On the road from Jerusalem to Jericho

This morning we headed off early for our last big excursion to Jericho, the oldest city in the world!
On the way we stopped in the Judean desert for a time of reflection at Wadi Kelt. The last time we were in the desert was on Day 4 of our course- it seems like such a long time ago now and we have experienced so much!
We went to a viewing point which had a spectacular view over the barren hills.

We were given time to just stop, sit and reflect on our incredible journey over the last month, and to listen to what God is calling us to next in the silence and the stillness of this hot, dry and barren place.
As with every place we visit, there were some Bedouin (desert people) there trying to sell us their wares. A number of us bought white scarves from them.

Our next stop was up the road a bit where we walked out to see a Greek orthodox monastery built into a cliff face. Many monasteries existed in this area as monks withdrew from society to become hermits and contemplatives. This monastery is still in use today and has five monks in their community.

We then travelled to Jericho - an ancient city which dates back to 8000 BCE. It is also the lowest city on earth- located at 1300 feet below sea level. It is also the place where Joshua led his armies into battle.We caught a cable car up to the Mount of Temptation, where people believe was one of the places where Jesus was tempted by the devil when he was in the desert. The place is now a part of another monastery which clings to the side of a cliff.

From here we visited Elisha's spring and a Sycamore tree, where people believe Zaccheus climbed up to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed through the town.

Our last stop was a very beautiful modern Romanian Church which was built recently, but was covered in the most amazing icons depicting saints, prophets and stories from the Old testament and the life of Jesus- I know my son Daniel would have loved it! In fact there were a few lovely icons of his namesake!

We had a nice lunch at a lovely restaurant then returned to Ecce Homo for a shower and a well earned rest as it was an extremely hot and humid day.

In the evening the whole group went out for dinner to celebrate together and to thank Sisters Bernadette and Trudy for all their help and hard work in organising such a wonderful program for us. It was a lovely night!

Information overload!

Today was a busy day full of lots of lectures and lots of listening!
This morning we continued our studies of the Gospel of Matthew with Pino, looking at the temptation of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount- this had much more meaning for us now that we have actually been to where this is believed to have happened.
After lunch, we had a couple of lectures from a very engaging Jewish speaker Dr. Marie Lenk. She spoke to us about the Jewish feasts of Rash Hashanah, which was celebrated last week, and the big feast of Yom Kippur which is this Wednesday. Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is spiritually and liturgically like Easter. On this day, Jews spend most of the day praying in the synagogue confessing their sins and asking for forgiveness. Tomorrow evening we will be going to Kol Nidere the beginning of this feast at the Hebrew Union Synagogue which should be very interesting.
In the late afternoon, we walked out of the Old City to West Jerusalem to attend a mass in the Hebrew language. While I couldn't understand anything, we could still follow the parts of the mass. There was lots of singing which was really lovely. There were also 7 young priests concelebrating which was an inspiring thing to see!
We then heard from Fr David Neuhaus, a Jesuit priest who was born Jewish in South Africa, was sent to Jerusalem at the age of 15 to study and, after meeting an 88 year old nun, decided to be baptized and become a priest.
He spoke about the need for a Hebrew speaking Christian community to support the children of migrants and refugees in Israel who learn Hebrew at school. His community runs Sacramental programs and other activities for these children and their families.
After a long and tiring day, we walked home exhausted yet enriched by the amazing speakers who had shared their wisdom and insights with us.

Mixed blessings

The last two days have brought mixed blessings. Yesterday (Saturday) we travelled to Hebron, a very sad and troubled city in the West Bank which is one of the oldest cities in the Holy Land, founded in 5000 BCE. There is a very strong military presence in this place - there were soldiers every 100 metres or so.
This city is regarded as a sacred place by Muslims, Christians and Jews as it was here where they believe that Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah are all buried. The Tomb of the Patriarchs which we visited is divided into a Jewish synagogue and a Muslim Mosque, each with its own entrance. As it was a Saturday (Shabbat - sabbath day for the Jews), we could only visit the mosque side. All the ladies were given long hooded cloaks to wear - we looked like characters from "The Lord of the Rings"!
We saw the parts of the Mosque, including all the prayer carpets on the ground all facing Mecca, as well as the sign that had all the times for prayer which change daily according to the sunrise. We visited the tomb of Abraham, which is actually shared between the Muslims and jews so we only saw the Muslim half.
After leaving the tomb, we wandered the marketplace. As it was early morning, there weren't many shops open, but we saw lovely embroidery and pottery shops as well as people selling soap and spices.
This is a very poor city, with lots of sad-looking children trying to sell you bracelets and other trinkets - it was really heartbreaking.
After the market, we headed into the new city to visit a glass blowing and ceramics factory where we saw artisans at work, making glass items and painting bowls etc. They were very talented.
Today, on the other hand, was a day of blessings and graces! We began the day by going to a very prayerful mass down the road at St. Anne's Church. The mass was in French, ( I managed to understand quite a bit!) and the singing and acoustics were amazing.
We were then going to go to the Temple mount but found some of our other pilgrims who had been lining up for an hour and were still a long way from the entrance, so Richard, Eamonn and I went for a wander instead.
Our first stop was the grave of Oskar Schindler - which is found in a Christian cemetery just outside the Old City. We could easily find his grave as it was literally covered in rocks, something Jewish people put on graves as a sign they have visited and have said a prayer there. Standing by the grave of this amazing man was a very moving experience for me as I have watched the film Schindler's list many times and remember seeing some of the people Oskar saved placing stones on this very grave. The inscription on the tombstone translates to " the unforgettable lifesaver of 1200 persecuted Jews".
From here we visited the Upper Room again which was a lot quieter and much more reflective this time as the only company we had was a local cat!
We also went to King David's tomb where we had to separate as men and women have to worship separately.
We revisited Dormition Abbey before going to a modern day mall outside the Old City where we had lunch and enjoyed the wide open spaces, lovely art shops and modern atmosphere.
I bought a beautiful book by a Jewish author called "The Soul Bird".
We then had a lecture this afternoon on Oriental, orthodox and Eastern Christian churches which was very interesting.
Another relaxing and very enjoyable day!

