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. 
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