Yom Kippur meeting of Desert Flower

On Thursday, September 12, 2013, we gathered, members of the group, at Tabgha, the Franciscan monastery, and we began to set up the tents. When our work was completed we went off for a night swim in the Sea of Galilee and then gathered for night prayer before going to sleep, anticipating the next day.

Friday began with morning prayer on the shore of the lake. After breakfast, we sat on the grass next to the spring and we shared our memories and expectations from the past year and the year to come. Then we began our volunteer service which focused on cleaning the area of the monastery. Some removed stones from the spring, others washed floors or gathered garbage from the area.

At the end of our work, Father Apolinary taught a very important lesson on repentance and underlined the importance of the sacrament of confession. We discussed and talked about the need to confess and how confession can influence our spiritual lives as believers. Many questions about this subject were raised and we all showed great interest in the subject.

Later, at dusk, we celebrated a liturgy of confession, which Benny, our brother animated. The ceremony was very moving and meaningful for each one of us. The liturgy included many beautiful songs, we read a portion of the Gospel of Luke. One of the high points of the liturgy was when we were asked to write on a piece of paper our personal sins that we feel most weigh upon us. The pieces of paper we then threw into the bonfire that was burning in the middle of our circle on the shores of the lake. At the end of the ceremony, we all lit candles which were attached to cardboard plaques and we launched these onto the surface of the lake as a sign that we were receiving Jesus into our boat just as Peter had done, a sign that we wanted to receive him into our lives.

For some time we watched the candles that lit up the surface of the lake and each one had the occasion to go to confession. Then we went off to bed in silence.

ON Saturday morning, Yom Kippur, after morning prayer, we set off for a walk from Tabgha to the Mount of Beatitudes in order to visit the convent and the church. There, Sister Colomba received us warmly. Together with her, we visited the church and received from her an explanation regarding the history of the church and the foundation of the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In addition we talked about the vocation of the convent and the mission of the Sisters and the various works that they are involved in. We asked about the life of the Sisters and received very interesting answers. Sister Colomba prayed for us in Syriac (a language very close to Aramaic) and we, Desert Flower, sang prayers in Hebrew and then bid her farewell.

WE went back down to our little “settlement” and ate lunch and then Father Apolinary took the lives of 153 big fish. Most of us preferred to stay in the water rather than watch the terrible scene of the catching of these innocent fish.

We ended the day with prayer, a meal and now we are on our way home.

Thanks to the organizers: Father Apolinary, Claudia and Benny, to our hosts, Father Wojtech and Sister Louisa and to all the participants.