Reflection and relaxation

This morning we had the opportunity to share with our group some of our thoughts and reflections on our Galilee experience. We firstly spoke in groups of three then shared with the larger group. It was a great chance for us to reflect on and process our pilgrimage so far.
Richard, Paul and I then went for a wander with our aim being to do the ramparts walk up on top of the wall around part of the Old City. On the way, we ended up at a magnificent church called Dormition Abbey, where it is believed Mary lived with the first Christian community, and where she died. It is connected to the Benedictine Church that we went to in Galilee.
It is very beautiful, with lots of altars decorated in stunning mosaics. It is a very quiet and prayerful place- one of the most beautiful churches I have seen on this journey.
We then discovered that the Upper room, where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, and where he appeared to his disciples after the resurrection and where the Holy Spirit came down upon them, was somewhere nearby. We eventually went up some stairs and heard some loud voices and chanting - it was a charismatic group speaking in tongues, obviously moved by the spirit in this place where the spirit was first given!
In the end, we didn't get to do what we had set out to do today, but we were pleasantly surprised and happy with what we had seen and experienced.
This afternoon we had two lectures on the Spirituality of Islam by a very engaging and knowledgeable lecturer.
I learnt so much about the Muslim faith and culture that I did not know, and it was presented in a way for us to understand how they view God and their world. This was very relevant, especially with what has been going on in Australia this last week in the wake of the film about Mohammed. In fact, some of our group saw a rally/march about this issue in the streets here today.
We are off to Hebron tomorrow, to see the tombs of the Patriarchs including Abraham and Isaac.

"So I leave my boats behind...."

Today we left the beauty and peacefulness of the Sea of Galilee to head back to the dry, cramped and busyness of Jerusalem. I spent an hour by the lake shore this morning watching the sunrise over the water and reflecting on the amazing experiences I have had in this special part of the Holy Land. I think I have felt Jesus' presence here more than anywhere else. Sitting by the lake, hearing the waves lap the shore, I can imagine Jesus sitting here with his friends, teaching them, calling them to follow him, and even having a laugh and a swim with them!
Just before we left, the whole group of us stood on the verandah overlooking the lake and sang the Galilee song together:
"So I leave my boats behind
Leave them on familiar shores,
Set my heart upon the deep,
Follow you again, my Lord".
I felt very sad to leave, and I wondered how Jesus must have felt leaving the safety of this place to make his journey up to Jerusalem for his final days.
Once on the bus, our guide started telling everyone about the conflicts that occurred in this land since 1947 - it was such a contrast to the peacefulness we had just experienced so I put my earphones in and listened to some reflective Rob Galea music instead!
Our first stop on the way back today was Zippori or Sepphoris - " the ornament of Galilee" - which was the capital of Herod Antipas' government in 4 BC. Because of its position on a mountain top like a bird (zippor), it was the most important city in the region. There was a stunning view from the top of the fortress.
I had a special once-in-a-lifetime moment when we were visiting the Nile House on the site where there were lots of beautiful mosaics on the floor. Drasko was trying to decipher some Greek words that were written in mosaic above an image of a centaur. I casually walked past and read the interpretation sign near it which said the inscription meant " Helpful God". This is the only time I have ever managed to upstage Drasko, and it will probably be the only time too!
After Zeppori, we travelled to the coast to Caesaria Maritima, which is right in the coast of the Mediterranean sea.
Here we visited some amazing ruins of a theatre, hippodrome and palace built by Herod the Great. We then went for a wonderful and refreshing swim in the Mediterranean sea, right in front of an ancient aquaduct, before heading back to our home in Jerusalem.
Our pilgrimage to Galilee was a very special part of our journey, and a time I will never forget.

