Chilean Miners Visit Holy Land to Thank God for Being Rescued
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Despite the overwhelming media attention they received and heated debate over the purpose of their visit, 25 Chilean miners who arrived in Israel in late February said theirs was a visit of thanksgiving. "We want to thank God for all that he did for us. Our faith and hope were fundamental for our survival," said Mario Gomez, the oldest of the 33 miners trapped for more than two months underground while dramatic rescue efforts attracted worldwide attention. "It was a miracle," Gomez said of his rescue; he was 63 at the time. "There is one being who could achieve that, and that is God. He gave us a second life. When we exited the capsule, we returned to being ourselves." The miners said they were eager to see the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Via Dolorosa -- the traditional route of Jesus' Way of the Cross -- and the Western Wall among other religious and historic sites. Richard Villarroel and his wife, Dana Castro, brought along their 4-month-old-son, Richard, born six days after the rescue. "We prayed every day. I lost count of the numbers of Hail Marys and Our Fathers we said," said Villarroel, who carried his son in a baby carrier on his chest. Young Richard was covered with a Jewish prayer shawl to protect him from the sun as they walked on the Via Dolorosa surrounded by cameras. Maintaining a vigil above ground during the rescue, Castro said she was strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, whose presence she felt. "Now I want to give thanks to God and his son who was here. I want to have some quiet and talk to them. Now we are all three here," she said. (www.catholicnews.com)
...perhaps we could go out of our way to be grateful for something today that we regularly take for granted.
