Pilgrimage Day Two

Pilgrimage Day Two - Jesus in Galilee

Today we started off with a Eucharist in the Meditation Room here at Pilger Haus. The text was the calling of the Apostles from Mark (1:14-20). That was the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. That was appropriate because we spent the whole day in the Galilean region where Jesus was before he began his journey to Jerusalem.

The Church of the Beatitudes

We left Pilger Haus at 10am and drove a short distance to the Church of the Beatitudes. It is situated on a hill above the Sea (lake in Greek) of Galilee. The area below the church is a natural amphitheater if the speaker is located on the shore of the lake. Now there are bananas, dates, and olives planted in that area so we were not able to view area up close and personal. However, we did drive past the lower part and it could have definitely held 5000 persons.

The church itself is built on the ruins of an earlier church that predated the Muslim invasion as most of the churches we visit. The guide explained that when someone wants to find the site where Jesus did something they should look for a church or the ruins of a church in the target area. Then dig down below that and you will most likely find another church that marks the probable original site. The church is octagonal in shape; one side for each Beatitude.

At each site we read the part of Scripture that relates to the mission of Jesus, sing a song and read a collect. Here we read Matthew 5:1-2 and sung Blest are the Pure of Heart.

The Church of the Multiplication

A little lower on the hill we encountered the Church of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. This church is built over the rock where Jesus is thought to have laid the 5 loaves and 2 fishes. This rock is located below the altar of the church.

For the past two days we have run into the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims. The Nigerian state sends the Muslims to Mecca for Pilgrimage so they thought if fair that they should send the Christians to the Holy Land. One of the Nigerian women stood up and led in call in response fashion "How Great Thou Art". I just stood there and sang along with them.

During our prayer service, we read from the Gospel of John (6:1-13) and sang Alleluia! Sing to Jesus. The singing is pretty good because all of the pilgrims are either clergy, clergy spouses or se

rious church people. We even sing in parts.

The Church of the Primacy of Peter

Next to the church of the Multiplication is the place where Jesus is believed to have asked Peter if he loved him three times and each time Peter responded yes, Jesus told him to feed his sheep. (John 21:15-19) This is a place where Peter and the other Apostles probably would have gone back to fishing after the Resurrection when Jesus told the women at the tomb to tell Peter and the others to meet him in Galilee. One can see where the ancient steps led down into the water when the lake was no so dry. It is possible to say mass at one of the several altars that surround the church.

Capernaum

Capernaum is where Peter lived. It was a city situated on the Sea of Galilee. The whole city has been excavated and what is believed to be Peter's house is located below a church with a glass floor. The church was built over the site eleven years ago.

We held our service in a Synagogue that has been restored after it was destroyed in an earthquake. It is not the synagogue that Jesus would have prayed in, because the stones are not from around the area, however, it is built over the site of the original synagogue of Jesus' time. We held our service there and read from Luke 10:13-16.

Interestingly enough, due to size of Peter's house, he was probably a well to due person. Also, his house is located very close to the synagogue. We usually think of Peter as a poor fisherman, but when we look at the place where he probably live we need to conclude otherwise.

Kursi

Kursi is the site of the healing of the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 26:39. You can see the caves where the outcasts probably lived up on a hill. We held our service in the ruins an old Byzantine church.

After Jursi, we had lunch in a local restaurant that served Saint Peter's fish. They catch the fish in the lake and fry them whole and serve them with French fries. The fish are Tilapia and did not exist in the lake during Jesus' time. They have been planted in the lake since then. No matter, they are good!

On the Sea of Galilee

After lunch we went to the Museum of the Ancient Galilean Boat. It was discovered several years back by two brothers who fished in the Sea of Galilee. During a drought season when the water level receded they found some ancient nails and begun digging and came upon a boat that had been buried since the time of Jesus.

Later we boarded "The Jesus Boat" for a short trip off the coast of the sites we visited in the morning where we held our devotion. We read Luke 8:22-25, the story of Jesus' calming the sea. It was inspiring to contemplate the question, "Who then is this that commands even the winds and the waters, and they obey him?"

We returned to the shore and took a short bus ride back to the Pilger Haus after a very busy and inspirational day and a rainbow. We are off to Nazareth tomorrow and will be moving to Bethlehem for a couple of days.

