Just an outline of the final full day

January 3 2010 Old City and Ein Karem

A much longer post was just put in for January 2nd.

I've uploaded some pictures onto previous days. All are from before we got to Jerusalem. I might not be able to get those on until I get to some US power system.

The pictures here are a group shot of the women of our group in Jericho, some of the OLL youth frolicking along the Mediterranean Sea at Ceasarea, Emily Lynch on the boat as we cruised the Sea of Galilee, and the Bussey threesome on the same ship.

Outline of the final day.

January 3 2010 Old City and Ein Karem

We began this Sunday morning with breakfast at the hotel, as is done every day. Those who would be flying out of Tel Aviv late this night had to have everything packed up and ready to go by 7:00, then eat breakfast, identify the luggage for the baggage handlers (unidentified bags are left behind – security concerns) and be on the bus at 8:00.

We took the short drive to the Old City (it can be walked in 15 minutes) and then passed the whole north side to the NE corner. We walked about 50 yards down and entered by the Sheep gate. This is one of several entrances to the Muslim quarter of Old City, which is the largest quarter. Not far inside there is St. Ann’s Church, a structure from the Crusader times. It is a beautifully built stone church with amazing acoustics. There is a seven second reverb – everyone sounds great singing in there. It is built over a number of small chapels, one of which is, by one tradition, the birthplace of Mary. There are other candidates for this event, but a second century document, the Proto-Evangelium of James, which tells of the birth of Mary, places it right near Jerusalem. This building would have been outside the walls of Jerusalem of the time, but very close to it and the temple area. What is definitely historical in the area is the pool of Bethesda, where Jesus cured the man who had been crippled for 38 years. (John 5). It is a massive pool, with the five porticos that the gospel mentions. In the 4th century the Byzantines built a gigantic church over the pool. That was destroyed by the Persians in 614. The Crusader church, the current St. Ann’s, had been made into a mosque for a time, but was granted to the French to be used as a Catholic church in gratitude for some favors granted.

We then walked up the street, avoiding some cars that have crept into the old city, to go to Ecce Homo, i.e. “Behold the Man”. (John 19). This was where Jesus was condemned to death by Pilate, and where the soldiers mocked him. This place is authentic as well. The original stone pavement is some feet below the modern city, but this was Pilate’s Palace. As known as Antonia (named after Mark Anthony) it was once Herod’s palace until he built an even larger one. There we started the way of the cross. People took turns carrying the cross, and we stopped at the stations and either sang or recited a prayer or read scripture. The first nine stations are outside, and the final five are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

As we finish the 9th station, we cross on the roof of part of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Representatives of two Christian religions live in small huts there – Ethiopian Coptics and Abyssinians. Sometimes the Ethopians will read the passage in Acts 7 or 8 about the Ethiopian eunuch who is evangelized by Philip. The gospel book is in the shape of a cross when opened. We didn’t stop for that this day, though. We needed to get in line to see the tomb.

Visiting the tomb is difficult these days. It is a long wait – we were there an hour or so, Calvary
Shopping for a few minutes
Walk through the market
The Roman Cardo
Western Wall
Unable to make it onto the temple mount
Board bus, go to Ahava shop for lunch and shop
Ein Karem
Hotel
Final dinner
Hotel

In morning – Monday -- I got up at 4:00, finished the packing and walked into the Old City, getting to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher by 4:45. There was a Mass in the tomb already, so I went up to Calvary -- only one other person there. Quite, meditative. So unlike yesterday. After some time I returned to the tomb, and in due time got in for a short visit. Then back to Calvary and attended a Mass (in Spanish) there. I was back at the Hotel by 6:15, had breakfast and ready for the van at 6:35. We traveled to the airport -- the seven of us -- and eventually got through all the security. The flight was delayed over two hours because of the security issues in Newark earlier that day. A very long wait, long flight, and then a two + hour delay in Newark, but back home in Vermillion by 2:00 am. Maybe more later.

A crowded day on the Mount of Olives and Bethlehem

January 2 Mount Zion and Bethlehem’s Cave

The picture here is from January 1 morning, looking over the Sea of Galilee. This was the view from my room.

