Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built atop the tomb of Christ and was dedicated on this date, September 13th, in the year 335. Three hundred years later, the Church was destroyed and rebuilt. In the eleventh century, it was destroyed and rebuilt a second time. Despite numerous earthquakes, fires, and renovations, it remains standing to this day. St. Ignatius Loyola visited it in 1523 because he wanted to be as close to Jesus as possible.
True closeness to Christ comes via the presence of the Holy Spirit, not from physically traveling to the Holy Land. The Holy Spirit is made present in Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation. Those who have fallen into mortal sin abandon the Holy Spirit but can regain its presence through sacramental confession and absolution. Those who follow the Holy Spirit in this life will be rewarded in the next life with the beatific vision, with experiencing God’s presence face to face.
Going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land does not necessarily bring people closer to God, but it can be very helpful indeed. St. Ignatius understood this. Seeing the mountains and the rivers that Christ saw can focus the mind of the pilgrim more intensely on the life of Christ. Ignatian spirituality is a set of techniques that focus the mind on Christ by trying to see, in your imagination, the same mountains and rivers that Christ saw, and asking for the graces and helps that you most need.