy Mass. At 8:00 a.m. I started the celebration of Holy Mass at the main altar of this Basilica. I preached about the transfiguration of the Lord before three of His Apostles, Peter, James and John. After Mass we visited the beautiful Church. Then we left for the Jordan River to the place where many people are baptized. At this spot I blessed all the members of our group and they renewed their baptismal vows. From there we left for Jericho in the desert. As we entered Jericho we stopped at the Temptation Restaurant for lunch. Before entering the restaurant we stopped at the foot of the mountain where Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights without eating in the desert.
In Jericho we went to see the Sycamore tree which Zacchaeus climbed to be able to see Jesus who was passing by. Jesus had stopped at the tree and told Zacchaeus to come down and that He wanted to stay at his house that night. From there we went to Qumran, an abandoned Jewish Community in the mountains where people found the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. From this place we traveled to the Dead Sea where a good number of our group when to swim in the Dead Sea. At 4:30 p.m. we left for Jerusalem to our hotel where we slept for two nights. When we arrived at the hotel we went directly to the dining room for a good supper and soon after we went to our rooms for the night.
Message of Our Lord and Savior on December 4, 2011
“Melvin My brother, I bless you and all My sons and daughters who will read this message. The pilgrims are continuing their pilgrimage through the Holy Land and you are following in My footsteps by visiting many of the places where major events of My life took place. The most important place you visited today, Sunday, is Mount Tabor where My Transfiguration took place. It is there that I appeared in glory to three of My disciples showing them that I am the Messiah (Savior) that they were waiting for over many centuries. Two important personages appeared there on the mountain with Me. They are the Prophet Elijah and the great leader of the Jews, Moses. These two represented the Old Testament, which pointed always to the future to the Savior who was to come into the world. Both were pleased to have seen Me as the Messiah.
Indeed I am the Savior of the world and to accomplish My task I willingly offered Myself to My Heavenly Father in sacrifice for the salvation of all the people of the world. This was the price I had to pay to atone for your sins. I willingly went through My Passion and Death so that your sins may be taken away and heaven could be opened to you.
Come, My brothers and sisters, close to Me and accept Me as the Lord who loves you. Open your heart to accept all the gifts and graces I have for you. I wish to fill you with My love, My peace and My joy. Become part of My family, which is the Church I founded and you will never regret it. I wish to live in your hearts all of you. I bless you.”
Father Melvin