"Listen, Israel, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength" Mark12:29-30
I can't believe it has already been one month to the day since I returned from my amazing journey to the Holy Land!
During the past month, I have been slowly settling into life back in Tasmania. I have been fortunate enough to keep my pilgrimage alive by sharing my experiences with many staff and students at my school. So far I have spoken to over 15 classes and shared my reflections on what I saw, learnt and felt not only about my own faith and Christianity, but also new insights into Judaism and Islam that I gained through our study and experience of living in Jerusalem. I have also been heartened by the many people who have commented on how much they enjoyed sharing my journey via this blog - I am most grateful to everyone for their support.
As the days and weeks pass, the full reality and impact of my time in Jerusalem continues to unfold to me in many different ways. Whether it be through a greater understanding of the daily scriptures, a deeper connection to sacrament of the Eucharist, a thirst for more knowledge of Church history or a desire to draw inspiration from such spiritual writers as Thomas Merton, the fruits and graces of my journey will certainly enrich my life for a long time to come.
Today's gospel reading is a prime example of how this journey has impacted my faith - today, in the Gospel, Jesus repeats the words of the Shema - words sacred to the Jewish people- as the first commandment. The importance of understanding the Jewish faith in order for us to better understand our own is just one of the many blessings I have received from this wonderful pilgrimage.
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