Baltimore Section, Middle Atlantic Lieutenancy
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
Basilica of the Assumption, Baltimore
September 15, 2025
Simple Charity in Complex Situations
As many of you know, less than two weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land. It was a very moving experience to be there in this time of turmoil, to speak with the Custos of the Holy Land and the Latin Patriarch about the tremendous needs of the Church in that war-torn land.
The Latin Patriarch, His Beatitude Cardinal Pizzaballa, expressed deep gratitude for the many ways the Order of the Holy Sepulchre supports the church’s mission in the Holy Land. My visit was also offered opportunities to visit various ministries supported by the Order and to glimpse the plight of the shrinking Christian community. While we were not able to visit Gaza, I was able to learn at least a little more about that heart-rending, man-made humanitarian crisis. I was visited the West Bank, including Taybeh, the last Christian community in the West Bank. If there is a rule of thumb about the Holy Land, perhaps it is this: nothing is simple, everything is complicated, and many are suffering. As Cardinal Pizzaballa said, “Satan is making his powerplay in the Holy Land.”
In spite of the complexity, charity remains simple and straightforward. At “The Creche”, a ministry that cares for unwanted children, a new industrial washing machine was needed. Christian schools need financial support to keep their doors open. Health care facilities need new medical equipment. The Church in the Holy Land needs our friendship. I came, not as an expert, but as one hoping to learn. Just being there, I was assured, meant the world.
The Holy Places
My deepest spiritual experience of the visit was offering Mass at the Holy Sepulchre, Mass at the Empty Tomb. Kneeling at the tomb, I thought of Jesus condemned as criminal yet buried like a king, in linen cloths, anointed with myrrh and aloes. Just when everything seemed to be lost and all was finished, Jesus’ glory shone through, the glory of God’s only begotten Son, full of grace and truth.
Just as Jesus could not be held captive by death, so too sin and death are not the last word about our humanity, nor the last word about war-torn Gaza nor of those suffering in the West Bank, and God-willing, not the last word about my life or yours. At the place where Christ was buried and rose from the dead, I experienced overwhelming gratitude for the very mystery I have celebrated at the Altar of the Lord for some 48 years.
Our Lady of Sorrows
Kneeling at the Holy Sepulchre and standing where Our Lord was crucified, I sensed the presence of his Mother, Our Lady of Sorrows. After more than 2,000 years, the price of our salvation— including the price that Mary herself paid— is palpable. Standing at the foot of the Cross with the beloved Apostle John, Mary shared more fully than any other in the Lord’s sacrificial gift of self, a gift given in pain and suffering, in flesh and spirit, in blood and water. Being there brought the touching words of the Stabat Mater to life.
As with almost every pilgrim, this experience unveiled for me afresh the weight of human sin and evil which Jesus, the Lamb of God, shouldered and nailed to the Cross. But it also brought to life afresh the immensity of love the Redeemer’s love. St. Paul’s words echoed in my soul: “He loves me and he gave his life for me!” So too, I sensed Mary’s maternal love for her crucified Son, the depth of her grief coupled with her still deeper faith. It was at the foot of the Cross that Jesus entrusted Mary to John as his mother and by extension as our Mother, she who is the New Eve.
Pilgrims of Hope
To repeat, my travelling companions and I did not go to the Holy Land as experts or advisors but rather as pilgrims of hope during this Jubilee Year of Hope, seeking to pray at the Holy Places, seeking to have our hope rekindled, seeking also to enkindle hope by our solidarity.
At the Holy Sepulchre we realized afresh how, even in this complex and war-torn land, where sometimes all appears to be lost for the Christian community, God brings light from darkness, grace from sin, life from death. It is this mystery that fuels the mission of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and energizes our dedication and support. May God bless us and keep us always in his love.