Nordic Freeze: Simbang Gabi in Oslo

 “Sing joyfully...the Lord, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear...Fear not...be not discouraged.” - Zephaniah 3:24-16

In 2018, I prayed God would grant my wish to go on this Nordic trip. My younger son had left to work in Norway middle of that year. I wanted our small solo parent family (my two sons and I) to still be together for the Christmas holiday.

“Be specific with your prayers”, we would always be reminded in teachings. So specific me had been badgering God at my daily mass routine with the tiniest details about all my travel concerns. I wanted a stress-free perfectly perfect holiday. But it got to the point I became anxious about nothing going wrong that I developed fears for myself and my family. It became so bad that every time one of us would go out, I had insane fears of bad things happening. My chest would constrict from the anxiety.

Then a few days before our departure, my Caring Group sister, Beng, posted a reflection in our chat group. A line from it struck me: “Lord, Your Word says You desire to prosper us and not to harm us.” It was then I realized that the fear gripping me was an oppression from the evil one. Suddenly, the anxieties just vanished. And even if there were last minute stress-inducing hitches, here we were, together as a family, listening to “Simbang gabi simula ng pasko, sa puso ng lahing Pilipino...” in a church with a snow-covered courtyard. It was indeed a reason to sing, for God was, is and always will be in our midst.

St. Olav Katolske Domkirke 

Let me backtrack a bit to how our Nordic trip began.

When I travel to other countries, it takes time to register that I’m stepping out of the airport to a foreign land. As we drive to wherever we’re staying, I have to spot the difference between the Philippines and the country I’m visiting. Only when I see the dissimilarity do I feel that I’m really in a different place. I’ve been to other Asian countries, to North America and Australia but despite being in different continents, that experience never changed. Obviously, the seasons had something to do with it. I’ve only traveled during spring, summer and fall (yes, it still took time and travelling quite a bit to see leaves turning yellow in the US and Australia).

But as we landed at the Oslo Lufthavn, it already hit me that I was in alien territory. Whizzing past the plane window were grounds covered with snow and trees glistening white – a scene I will definitely not see in the Philippines. At already past 10 in the morning, the sun was just beginning to dance around in its light-yellow gown.

First glimpse of snow from the train window

Another I’m-in-a-different-continent experience was the early dusk (just after lunch) that descended upon us as we walked to the Oslo Central Station to buy transport passes and sim cards.

Oslo Subway Station

In the early evening, after dashing through the snow (well, walking briskly through snow flurries would better describe it), we got to St. Olav Katolske Domkirke (I guess that means Catholic Church). Our arrival in Oslo was a Sunday and what better way to end our first day than with a mass. It was a heartwarming experience!

My son, who is working in Oslo, did say that in the church where he attends mass, there were many Filipinos. True enough, I heard Tagalog being spoken as we entered. And the lady beside me requested, “Ate, paki reserve naman ng upuan ko. May kakausapin lang ako.” (“Sister, please reserve my seat. I just have to talk to someone.”)

 

Kababayans in St. Olav

What I did not expect was that about 90% of the full-packed church were our kababayans (countrymen). But more incredible was that the choir burst into song at the priest’s entrance with the very festive “Simbang Gabi” (a traditional Filipino Christmas carol). So far from home, yet I was blessed to still attend our traditional simbang gabi (night mass), the 9-day novena before Christmas. It was something I thought I’d miss because of our family’s Nordic trip to spend the holidays with my younger son.

Capping our first Nordic Freeze day was dinner at the Pink Fish in the Oslo Subway Station eating…what else but…salmon salad, salmon burger and salmon bowl. We definitely were not in Manila anymore.

                          

Holy Land Pilgrimage: Standing Small

Walkway to Masada

^“He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.” – Luke 19:3

 

Do you sometimes fail to see Jesus because of your “smallness”? Do you feel small because sin has cut you down? Does your sense of smallness come from feeling unworthy?

 

Thoughts of “smallness” were prevalent in my mind on the 10^th and last day of our pilgrimage as I gazed at Zaccheus’ sycamore tree. Gazing at it reminded me of how one can stand tall despite being small – by repenting and turning over a new leaf. The sycamore tree was the first must-see spot we were brought to in Jericho.

Zacchaeus' Sycamore Tree

 

Jericho is the land promised to the Israelites. It is the first city they occupied. Our group had to cross over to Palestine to visit this oasis in the Judean Desert.

 

Towering above Jericho is the Mount of Temptation, the place where Jesus was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Gazing at the mount, I was intrigued by a structure built on its slopes. We were told it is the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Temptation. It is built above the cave believed to be where Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.

Mount of Temptation

Reflecting on the temptation of Jesus, we were reminded by our preacher that we fall not because of the situation around us but by the weakness inside us. Jesus knows who he is that’s why he overcame: He is the Son of God.

 

After the mount, we trooped to a building with a deck to get a good view of Tell Es-Sultan (Sultan’s Hill) or Tel Jericho, a 21-meter-high settlement mound. This UNESCO-nominated archaeological site is touted to be “the oldest town in the world” as it has its beginnings in the Neolithic Era. I wished we were down in the site rather than seeing it from a bird’s eye view as ancient things fascinate me. I like imagining what it would be like living in those times.