We boarded the bus at 8:00 and headed to the east side of Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives. There we visited Pater Noster Church. Pater Noster is Latin for “Our Father” and there are over 130 large plaques each with the Our Father written in a different language. Many of the languages are ones I have not heard of, such as Mpoo. They are from every continent and Oceania as well.
There was an old church in the area, the foundations of which has been rediscovered. If I understand it correctly, this was one of three churches built by St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine. It referred primarily to the Ascension. It is near Bethany, which is where the gospel says Jesus led the disciples to after his 40 days after the resurrection. There is another place called the Mosque of the Ascension nearby. I think that was a Christian site at one time as well – Christians continue to be welcomed there. It has a small silo shaped building with a stone in it. The stone has a divot in there, which with some imagination looks like a footprint, giving rise to the notion that Jesus “pushed off” toward heaven from there.
There were immense crowds there even at this early time in the morning. It would be crowded everywhere that day.

Our next stop was St Peter Gallicantu. You French speakers may recognize this as meaning “rooster crow” or “cock crow.” This very likely was the House of Caiaphus, the high priest (or recent high priest, still holding the real power) at the time of the crucifixion. Jesus was taken there after his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. The church itself is rather modern, almost completely tiled with mosaics. The lower church portrays the betrayal by Peter, his sorrow, and his ultimate reconciliation with Jesus as found in John 21. The real interesting part of this church is the still lower part. There is a dungeon and a pit. Various things in this place show it was used to hold prisoners, and perhaps even punish or torture them there. The pit is very dark, and makes one recall the psalm about being lowered into a pit. It was a powerful experience to be there for many of the pilgrims.
Outside the church are what are known as the Holy Stairs. These are stairs that comprise the main route from Mount Zion (where the Last Supper was held) down to the Kidron Valley and would then lead up to the Mount of Olives. They go pack to a time just before Christ, and were in use at the time of Jesus. Almost certainly he walked on them. It is one of those few places where you can say that Jesus actually passed through these few cubic feet of space. It was there that we literally walked in the footsteps of Jesus.
We went a very short distance away to the Cenacle (Last Supper place). We had Mass in the small chapel there, and then visited the “Upper Room.” This was built by the Crusaders, c. 1100 A.D. to memorialize the Last Supper which was held somewhere on Mount Zion. It is a spacious area that was a church, became a mosque, and now belongs to everyone. Masses are not held there. The upper room, of course, was also the site of the Pentecost, so very important things happened there. (It should be noted there are alternative sites for the Pentecost – the Syrian Orthodox have an interesting place a short distance away for that as well.
After this we walked downstairs to visit the tomb of King David. There is a legend with some theological meaning which I can’t quite put together right now, that the last supper was held over the tomb of David.

Our next stop was at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. We decided to go there immediately rather than having lunch, thinking there wouldn’t be that many people there during lunch. But there were! It is just that there were even more later. The wait to get into the cave was more than an hour, but once we were in there, it was not crowded beyond the altar and manger area. This cave is narrow, only about ten or eleven feet wide, and perhaps 30 or more feet long. It is about 10 feet high. There is a 14-pointed star under the altar to denote the spot where Jesus was born. Why 14? Read the genealogy in Matthew 1.
While we stood in line, everyone noted the different style of decoration the Greek Orthodox use – many candles, icons, etc. The Greek Orthodox Christmas is on January 7, and they have been busy cleaning for it. The Armenians were having a prayer time as we stood in line, all sung, and all completely lost on me. It was an impressive display, but I didn’t understand it at all.
It was after 3:00 by the time we were done. We went to a nice clean restaurant and had an inexpensive meal of falafels (the national sandwich) or shwarma (like a gyro sandwich). Some less venturous or with unstable stomachs simply chose French fries.

You come to appreciate clean restrooms in this country.

Our final stop was another shopping venture. You pretty much see the same things everywhere, but this place also had some antique icons. But since they were all about $2,000 and up, no one was biting.

