Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage

Today, we are happy to share the next chapter in our online novel, Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage by Cheryl Dickow.

Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage was a true labor of love for author Cheryl Dickow whose own passions for the Holy Land and the Jewish roots of the Catholic faith are almost unquenchable. Elizabeth is the first work published by Bezalel Books which Cheryl established in late 2006; it centers on a woman whose life is at a crossroads and her realization that the only way to get back on track is to get to the roots of her faith—in the Holy Land—if it isn’t too late. Since the release of Elizabeth, Bezalel Books has published 40 additional titles that are perfect for the Catholic home, school or parish. Elizabeth is available in paperback or in Kindle format. Cheryl is also the author of the recent non-fiction book Our Jewish Roots: A Catholic Woman’s Guide to Fulfillment Today by Connecting with Her Past.

Chapter Nineteen

You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; chant the praises of the Lord, who rides the heights of the ancient heavens, whose voice is thunder, mighty thunder.

Psalm 68:33-34

When Beth, Sipporah, and Rachel emerged from The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, they were in complete silence. Rachel had been correct in explaining that the entire experience had a way of transporting you to another place and time.

Beth hadn’t noticed another soul inside as she joined Christ in His final agonizing moments on earth. She couldn’t even say that she had a renewed understanding of His salvific actions or the Father’s agape love to have sent His Son.

It was as if she had never even begun to grasp them before, but only now she could attempt to embrace their meaning. She thought of all the Good Friday services she had attended and knew that they would forever have a new place in her heart.

Beth, known for her inquisitive, and according to her children, often annoying nature was rendered mute by the entire experience. In the same way that one woman cannot truly explain to another the pains of childbirth, one pilgrim could not truly explain to another pilgrim what happens during this encounter. To make such an attempt would completely diminish the event because words could not convey its magnitude.

Sipporah and Rachel honored Beth’s silence and the three walked back towards Rachel’s car. As they drove away Beth started crying. It was soft and yet deep, coming from within the years of pain and sadness that Beth had masterfully hidden. From Christ there was no secrets and in the safety of His death and resurrection Beth, too, was reborn.

Join us next week for the next chapter of Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage by Cheryl Dickow. Can’t wait for more? Check out Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage at Amazon!