Starting Day 6 in Jerusalem
Meeting with The Latin Patriarchate
Father Pat connecting with St.Pius X
Cindy, Patricia and Angie hanging out in Jerusalem
John the Baptist birthplace Ein Karem Church
Church of The Visitation where Mary went to visit Elizabeth
On our way to Bethlehem
Things you don’t see everyday
Church of The Nativity
Waiting in line to see the birthplace of Jesus
Mass in the cave of Jesus birth
Another perfect sunset in Jerusalem
Starting our day with another Sea of Galilee Sunrise
Jill, Cindy, Maggie (who made all the great signs) and Angie outside our hotel just after sunrise.
Mt. Tabor and The Church of The Transfiguration
Father Pat saying Mass at one of the outdoor chapels
Steve and Patricia and the cat who came to mass
Valley that is believed to be where The Battle of Armagettan will be fought.
A rare group photo
Jericho
Steve and Patricia got to ride a camel
Temptation Mountain, where Jesus wandered
Jordon River (where there are land mines possibly?)
But that did not stop us from wading in the same water Jesus was baptized in (though I’m sure it was not as murky back then)
Angie, Jill, Loretta, Michelle, Nora, Corinne, Patricia in the Jordan River
Dead Sea (I was surprised how blue it was)
Marshall photo bombing Angie & Jill
We had fun playing in the mud (it made your skin feel very soft)
Marshall, Brian, Patricia,Frank, Father Pat, Joyce, Loretta, Maggie & Terry getting ready to frolic and float in The Dead Sea
Angie happily playing in the mud
After floating and playing in the mud we checked out the Lowest Bar in The World
Cindy, Nora, Celeste and Bob Baron at the Lowest Bar on Earth
As we were leaving we passed this poor fellow who I guess could be a reminder of what could happen to you if you spend too much time in The Dead Sea (or maybe at The Lowest Bar in The World)
Day 4
Sunrise over The Sea of Galilee.
Sailing across the Sea of Galilee.
The boat crew hoisted the American Flag to The Star Spangled Banner.
Tabgha and the area where Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying the fishes and loaves. The Rock with a Mosaic that portrays 2 fish and bread loaves sits behind an altar. People can go onto the altar and view both from a short distance.
The Mount of The Beatitudes there were beautiful gardens, and a beautiful small chapel to pray in.
Father Pat said Mass at one of the pavilions.
Caesarea Philippi, the location where Jesus told Peter he was the Rock where he would build His Church.
I always thought it was going to be maybe a big boulder, actually its a small mountain.
The Church of The Primacy of St. Peter, also known as The Place of Coals, located on The Sea of Galilee, this small church is the site of where Jesus instructed Peter to throw his net back on the other side when he was having a bad fishing day, Peter did as he was told and turned out catching 153 fish.
John 21:9 “When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with bread and fish on it”
The stone in front of the altar at this church is said to be the “table” where Jesus served the Apostles bread and fish for breakfast.
It was after this breakfast that Jesus instructed Peter to “Feed my Lambs….Tend my sheep…feed my sheep.” John 21:17.
Putting our feet in The Sea of Galilee
March 13, 2018 Day 3
In the afternoon we went to the church at Cana.
I know most people think of Cana and associate it with marriage. When I think of the Miracle at Cana, I think obedience and faith in our children.
There Jesus was, having a good time, at this wedding reception and His mom asks Him to perform a miracle.
Initially He tried to tell her no, He wasn’t ready for that yet.
But His mom made a request and because He was a good obedient son, He agreed.
So came The Miracle at Cana, with Jesus turning water to wine.
I love that this miracle happened at a wedding reception, no one was sick, no one had died, the only thing the couple wanted was to have a happy marriage and the blessing of children.
They did not realize that among their wedding guests was The Messiah, if they had I am sure they would have asked for a blessing. Jesus and His Mother wanted this couple to get a good start with their marriage and not be stuck with the stigma of being “that couple who ran out of wine at their reception” (don’t accept dinner invitations from them). That over site made their marriage one of the most famous weddings ever (and we don’t even know their names.)
The Church at Cana has become a popular spot to renew wedding vows, and thank God for the miracle of marriage and love.