We used a bit of a subterfuge (is that we are calling lies now?) to get thorough security faster. The checkpoint had a long line and they were going through things carefully – everyone had to open their trunks, etc. The driver hiked up the hill to tell the guards we were going to the airport, so they let us pass about 10 cars ahead of us. We got back to our hotel around 5:30 and most of us simply rested, ate dinner and went to bed. WQe were going to the airport, but just not that day.

A bottle of wine was shared, along with various collections of fruit.

A midday update

It is Sunday afternoon. We are in a shop getting the last souvenirs, and the owners are letting me write something. Most people are feeling better. We spent yesterday at Mount Zion, and had Mass at the Cenacle, in a small chapel near there (last supper room). We also visited the house of Caiaphas where Jesus was held the night before his crucifixion. We also got to Bethlehem again, and saw the grotto --- a very long line.

Today we did the via dolorosa, the way of the cross, visited St. Ann's church, the pool of Bethesda, (John 5) and the Western Wall (wailing wall). We visited Calvary and the tomb of Christ this morning as well -- all in the church of the Holy Sepulchure. We will go to Bethany for Mass, we think, or to Ein Karem, home of John the Baptist.

\have to go. Most of us fly out tonight. Seven of us, including me, leave tomorrow morning.

I'm trying to set up a website with dozens of photos -- unedited ... many bad photos and no explations. Just try to figure it out from the blog and a few signs along the way. Title when I've accomplished this.

This picture is of the decorated tree outside the
Church of the Nativity. (see comment section for this day.)


Please read the last three days. I haven't had accept to wifi, and it has delayed my journaling.

January 1, 2010 The Dead Sea, Jericho, and Jerusalem

A wonderful day! The weather was good, but turned chilly at Jerusalem as we adjusted to some 4,000 change in elevation.

Leaving Galilee always gives me some sadness. It is a place of beauty and nature, of nurturing and triumph for Jesus, but “he resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:15) and immediately is rejected in the first village on the road. He went to Jerusalem to die, as all the prophets before him did.
We journeyed south along the Jordan River. Along the way the landscape changed from a productive land to that which would be good for sheep grazing to wilderness – grey mounds of rock and dirt with little vegetation even in the rainy season. We passed Bet She’an, a marvelous archaeological site that shows 26 levels of cultures. After passing the exit to Jordan, we turned east to the Dead Sea. There we bobbed in the Sea for about 45 minutes. People who had never floated before were able to stand up straight in the water without touching the bottom and without treading water. Many mimicked reading a newspaper while sitting/floating in the water. Many also covered themselves with the mud that is sold around the world for face masks and the like. I think everyone enjoyed it.

We headed into Jericho next, stopped at an ancient sycamore tree claimed by the locals to be the very tree Zacchaeus climbed in order to see Jesus. (Luke 19:1-10.) Jericho was also the site of several miracles of Jesus involving healing the blind. It was his final stop before going to Jerusalem. Jericho is also famous, of course, for the walls that fell down during the Israelite invasion under Joshua about 1250 BC. We visited the Tel of Jericho, which displayed civilization after civilization down to some neo-lithic age about 10,000 years ago. Walls showed it was a city with walls and civil organization millennia before the bronze age, even before pottery. Jericho is an oasis with warmth and water year round. Food can be grown there and people could live in some comfort. No wonder it was populated for so long – and still is
We ate there as well. Overlooking the tel (hill) is the mountain of temptation, said to be where Jesus sparred with the devil in the Judean wilderness. There is a monastery there as well.

We left there to go to Jerusalem. We visited part of the Mount of Olives, and had Mass at a church called Dominus Flevus. (the Lord wept.) (See Luke 19:41-46). The church as the best view of the old city of Jerusalem as found anywhere. After this we visited the Garden of Gethsemene and All Nations Church, which is designed to look like a garden of olive trees under a night sky. It contains a large rock which may be where Jesus prayed the night before he died.

We checked into King Solomon Hotel, just a block or two from the famous King David Hotel rested, showed off the remnant of the Dead Sea salt, warmed up and had supper. Afterwards three of us went on a reconnaissance mission, to find a good way to the Old City for the early morning walk.