By the rivers of the Jordan

This morning we visited the excavations of the ancient city of Dan - where one of the twelve tribes of Israel settled. This place was an important centre of worship in the north after the division of solomon's Kingdom after his death. We saw a huge entry gate made out of very large rocks, as well as a sacrificial altar. From here we could see the hills of Lebanon.
We then went to the nature reserve nearby which is watered by a tributary of the Jordan river. We found a lovely watering hole where we stopped to reflect, pray and remember our baptismal vows. Richard, who was celebrating the 15th Anniversary of his ordination, blessed the water for us and after we renewed our promises, he sprinkled us all with this holy water.
It was a very special and symbolic liturgy.
We then travelled to Banyas (Caesarea Philippi, and visited the place where Jesus asked his disciples "who do you say I am?" and where he said to Simon Peter: " You are Peter, and on this rock you will build my church". This occurred on the site of another ancient temple - the Shrine of Pan.
After lunch, we headed back by the Golan hills. We stopped at an observation point at the very northern point of Israel where we could see an Israeli intelligence and observation point on the hill, a UN base below and the border with Syria. It was so sad to see all the military vehicles around here, and to imagine all the terrible things that have happened and continue to happen so close to where we were standing.
In the late afternoon we had a special Mass on the shores of the Lake, celebrated by Richard. The gospel reading was the one where Jesus asks three times "Simon Peter, do you love me?" three times. Richard spoke of his journey through cancer and how our pledge of love to God may take us to where we may not want to go but that we always need to trust that God will be walking beside us all the way. We sang some lovely reflective songs ding Ubi Caritas, Will you Love me? and we finished with the Galilee song which was very moving and very appropriate. Sadly we leave Galilee tomorrow and head back to Jerusalem. It has been a very special time for us all here.

On the Lake

What an amazing day we had today!
To begin with, a small group of us walked to the Benedictine Monastery next door for early morning Mass which was quiet, peaceful and reflective, and included some Taize chants, sung beautifully by the monks.
After breakfast we went to a museum down the road where we saw an ancient boat that had been excavated from the mud on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in 1986 which dates back to the time of Jesus.
We then went out in a boat onto the Sea of Galilee itself - when we got out into the middle of the lake, they turned the engine off, we heard the reading of Jesus calming the storm on this very lake, then we had some time in silence to stop, reflect and just "be" in this special place. It was a very precious and graced moment.
We then travelled to the Mount of the Beatitudes where it is believed that Jesus gave his disciples and us the guidelines we should follow to be happy. After visiting the beautiful church which had a lovely view over the lake, we celebrated mass in the gardens. Father Pedro from our group gave a thoughtful homily about the importance of happiness, not only our own, but that of others. He said that in order to achieve this, we need to have a change of heart.
After lunch on the Mount, we travelled down the hill to Capernaum to see the remnants of the the old city where Jesus spent most of his active ministry. We saw what they believe to be the ruins of the house of St. Peter (where Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, as well as ruins of shops, houses and a synagogue. Above Peter's house was a modern church with the centre floor made of glass so you could see through to the ruins below.
We then went to Tabgha - the Church of the Loaves and fishes where it is said Jesus performed this miracle of feeding the 5000. This church was actually the Benedictine church where we had been to Mass this morning, only now it was flooded with tourists taking photos of the Byzantine mosaic floors.
Our last stop for the day was the church of the Primacy of Peter, right on the lakeshore, where they believe Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection, ate fish with them, and had the well known conversation with Peter where he asked him three times - "Simon Peter, do you love me?". This is one of my favourite passages of scripture as Peter pledges his love and commitment to Jesus and negates the three times he denied him before he died.
All in all, it was a very special day with the boat trip on the lake being one of the many highlights of my journey so far. There is a real sense of the sacredness in this place - it is still relatively untouched, and it is easy to imagine and believe that, in these natural surroundings, we are looking at scenes that Jesus himself would have seen during his life. I am so very blessed to be here!

