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.
Pink Hat Gypsy 