• It is important to remember that Jesus, Mary the early disciples and gospel writers were all Jews- so it is important for Christians to learn about the roots of our faith to be found in Judaism
• Ancient and modern Judaism are connected so today's Jews are a link in the chain to the past
• Jews are not exclusively and primarily a religious group - they are a people hood.
• Jews are a people who argue a lot - there is very little they agree on.
I thoroughly enjoyed her lectures and learnt some much about the Jewish culture of the past and today.
After lunch we got on a bus and headed to Ein Karem, a small village where it is believed that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. We first visited the Church of the Visitation - dedicated to this special encounter. There was a beautiful statue of this meeting out the front together with tiles bearing the magnificat prayer in many different languages. We then went to the church of John the Baptist which had similar tiles bearing Zechariah's prayer for his son John in different languages.
From here we walked up to the Sisters of Sion convent - a haven and place of retreat and reflection- where we had some quiet time then shared a meal together. The highlight of this day was our Mass in honour of Mary in the sisters' chapel- Fr Richard Ross said the Mass which included a beautiful Taize chant of the Magnificat, special prayers and the final hymn - Gentle Woman. It was very moving and I really felt united with all other women both past and present - it was a wonderful celebration of the blessings of womanhood.
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