By Kule Kennedy
For Christians, the Holy Land is where Jesus lived, proclaimed his Gospel, performed miracles, was crucified and rose from the dead. From early times, the followers of Jesus venerated places associated with him, foremost among them the cave at Bethlehem and many others.
Every year, different countries make arrangements for its people who go as pilgrims to the different places in what every Christian regards as holy land that is Israel.
Mbarara ecclesiastical province got a delegate that includes a team of five people from the Catholic diocese of Kasese
The team together with other pilgrims have visited the sycamore-fig tree believed to have been climbed by Zacchaeus to see Christ among others..
The bible presents Zacchaeus as a wealthy chief tax collector who wanted to see who Christ was, but for being a short man standing in a big crowd, he climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him.
Speaking to Kasese Guide radio , Rev. Fr. Godfrey Kautha who together with Fr. Peter Kunama, the Hima parish priest leads the five people delegation from the Diocese of Kasese, asked Christians to use Zakayo’s experience to know who Christ is despite their sins.
Fr. Kautha also said like Christ did to Zakayo, the lord is ready to dine with them despite their sinful ways for as long as they accept him as Lord and Savior, and repent. Rev Fr. Kautha speaking………
He asked Christians to pray for them and the entire Mother Church.
Pilgrims visit the Holy Land to touch and see physical manifestations of their faith, to confirm their beliefs in the holy context with collective excitation, and to connect personally to the Holy Land.
There are few things that will develop one’s understanding of the Bible more than traveling through the Holy Land and visiting the places where many of those narratives played out. Literally walking in the footsteps of Jesus in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, around the Sea of Galilee, Jericho, Samaria, and Jerusalem is not only exhilarating, but very enlightening. END