Please keep us in your prayers. Many of the pilgrims are suffering from weariness, chills, diarrhea and most likely dehydration. We aren’t sure whether we are drinking too much unbottled water or not enough water in general. I personally checked in, took a long hot shower and then a long hot bath. I’ll have a aspirin and get to bed early. I think I’ll be ok.

Some science for those interested: the Dead Sea is about 24-26% mineral substance in the water at this time of the year, which allows us such buoyancy. I’ve heard, but haven’t verified that the fact it is the lowest place on earth as 1,300 feet below sea level, that the additional amount of thick atmosphere screens out the UV rays,.
For you star gazers, the full moon is washing out most stars, but Orion is seen fairly high in the south at 11:00 p.m. The front end of the cup of the Big Dipper can be found at 11:00 pm at about three-o’clock as it rotates around the North Star. I think it is more like seven o’clock around the North Star at that time at home.

Thank you to the followers. We welcome your comments now that I have access to the Internet again.

December 31 A Day at Galilee

The word Galilee has always seemed to be a musical word to me, tripping lightly off the tongue and drawing up lovely images. Galilee is an area of the northern part of Israel. In the time of Jesus it was an area to the west of the sea of Galilee, extending both north and south. Some towns of Galilee include Nazareth, Nain, Cana, Capernaum, Magdala, Chorazin and Tiberius. Galilee was the site of much of Jesus’ early ministry. He actually lived in Capernaum for a time after he left Nazareth. The Sea of Galilee is actually a lake. It went by many names, including Lake Genessaret, which means something like harp shaped lake. Perhaps that is why Galilee seems to be a musical word to me.

After a fantastic breakfast we boarded the bus to our first destination – the Mount of Beatitudes. There we had Mass outside, with the Beatitudes as the gospel reading. Earlier we had read some other parts of the Sermon on the Mount. It is difficult to overstate the beauty of this place. You overlook the entire Sea of Galilee, which is surrounded by small mountains. The land is lush and fertile. The Church of the Beatitudes is an octagonal building, reflecting the eight beatitudes. The grounds are immaculately kept, and the colors of the flowers are vibrant. Even though the day started cloudy and there was some haze in the distance, it was a place of beauty. In the past few years a retreat place has been built there, and pilgrims can stay on site.
It was difficult to leave, but there were more treasures to see. We went to the church of the primacy of Peter, which commemorates John 21, one of the post-resurrectional appearances of Jesus. Here Jesus is instrumental in a great catch of fish, and asks Peter three times whether he loved him, each time telling him to feed his sheep. Pope John Paul II had visited there on his pilgrimage in 2000. The place goes right to the Sea of
Galilee. A church there contains a rock known as Mensa Christi, or the table of the Lord, where he prepared breakfast for the disciples who had attempted fishing with Jesus.
From there we went to Capernaum, once a thriving city in which Jesus lived. Peter and Andrew lived there as well. See Mark 1 for a busy day that Jesus spent there. He returned a number of times. In fact, it served as something of his base of operation. There is a church built over the home of St. Peter – over the site of a 4th century church that was built around the walls of Peter’s home. There is also an ancient synagogue that was built on the foundation of the synagogue they was there at the time of Jesus, and in which he taught. A significant area has been excavated.
Next we went on a boat for a cruise on the lake. The sky was becoming clearer by the hour. We had a glass-smooth surface and warm temperatures. The boat is constructed to look somewhat like the boats of the time of Jesus, although motor powered. The kibbutz that runs this service also has a building that houses the “Jesus Boat” which is a boat from the first century which had remained below the surface of the lake for over 1900 years.
We then visited Tabgha, where there is a church commemorating the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. It was restored in the 1980s to reflect the church that was there in 485, and destroyed in 614. The 485 church replaced one from the year 350. It contained extraordinary mosaic floors, found quite intact when unearthed in 1932 by a team led by, seriously, a Fr. Mader.
We had a late but excellent lunch at a kibbutz. Many of the people had St. Peter’s fish for lunch. This restaurant is along the Sea of Galilee as well, but on the east side. To get there we drove over the Jordan river, only about 8 feet wide on the north edge of the Sea of Galilee. We passed the ruins of Chorazin and Bethsaida as well. By this time the haze was almost completely gone and we had a fine view of the opposite shore and a mountain called the Horns of Hattin, where the Crusaders lost a decisive battle against Saladin in July of 1187, losing Jerusalem as a result.
Our final official stop of the day was to a place created for viewing and visiting the Jordan river. Many baptisms or renewal of vow ceremonies take place there. It is not the place where Jesus was baptized – that is somewhat farther south and in the wilderness of Judea. But this is a place where the Jordan is accessible – for all but one day a year the actual place of John the Baptist’s activity and Jesus’ baptism is a no-man’s land between Israel and Jordan. There we renewed our baptismal vows and received blessings with the water.
Some people also visited a diamond dealer, learning a bit about diamonds, diamond cutting and about Israel’s leading role in the diamond industry. There was, of course, also a sales pitch.
This evening we will have a special New Year’s Eve meal at the hotel, and are invited to a party at the hotel. Some of us might share a bottle of wine as well.
This is a very nice hotel, but there is no wifi here, so the posting of my entries have been delayed.

