Day 11 - Galilee and Nazareth

We were the first tour group off of the boat this morning. Because we were leaving so early and the hot breakfast wouldn't be available in the dining room until after we needed to leave, we took full advantage of room service bringing a hot breakfast to the room for free-- an omelette, scrambled eggs, toast, sausage, cereal, and fruit. Being the first group off the ship was nice because there weren't long lines on the gangway. We would also be able to beat the crowds to a lot of the sites. Unfortunately, our buses didn't come until an hour after they were scheduled.

Like yesterday, our tour group was split into two buses (in Cairo we had three). Amer was on our bus again for the morning and Steve and Janet were on the other one. Throughout the day they switch back and forth. Amer explained with an angry, frustrated, and sadened tone that they had been at the port for nearly three hours waiting for the authorities to grant the two buses access, meaning they had been waiting to get to the port longer than us. The authorities told him that since he wasn't Jewish that he would have to wait a long time. The Christians are a declining population in Israel and are being squeezed out by Jewish and Muslim people. Those that remain are encouraged by pilgrims coming to the Holy Land and walking the streets of the holy places. It helps the local Christians not to feel like orphans. With that aside, we all got excited for another day in the land that Jesus walked.

Our first stop was at the Mount of Beatitudes. Here is where the greatest recorded sermon of Jesus took place. See Matthew chaper 5 and following. I had always pictured Jesus teaching the thousands of people from the top of the mount, but in reality he would have been at the base of the mount as most ancient ampitheaters were designed. Any breeze blowing by would have carried his voice up the side of the hill acting as a natural microphone. Once we arrived, we saw that there were many other tour groups, about 15 other motor coach buses parked there. Our destination was a small church for Mass, so we walked past the other tour groups walking around the grounds and quickly filled up the empty church. Being with our Catholic group and not just some other tour group makes the experience much more fulfilling.

Once inside the Church of the Beatitudes, we saw that it is octagonally shaped, representing the eight beatitudes. A Italian nun walked out and prepared the altar for us. What struck me was how unified the Catholic faith is. We, a group consisting of Catholics from all over North America, traveled to a country half way around the world where an Italian nun who had, at one point, traveled some distance too was providing exactly the things we needed: candles for the altar, a chalice, wine, bread, the scriptures-- all without anyone having to tell her. Our worship through the Mass is truly unified around the world. Of course, the gospel reading was the Beatitudes. Hearing the words of Jesus while standing in the place where they were first proclaimed was a moving experience, to say the least. The grounds around the church was one of the most peaceful places we have been too. It easily would be a wonderful retreat center (if they even offer that service).

The next stop was the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, visited by Popes Paul VI in 1964 and John Paul II in 2000. This church is located just on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Here is where Jesus asked Peter three times "Do you love me?" and three times told him "Feed my sheep." This was the culmination of Peter being declared the leader of the apostles. We saw a sculpture depicting this moment near the church. The shore of the Sea had a smell very similar to beaches back in Florida, probably due to all of the fishing that takes place there.

We got on the bus and traveled a short distance to the city of Capernaum where Jesus lived for three years in Peter's house which he used as his headquarters while in Galilee. Here he healed the paralytic, the centurion's son, and Peter's mother-in-law. Jesus also taught here in a synagauge about the Eucharist as recorded in John chapter 6. On top of the original black walls is a synagauge with white walls built in the 4th century, some of which is still standing today. Near the synagauge is Peter's house where a more recent church is suspended above. The church has a glass floor in the center to see Peter's house from the inside. Next we went to Cana of Galilee where the wedding feast took place. Fr. Dilland who has been with us the whole trip led us in renewing our wedding vows.

Our last stop for the day was Nazareth where we went to the Bascilica of the Annunciation. Inside of the bascilica is the cave in which Mary and her parents lived and where Gabriel announced the Good News to her. This was the spot where the Word was made flesh, where everything began. What made the visit extra special was knowing that this Bascilica is the home parish of our tour guide, Amer. It must give him great joy to show people across the world his own church. Of course he knew every detail about it and loved sharing it with us. The outside of the dome of the bascilica looks like a lighthouse, for those who are spiritually lost they may return to the church. The inside of the dome is designed like a lily that only grows in Nazareth. A few yards from the church was the Church of St. Joseph which contains the cave in which the Holy Family lived for nearly 30 years.

We ended the evening by eating at a restaurant located inside a building which used to be the YMCA of Nazareth. Ironically, we were served the exact same food as the night before, chicken and beef/lamb on skewers. Today felt more relaxed, mostly because we did not visit as many overly crowded places.