I personally feel that I can use all the blessings I can get, and Father Pat was kind enough to allow me to include Don via phone, so with the other couples we had another opportunity to continue to vow to love and honor each other.Father Pat even splashed my phone with Holy Water for good measure.
Wedding vows are among the most sacred words couples ever say, repeating them in public now and then is good for us.
While visiting I took the opportunity to pray upcoming marriage of my daughter Liz and her wonderful fiancé Eddie.
The church is very simple, not at all ornate. There is a small chapel and a large sanctuary. Outside there is a courtyard where you can imagine newlyweds rushing through while having rice or whatever is politically correct to toss at them thrown at the time.
From Cana we travelled to Nazareth, the place it all started.
This is where Mary says yes to The Angel of The Lord and agrees to be the mother of the child who would change our world forever.
The spot where the Angel came to Mary is simple yet beautiful. Looking into the room you could almost see the glow of the angel (it may have been the lighting), I had an overwhelming feeling of peace and joy when I stood looking (that was not the lights.).
Mary who was really just a child by today’s standards was so pure and trusting in her faith, to see an angel and agree to a task that not only changed the world, but changed her life, and in the beginning not for the better. Then for Joseph to believe and accept her and Jesus loving both of them without question was one of the worlds greatest testimony’s to faith.
The Basilica of the Annunciation is huge, if you visit take plenty of time to see all the artwork inside and out of the building. There is artwork from every country showing their depiction of Mary.
They are all very different all beautiful in their own way.
The church grounds cover the area they believe was the small town of Nazareth more then 2000 years ago.
The air was growing cooler and the sun was starting to set as we boarded our bus for Tiberias and our hotel for the night Galei Kinnereth
This beautiful hotel is located on the shores of The Sea of Galilee.
I went to sleep knowing the next day would be a wonderful day filled with stories, new lessons and beautiful sights that will humble and amaze us all.
Day 3 Israel
Morning
It was dark when we arrived at The Ramada Inn Hadera Resort Monday Night. I was exhausted from our 2 days of travel but felt like a child on Christmas Eve, hardly sleeping as I was anxious to start our tour.
Our room had a balcony and I could not wait for morning to see our view, I was not disappointed, the first sunlight sparkling on the Mediterranean Sea was stunning.
Breakfast at the hotel was a buffet with fish, cheese, fruits, vegetables, fresh juice and pastry.
Usama our guide was a wealth of knowledge and shared with us the history of the places we would be visiting that day.
First stop was Caesarea and the ruins of an ancient port city built by Herod.
While there Marshall showed us what he would have looked like in ancient times.
We had the chance to put our feet and hands in the Mediterranean Sea, and look out at the beautiful blue sea from the ruins that were once a thriving city.
This is the place where Elijah heard the “still small voice of God.”
I felt a tremendous sense of peace and spirituality in the small cave under the altar, but no whispers from God.
Journey To Israel
Nearly twenty four hours after leaving San Antonio we flew into Tel Aviv, Israel. The city sparkled in the night sky and seemed like a beacon in the darkness that we had flown through from Germany.
From the sky it looked like every other city I had ever flown into at night, freeways filled with cars, some areas lit while others were dark. There were houses, hotels and businesses all with their signs bright enough to be seen from the night sky.
There were tall skyscrapers and hills that were lit up. The tower at the airport had revolving lights spinning in the night sky letting those who came in the Israeli airspace know they were serious about keeping their country safe.
We had taken a bus from San Antonio to Houston, then in Houston we boarded our Lufthansa flight, the largest plane I had ever been in, that surprisingly had some of the smallest passenger seats I had ever squeezed into, for our 9 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Though the seats were small, the company was excellent, and the tiny space became a cozy gathering of friends.
We had a five hour layover in Frankfurt then finally we boarded our flight to Tel Aviv. where we witnessed on the plane the devoted faith of Rabbi’s on the flight.
Some of us stopped at the Welcome to Israel sign for a quick selfie.
Then we loaded onto another bus taking us to The Ramada Inn Hadera Resort
where we had a delicious dinner of “cold cuts” aka chicken, fresh vegetables and bread.
Exhausted from 2 days of travel we go to sleep dreaming tonight of what our adventures for the next week would be.
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