December 30

Rain and a change of plans.

The day was rainy, so we scuttled the plans to go to the Dead Sea and headed to the Mediterranean coast. First however, we visited Shepherd’s Fields, an area near Bethlehem which commemorates the announcement of the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. We sang in the chapel and again in one of the caves the shepherds had used. We did see sheep about ¼ mile away. The rain held off during our visit
We left there on a long journey to the Mediterranean Sea. There we stopped in Joppa, an ancient sea port, over 4,000 years old. It is just south of Tel Aviv, which is only 100 years old and now boasting a population of 1,000,000. Joppa is found in numerous places in the bible, notables Jonah 1, 2 Chronicles, and Acts 9 and Acts 10, where Simon Peter performed several miracles and also had the vision that led to declaring all foods clean. We visited the home of Simon the Tanner (Acts 9 and Acts 10) and St. Peter’s Church. We were in some serious rain. There was no desire to try a walk along the Mediterranean.
There we went north along the coast to Caesarea, a city built by Herod the Great, (d. 4 b.c.), the same Herod who ordered the slaughter of the innocents around Bethlehem. It has a theater that sat nearly 5,000 people, had a chariot race arena, a palace, roman baths and many other amenities. Later it was a significant site for the Crusaders. Today it is the home of the wealthy. It sports Israel’s only golf course.
We ate lunch at Megiddo, an astonishing archaeological site that we were unable to visit, but we received an understanding of the geographical importance of the city over the years. Twenty levels of civilization have been unearthed there. The valley of Megiddo, ar Megiddo, or Armageddon, has been the site of many history changing battles.
I’ve had a few computer challenges --- using up my computer battery, not being able to recharge it quickly, and also a lack of wifi in this otherwise very nice hotel, Caesar’s in Tiberius. But to finish the day (writing this on December 31 in the evening…. )
After this very late lunch, we went to Nazareth. We didn’t have a great deal of time here, but had Mass at 4:00 at St. Joseph’s Church, adjacent to the Basilica of the Annunciation. After Mass we had a quick explanation of some of the historical finds beneath that church, and went to the Basilica of the Annunciation, which is built over the home of Mary. It was here that the Annunciation took place, and with Mary’s assent, the Word became flesh immediately in the womb of Mary. This basilica is adorned with dozens of images of Mary from countries all over the globe. On the outside of the basilica, there are many writings and images. The doors are particularly impressive. There is also a labyrinth and other opportunities for devotion. We stayed until 6:00 so we could pass by the home of Mary. It was about 6:30 when we got back on the bus, and after 7:00 before we checked in. A sumptuous supper awaited us, and we also learned that we had free access to the health room and the mineral springs pool. Several took advantage of that before retiring.
It was a long day, lots of travel, and raining or threatening to rain almost all day. We were glad to not have an early morning option of visiting sites. We all want to sleep.