Tel Jericho Archaeological Site

 

Our last destination for the day and for the whole pilgrimage more than satisfied my wish to walk through vestiges of the past. We were taken up by cableway to Masada National Park.

Masada Cableway

There’s another way up to the fortress, the Snake Trail, but considering our group had super senior pilgrims, we opted to take the cableway. It afforded us a view of the Roman Siege Camp and a section of the circumvallation wall.

Snake Trail

Just the view from the walkway to the fortress was already exhilarating! Walking through the different sections of Masada was more so.

Masada

Masada (Hebrew for “Fortress”) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert where Herod the Great built two palaces on top of a plateau. The scale model of the Northern Palace showed how impressive it must have been in its time.

Scale Model of the Northern Palace

 

I enjoyed meandering around the ruins by myself as walking the uneven terrain was a challenge for Papa who opted to sit with the other super seniors near the entrance. It gave me time to reflect:

 

Kings may be able to build strong fortresses but they will fall eventually. Only the King of Kings can keep man truly safe from all harm and evil.

 

After a brief walk through the Masada Museum, we came to the end of the pilgrimage. It was such a blessing to have the chance to experience the Holy Land. I count it as grace that Papa’s last international trip brought him to the land where Jesus came amongst men. As I write this he is already 93 and it will now be too taxing for him to go gallivanting abroad.

 

Let me just add a post script to this journey by gushing about our last night accommodation. We were pampered at the 5-star David Dead Sea Resort & Spa in Ein Bokek.

David Dead Sea Resort & Spa

Our opulent room had a panoramic view of the Dead Sea.

Our room at the David

 

Before our flight the next day, we tested the buoyancy of the waters of the Dead Sea and rubbed ourselves with its sand for some DIY spa treatment.

Dead Sea at dawn

I can’t thank the Lord enough for allowing me and my father to be pilgrims to this Holy Land. It is my fervent prayer for peace to reign there that I may walk where Jesus walked once again. 

Holy Land Pilgrimage: Genesis

 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

 

Day 9 of our pilgrimage was a peek into where things began, a genesis of sorts. Its highlights were a look at the life of Abraham and a glimpse at where Jesus was born.

 

Israel Museum

 

I adore miniatures. I have quite a collection of these tiny things that I picked up in my travels and some that were given to me by family and friends as souvenirs from their trips. So you can imagine my excitement when we visited the Israel Museum and I beheld a scale model of Jerusalem! The model is based on the Second Temple Period. It was a feast for the eyes of a miniature enthusiast like me. More importantly, it gave me a visual overview of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus.

Israel Museum Scale Model of Jerusalem

 

Another interesting feature of the museum is the Shrine of the Book. It is an urn-shaped building where the Dead Sea Scrolls and artifacts discovered at Masada are kept. The design of the shrine is apt as it resembles the pot where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the scrolls and the building interior as picture-taking is not allowed to preserve the artifacts.

Shrine of the Book

 

Genesis Land

 

After the museum, we were given a treat that I will never forget. We had lunch with Abraham in Genesis Land! What an experience!

 

Genesis Land is an oasis in the heart of the Judean desert, on the way to the Dead Sea. Eliezer, Abraham’s “main-servant”, greeted us as we trooped in to the reception area. He was dressed as we would imagine any biblical manservant should be. He oriented us about life during biblical times. Later, he asked us to don tunics to cover traces of our modern-day habiliments.

With Eliezer

 

He then led us out to “meet” our transport because we were going further into the desert to Abraham’s tent. Lounging under the noon-day sun waiting for us were camels!

Meeting our ride

 

Well, they were only for the intrepid souls. More timid ones can take the golf carts. I was feeling adventurous and didn’t want to pass up on what might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I mounted one of the camels together with a co-pilgrim. I was being lulled by the gentle swaying of our ship of the desert until the path slithered to the very edge of a cliff. Then fear gripped us. A misstep by our camel could send us careening down the cliff. It did not help that Bro Arun was taking a video of us and jokingly prompted us to say our last words to our family.

 

By God’s grace, we reached Abraham’s Tent with no mishaps. Abraham warmly welcomed us and ushered us to sit on the floor on cushions around a low table. (The super seniors got to sit on chairs in consideration of their joint pains). Abraham graciously served us lunch. The food was sumptuous, authentic Mediterranean fare though I’m not sure if the dishes dated back to the real Abraham’s time.

 

Abraham serving lunch in his tent

Replete with the delicious lunch, it was time to get back on our camels for another terror-gripped ride along the cliff-side. But it was all worth it because I was given a professional camel-rider license complete with my name written in Hebrew.

My Camel Rider License

 

Shepherds’ Field

 

In Siyar el-Ghanam (which means Place for Keeping Sheep) is the village of Beit Sahour. It’s around 4 kilometers from the where the Nativity took place and where Shepherds’ Field sits. Here, we visited the Chapel of the Angels also known as the Chapel of Shepherds’ Field or the Sanctuary of Gloria in Excelsis Deo. The 5 apses of the church mimic a nomadic tent reminiscent of where the herders would take shelter as they tend to their sheep. It is where the angels, according to Catholic tradition, heralded the good news of Christ’s birth to them. Cast in gold on the dome above the altar are the words of the angels: Gloria in Excelsis Deo.

