The Reluctant Pilgrim

Amid disturbing world news that highlights the never-ending hostilities targeting Israel, one would think that it would be complete madness, if not suicidal, to travel to such a volatile place. And yet, I found myself in Milan International Airport, staring at an electronic sign with its colorful pixels glaring back at me, spelling out the Air Alitalia Flight departing for Tel Aviv. Along with my wife, I would soon board the aircraft, together with the other pilgrims from St. Thomas More Church. We were to fly to The Holy Land.

Three weeks earlier, there was a great battle going on in my head. As much as I wanted to visit The Holy Land, I was also dreadfully aware of the potential danger that could ignite at any time along the way. My wife had to persuade me to join the pilgrimage. Her persistence and the irresistible opportunity to photograph the biblical and historical places were instrumental in somewhat overpowering my reservations about the trip.

As we waited for the shuttle bus that would take us to the tarmac, the fear once again managed to creep into my veins. It was corroding my nervous system. The “what If?” revived the old nagging thoughts. Maybe there is a terrorist on board? A suicide bomber perhaps? What about being blown up in the sky? Whoa!! The self-induced paranoia was choking me. I needed something to divert my thoughts. I took some candid shots of our group who seemed undeterred by what was happening in the Middle East. Thanks to my camera, it calmed me down. Before I knew it, we were airborne and there was no turning back. I heard myself praying, “Dear God, I know that The Holy Land has been photographed countless times by many talented photographers. What I will be shooting are just repetitions of their work, but if there is something you want me to shoot, lead me to it and please deliver me back home safely so I can share it too. Amen.”

As I looked out the plane’s window, the clouds below were like huge formations of fluffy cotton. I was marvelling at their beauty when suddenly something strange caught my eye. Out of nowhere, a glint of colors appeared then magically transformed into a circular rainbow. The circle of colors was captivating but when the shadow of our aircraft mysteriously revealed itself inside it, I was mystified. My heart started pounding heavily as I asked myself, “Is this an omen? Is God telling me something?” I sensed something very special was happening. The circular rainbow enclosing the airplane’s shadow was like God’s way of saying that His angels were escorting our flight. The very thought of it reassured me and dispelled all of my fears. The ghostly sign lasted approximately six seconds, but in that brief duration, I was able to quickly snap a picture of it before it drifted away in rays of light. The mystical experience left me wondering if there was an underlying message somehow connected to the unforeseen events of my life.

“Blessed are those who come.” That was the heading of the brochure that was provided by the travel agency. It does feel that way when one’s foot touches the Holy Ground. Walking along the path of our Lord’s footsteps was spiritually uplifting. Any Christian would feel the presence of Jesus in every step of the way. The journey to The Holy Land was like a homecoming. I grew up knowing about Nazareth as if it was my hometown. The city did not appear exactly the way Hollywood portrayed it in movies, but just like other biblical places in the region, it made me feel welcome. From Bethlehem where Jesus was born to the hilltop of Golgotha where He was crucified, the pilgrimage re-defined my Christian faith. I gained a deeper understanding of Jesus. And for the first time, I felt the pain of Mary, the mother who witnessed the rejection, humiliation and torture of her Son, who died for our sins.

The first five days of the Seven-Day tour of Israel earned me hundreds of beautiful images of The Holy Land. From those shots, I could easily merge photojournalism and travel photography to create a good slide show presentation of the pilgrimage. But, I still felt empty. Something was missing in the shots.

On the sixth day, towards the evening, God filled the void. Before me was the most compelling picture of all. At the courtyard of the Holy Sepulcher Church, I shot the perfect photographic interpretation of a verse in the Gospel of Matthew. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” It was the collective silhouette of my fellow pilgrims that was highlighted by the bright radiating light in the background.

In the afternoon of the final day, the tour guide took our group back to Jerusalem for personal free time. The majority of the group took my wife to explore the souvenir shops, while I wandered around on my own, taking more photos. And just when I thought I had shot enough, I saw two cute little Jewish schoolgirls walking together from a distance. In a game of catch-me-if-you-can, the bubbly one in the red dress sprinted ahead of the other girl. At this point, my reflex took charge and nailed the flow of her motion in three digital shots. It was the second frame that best captured the expression and running action of the little girl. Her happy innocent face was a mirrored contrast to the hostilities between her people and the neighboring countries. Why can’t there be a lasting peace in this land? I paused for a moment, thinking of an answer when in my subconscious I heard the words of Jesus, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This verse from Mark's Gospel summed up what is required from us in order to become the perfect followers of Christ. If we could only have the nature of a child, then hatred and vengeance would have no place among nations. Our faith in God would be unquestioning, unwavering and in full surrender. Then it occurred to me that the photo of the little girl was the shot. It was the shot I prayed for. God answered and led me to it. Unlike the massive walls of Jerusalem, God’s message has neither form nor shape, but it took the face of a child to make it clear and visible.

By the time we left Israel, I had more than three thousand digital images to take home, but only three of them can sum up the spiritual maturity that I gained from the pilgrimage. The photos of the plane's shadow in the rainbow, the pilgrims, and the little girl are the key images that unlocked the door to the wonderful gift of seeing. The images widened the perspective of the way I see things around me. While my art in photography found a new angle to focus on, I discovered a new color of the rainbow. And that is the color of God’s unconditional love for me and the rest of the world.

Now, 6 years later, I produced God's Word, a 5-minute video presentation summarizing my spiritual journey in finding God's purpose for me - spreading the Word through the art of photography.