Pilgrimage Day One

Day One of the Pilgrimage
Mt. Hermon – Baptism / Mt Tabor – Transfiguration
Today we arose early at 7:30 (early because we were lacking in sleep from all of the travel) ate breakfast and boarded the bus for Mt. Hermon and a tributary of the Jordan River.
We travelled through the Golan Heights to the Syrian and Lebanese borders. On a hill overlooking the Syrian border we saw a Israeli military installation that is used to gather intelligence from the Syrian side. Across the border lies quarters of the UN force that enforces the peace between Syria and Israel. It is one of the safest borders in all of Israel.
The Goal Heights is not only a security buffer, but also a very fertile area producing world famous apples and grapes for wine production.
Hermon Stream Nature Reserve or Banias is located near Caesarea-Philippi and is the location where Jesus asked the Apostles the question, “Who do you think I am?” One might wonder what does this question have to do with this place. I Jesus’ time this was the location of various temples to Greek and Roman Gods, Pan and Zeus among them, as well as a tomb for Dancing Goats. Imagine Jesus walking through the beautiful springs of the area with his apostles and looking up at the shrines to the pagan gods and asking his question. He might as well have said, “You see all those shrines up there – what do they have to do with me, who do you think I am?” In the Gospel some said Elijah but Peter called Jesus the Messiah. Then Jesus said, “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.”
Across from the pagan shrines lie the ruins of the palace of Herod Agrippa and the ruins of a Crusader barracks. Above the shrine there is a large fort built by the Crusaders called Fort Nimrod.
The water in the area comes from a tributary of the Jordan River. This is where we gathered to renew our Baptismal Vows and to be anointed to remind us that we are marked as Christ’s own forever. It was an inspirational ceremony and there were some with tears in their eyes.
From Mt. Hermon we travelled to the area of Mt. Tabor (Tavor), the sight of the Transfiguration. Before ascending the mountain we ate lunch at the Sahara Restaurant; which is owned by partners one a Christian and the other a Muslim. We feasted on chicken, rice, humus, salad, slaw and wonderful Turkish coffee.
At Mt. Tabor we drove part way up the mountain to the park office where we disembarked from the bus and took vans up to the Church of the Transfiguration on a road with many hairpin turns, no wonder the bus was not welcome up the mountain.
The Church of the Transfiguration is a relatively modern church. The Muslim army under Saladin destroyed the original medieval church in the 12th Century. The existing church is built around the ruins of the original church that can still be seen.
The church has three parts to it. One altar, in the lower part of the church, is dedicated to Jesus. It has frescoes on the sides that represent the four ways Jesus is transfigured in history and a fresco of the Biblical Transfiguration. In the rear of the Church are two chapels, one for Elijah and one for Moses. There are also two side altar one of which is for Saint Francis because the church was built and is maintained by the Franciscans.
While on the mount we celebrated the Eucharist outside in a part of the old church. Fr. Dominic’s sermon asked us to consider leaving all of our cares and worries behind and concentrate on what we are going to accomplish in Jerusalem. The Gospel was Luke’s account of the Transfiguration which is explicit about what Jesus, Moses and Elijah were talking about – what Jesus was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. My hope is to release some of the baggage that is following me around from my past life. I chose this because during the Epiphany the “Star Word” I picked was “release”. “Star Words” are a custom of Shelley’s sponsoring church, Saint Luke’s. They are words that are assigned randomly by the Holy Spirit for one to meditate on and decide what she is telling us through the word.

After leaving the Mountain we returned to the Pilger Haus for a happy hour and dinner and hopefully a restful night and an exciting day on Saturday.

Arrived in Isreal

We the tired and weary pilgrims arrived in Tel Aviv 24 hours after leaving LA. There are 35 in all, including John Conrad and Dominic Barrington the leaders of the group.
We had a two hour layover at O'Hare and 4 Hours at Heathrow. I felt like I ate my way across the world.
When we arrived we boarded a bus for Tabgha on the shore of Lake Galilee. We are staying at a place called Pilger Haus which was founded in 1889 as a Roman Catholic retreat center; which it still is.
On the way on the bus I could not help but think about where I was. Were the houses on the sides of the highway Israeli or Palestinian?
Tomorrow we are off to Mt. Tabor at 8:30. It is 11:10PM now so I better get off to bed. More tomorrow.
Much love,
Fr. David