Chapel of the Angels

 

Beneath the main chapel is an ancient cave with soot-blackened ceiling where shepherds may have stayed. It has been converted into the Cave Chapel where pilgrims can hold services.

 

Church of the Nativity

 

More than being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Church of the Nativity is, for me, the Holy of Holies. It is here where mankind’s salvation began. The most profound description of the church for me is “where heaven meets earth”.

Church of the Nativity

 

We were blessed that our hotel was just near the church. We walked to Manger Square and made our way to the church which, according to Google, “is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the basilica is the oldest major church in the Holy Land.”

 

Like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, this church has mixed affiliations. Here it is mainly Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, with a minority of Coptic Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox. The main basilica is maintained by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

 

Bending low, we entered the church through the Door of Humility which is about 4 feet high. Originally, it was so designed to prevent marauders from entering the church on horseback. But maybe, by God’s design, it is to remind pilgrims to approach this place with humility and bend our knees in submission to God’s will.

Door of Humility

As we straightened up, our eyes were drawn to traces of the medieval golden mosaics on the wall lit by sanctuary lamps. We joined the long queue of people going down to the Grotto of the Nativity, located beneath the main altar. The long wait gave us time to inspect the Iconostasis, a wall of icons and religious paintings which separated the nave from the sanctuary.

 

I was disappointed that the long line of people waiting behind me prevented me from truly savoring the experience of being where our Savior was born. But I still felt blessed to be able to touch the stone in the middle of the 14-point silver star. The stone is said to be the one where Mary laid Jesus after his birth.

 

I pensively made my way out of the grotto, taking time to peek at the original 4^th century mosaic from the Constantinian basilica and thanking God for the chance to walk back through history, His Story.

 

To be in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve is now in my bucket list. I pray for peace in the Holy Land that God may fulfill that dream for me. 

Holy Land Pilgrimage: Visitation

 

(Part 2 of Day 8)

As I write this blog, I’m feeling a bit emotional. Thoughts that the holy places we visited on our pilgrimage might be wiped out forever. Thoughts that the people we met or just encountered there might be living in fear right now. Sad thoughts. I know all things will pass as Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” But I just wish not in this violent way and not in my lifetime. I would love to visit the Holy Land again.

 

Before these holy sites pass away, come visit them with me as I continue to record the rest of the 8^th day of our pilgrimage. In my previous blog, I narrated our experience walking the Via Dolorosa.

 

After tracing the Way of the Cross, we meandered through Souk el-Dabbagha, the Old City Bazaar outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I wish we had more time to inspect the spices and food strange to my eyes and probably my palate. There were also souvenirs that escaped my wallet because we didn’t have time to shop as we were off to lunch. 

Old City Bazaar

After that we exited Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate, one of the most picturesque gates dating back to the 16^th century.

Wall of the Old City of Jerusalem with
Jaffa Gate and the Tower of David

Our afternoon was spent in Ein Kerem, the hill country where the Church of the Visitation sits on the site of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s summer house. It was a long and tiring climb up to the church even if the stairs weren’t steep. Our super senior co-pilgrims stayed in the garden at the bottom of the hill and just enjoyed an ice cream treat from our tour organizer, my cousin Belle.

Steps to the Church of the Visitation

This two-tiered Catholic church commemorates the Visitation. On its façade is the mosaic of Mary on her way to visit Elizabeth.

 

We got to see the upper church but only got a peek at the lower church as there was a mass going on.

Altar & frescoes of the Upper Church

 

In the Courtyard are ceramic plaques of Mary’s Magnificat (Canticle of Praise) in 42 languages.

 

Going back downhill, we next visited the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist or St. John Ba Harim (St. John of the Mountains). The church is also Catholic, this one built on the site of the house in the valley where St. John was born.

 

It was a long and tiring day, but several of us could not pass up the chance to visit the Wailing Wall or Ha-Kotel. The ancient limestone wall is just a portion of a longer ancient one known as the Western Wall because it is located at the western side of the Temple Mount. It is the holiest place for the Jews where they go to pray. There were some interesting things I learned on our visit there:

• ·        Jewish custom dictates one should never turn one’s back to the Wall. People have to walk backwards as they exit.
• ·        In the Western Wall Plaza, there are fountains for ritual hand washing where you have to cleanse before entering.
• ·        Women have a separate section where they can pray.

We also took a tour of the Western Wall Tunnel where we saw the Master Course stone. It is the largest of the Herodian ashlars measuring 41 feet long x almost 12 feet high x 14 feet deep, weighing almost 600 tons. Also inside the tunnel is the Struthion Pool, a cistern built by Herod the Great, and a scale model of the Temple Mount.

Wailing Wall

 

Although the Wailing Wall is not part of our pilgrimage, it was still a site we wanted to view, to experience and understand the Jewish side of Jesus.