Yom Kippur - the Sabbath of Sabbaths

The last two days have been a time to stop and reflect. Yom Kippur, as mentioned in my last blog, is a very special Jewish feast day. We were very fortunate to attend the Kol Nidre service on Tuesday evening at the Hebrew Union synagogue is west Jerusalem, just outside the Old City. The synagogue is on the fifth floor and has a commanding and stunning view across the Old City. Many people were dressed in white which is the color worn for Yom Kippur.
The service was very long (around 2 1/4 hours) but was full of beautiful music and singing. There were many prayers about confessing sins and seeking forgiveness which is what Yom Kippur is all about. The chief rabbi gave a reflection on the story of Jonah as part of her speech as this story is read as part of the celebrations tomorrow.
On the way back, we noticed that the streets were deserted - there was no traffic at all. From sundown to sundown on this special day, the Jews fast ( no food or water) and they are not allowed to work, wash, drive cars or make phone calls etc.
Wednesday was the actual feast day and many of us decided, in keeping with the solemnity of this day, to have a day of quiet and reflection. I went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Calvary is to sit, reflect and pray. As it is such a crazy and busy place with pilgrims and tour groups filing through, I took my iPod and headphones and listened to some religious music. While at the site where the crucifixion is said to have occurred, I listened to "at the foot of the cross" by Father Rob Galea, and to "Make you Feel my Love" by Adele. It was a very moving and reflective time for me.
I also visited the tomb where it is believed Jesus was buried and where He rose. This was not so reflective as you are rushed in and hurried along so quickly!
I then went out of the city to visit the garden tomb, a place of reflection, which some believe to be the site of the resurrection. As it is outside, in a garden, on the side of a cliff, it is a lot easier to imagine this place as the site. Even if it isn't, it was still a very peaceful, beautiful and spiritual place for me.
Just before dinner, some of us headed to the Western wall to witness the end of Yom Kippur. There were so many people there it was amazing. The Jewish people were very excited as they awaited the blowing of the shofah, the ram's horn to signal the end of Yom Kippur.
It has been very special to witness and experience this special feast in the Jewish faith, a day that Jesus would have celebrated during his life.

The pilgrimage to Galilee begins.

Today we set off on our four day pilgrimage to Galilee, where Jesus spent most of his life, especially his three years of public ministry.
Our first stop was Nazareth, where we visited the Church of the Annunciation, honoring when the archangel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she would bear God's Son. I had been really looking forward to visiting this place as I was born on the feast of the Annunciation and I was not disappointed! It was a beautiful church full of icons, stained glass windows and images of this sacred event. There were also a huge array of images of Mary donated by various countries.
We then went next door to the lovely church of St Joseph - which had some special stained glass windows depicting significant events in the life of St. Joseph.
Our next stop was the underground area below the Sisters of Nazareth convent, where they have uncovered an ancient tomb dating back to the first century, complete with a road stone in the doorway. Could this be the tomb of St. Joseph? If so, could the ruins of the house nearby be where Jesus grew up?
We then walked up to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation - which contains a well/spring. The Greek Orthodox believe that Gabriel appeared to Mary while she was collecting water at the well, rather than at her home. This church was full of paintings of stories from the life of Jesus as well as pictures of saints and prophets.
From here, we travelled to Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle - changing water into wine at the wedding feast. Here there is a lovely church with beautiful angels on the outside.
Our last stop was our accommodation place which is right on the shores of Lake Galilee, a place where Jesus spent much of his time, and a place relatively untouched since Jesus' time. We had a simple mass in a bush chapel by the shore, and it is amazing to believe that Jesus was once here preaching, teaching and spending time with his friends.

Day of Rest

Today we had a quiet relaxing day. After a big sleep in until 7.30am(!) we joined Father Peter O'Loughlin and his pilgrim group from Hobart for Mass in the Ecce Homo Basilica downstairs at 10am. We then went for coffee to the Jewish quarter before having a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant.
In the afternoon Father Peter's group came back for afternoon tea. It was lovely to see some fellow Tasmanian pilgrims!
After dinner I packed my bags ready to head off early in the morning to Galilee for a few days.

Swimming and Sweltering at the lowest point on Earth

Another early start as we headed south east on the bus towards the desert and the Dead Sea.
Our first stop was En Gedi,
a nature reserve with sheer cliff faces and beautiful waterfalls flowing from natural springs. At the turn of the 10th Century BCE, this was a place of refuge for people including David and Saul.
It was such a hot morning and the waterholes looked so tempting that a small group of us took the opportunity to have a refreshing morning dip!
After the reserve, we visited the ruins of an ancient synagogue built in the third century CE which included a complete mosaic on the floor of the prayer hall.
From here we headed to the Dead Sea itself, the lowest body of water in the world, at 400 metres below sea level. Here we went in for a "float" in the very salty water. It was an amazing sensation to virtually just sit in the water- no need to tread water here!
After lunch we travelled to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. A religious group of men, the Essenes, lived here towards the end of the second century BCE and today there are remnants of buildings from their ancient community, including a tower, ritual baths, a pottery kiln etc. Nestled in the neighboring cliffs are some caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947 by some Bedouin (desert people).
It was very hot walking around this site as the temperature rose to around 45oC.
After a very interesting and tiring day, it was lovely to get back to Ecce Homo for a shower and rest!
After dinner we went for a lovely wander through the Jewish quarter which was very quiet and relaxing before sharing a drink at a cafe.