Dome dazzled in the Holy Land

MANILA, Philippines - This year, I gave in to an invitation to visit the Holy Land. Instead of my usual hectic juggling of chores at the parish as a worship volunteer and at the traditional pabasa in my ancestral hometown of Baras, Rizal, I said yes to the urgings of Arlina Onglao’s “Journeys of Faith” to spend Holy Week in the Holy Land with Bible scholar and Baltimore Maryland-based professor Fr. Rene Lopez S.S. (Society of St. Sulpice).

So instead of my usual harried “Martha” mode during the most blessed and busiest season in the liturgical calendar, I stepped back and retraced the footsteps of Jesus in the land where He walked.

During the Holy Week and the days preceding it, my group of 23 pilgrims, which included Fr. Rene and Deacon Christ Lubecke, visited several sacred places and churches that evoked deep reflection. Our guide, Rami Munayer (resident of Palestine, holder of a Jordanian passport and is Christian) brought us to many places of worship.

He often mentioned the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi, who designed most of these churches. He was a layperson who lived the life of a Franciscan monk — austere, simple and holy. Every time we would enter a church, I felt compelled to look up at its dome. Perhaps these domes reminded me of God’s presence and nurturing care up in the heavens. Perhaps it took me back to his promise of us partaking in his glory or beckoning us to worship and praise. Just like my parish church, these places were for gathering and praise. Through these all-embracing ceilings, we all felt the fullness of God. These domes have inspired many before me because, beyond form and function, they have ignited a worship that is truly sacramental.

I may have missed the elaborate liturgy of Holy Week in Our Lady of Pentecost parish, or the traditional chanting of the Pabasa ng Resureksyon in my hometown but I’m happy that this year, I chose to spend the Holy Week in the Holy Land, where I had “chosen the better part.”

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Journeys of Faith will have more pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Eastern Europe this year. Call 929-0144, 929-0155, 426-0601 or e-mail ilovejourneys@gmail.com.